This New Netflix Series Could Be the Next ‘Dahmer’
Netflix is following up 2022’s popular but controversial limited series Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story with a story about another infamous 1990s crime.
In Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, Dahmer creator Ryan Murphy explores the case of the Beverly Hills brothers convicted of murdering their wealthy parents. The streamer has released a first-look teaser for the new series, which stars Chloë Sevigny and Javier Bardem. It releases on Netflix on September 19.
‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ was one of Netflix’s biggest hits
Despite its grim subject matter, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story was a massive hit for Netflix when it was released in September 2022. The 10-episode series racked up 1 billion viewing hours in the first 60 days after its release. It’s one of just a handful of shows on the streaming service to achieve such a milestone.
Netflix quickly ordered two more installments of the anthology series, hoping to replicate the original show’s success. But will lightning strike twice? The streaming service is betting people will be just as fascinated with the story of the Menendez brothers as they were with Dahmer. The siblings’ high-profile 1993 trial generated tabloid headlines and was one of the first covered extensively by Court TV.
In addition to Sevigny and Bardem, the new, 10-episode series stars Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Lyle and and Cooper Koch. Nathan Lane plays Vanity Fair journalist Dominick Dunne, Ari Graynor portrays defense attorney Leslie Abramson, and Dallas Roberts plays Erik’s therapist Dr. Jerome Oziel.
Who are Lyle and Erik Menendez?
On August 20, 1989, Lyle, 21, and Erik Menendez, 18, murdered their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home. The brutal crime scandalized the nation, which saw the brothers as a pair of spoiled rich kids who killed their parents to get their hands on their money.
The brothers told a different story. They were arrested in March 1990 after the girlfriend of Erik’s psychiatrist learned that he had confessed to the crime on tape and went to the police. When they finally went to trial in 1993, Lyle and Erik said that they’d only killed José and Kitty after years of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse at the hands of their father and enabled by their mother. They claimed that they felt they had to kill their parents because José threatened to kill them if they went public with their story.
The brothers’ first trial ended with two deadlocked juries (one for each brother). They were tried again in 1995. This time, the judge limited how much the defense could focus on their parents’ alleged abuse. In March 1996, both Lyle and Erik were found guilty. Each was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Where are the Menendez brothers today?
Today, both Lyle and Erik are still behind bars. In 2023, they requested that a judge reconsider their sentences. They pointed to new evidence that they say supports their claims of abuse. That includes allegations from Roy Rossello, a former member of the boy band Menudo. Rossello says that José sexually assaulted him in the early 1980s, the New York Post reported. The brothers’ lawyers argue that they should have been convicted of manslaughter, not murder. If a judge agrees, they would likely be released from prison.
All 10 episodes of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story will be available to stream starting Sept. 19 on Netflix.
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