Netflix's number one show is a sequel to one of the biggest-ever true crime hits
35 years ago, a pair of brothers killed their parents. But why?
The true crime fans have done it again, propelling a new Netflix show up into the top chart slot.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is Netflix’s new number one TV show. It’s based on a real-life crime story, a brutal murder that took place in 1989.
Lyle and Erik Menendez killed their own parents, and are currently in prison for the crime. But this is the story of how it came about, and what happened after.
So far, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story has proved less controversial than the first show in this series, as Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story was accused of glorifying its subject, but the new series is still pulling in the crowds.
It peaked at number one in 56 countries so far, according to Flixpatrol stats.
And the reviews? They are mixed, just like they were for the original.
“I didn’t find Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story to be aggressively off-putting like its predecessor,” says Ready Steady Cut. “But I did occasionally find it tone-deaf, clunky, and a bit silly.”
The Daily Beat review suggests it’s entertaining, if not exactly the most searching of true crime shows.
“Murphy plays all sides not because he believes every one of his suppositions but because he’s interested in drumming up intrigue and suspense, and the proceedings are ultimately more successful at holding one’s attention than providing novel insights,” the review reads.
In this sense, it’s just like the original Monsters from 2022. But we doubt this follow-up will be able to match the uproarious success of that show.
Dahmer was a monster hit, and is Netflix’s third most-watched English language TV show to date. It was watched for more than a billion hours in its first 91 days on stream.
Getting even close to that figure is a big ask for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.
The show comes from Ryan Murphy, the showrunner behind American Horror Story and, heading further back into the past, Glee.
The original became quite controversial for its treatment of serial killer Dahmer. But this time the blowback has come from one of the murderers himself.
"I believed we had moved beyond the lies and ruinous character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies rampant in the show. I can only believe they were done so on purpose," Erik Menendez said in a statement published by his wife on X.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story comes in nine episodes, and they’re all available to watch now on Netflix. Last week we heard the next figure to be given the Monster treatment may be Ed Gein, but there will be a while to wait before that comes out.