Topline

“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” a new Netflix series created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan based on the 1989 murders of José and Kitty Menendez by their sons, is stirring controversy among viewers and critics for scenes that viewers say imply the brothers had an incestuous relationship.

Key Facts

Main Critics

The series has received mixed reviews from critics, with many criticizing what they call an uneven tone that they say oscillates between campiness and the seriousness of a real-life murder case. Variety called the tone “unmanageable” in a largely negative review, stating that it “wavers between ominous and mildly camp” and contains “overblown homoeroticism” (both brothers said during the trial that they are not gay). In a three-star review, The Independent called the series the “best and worst of Ryan Murphy,” known for such popular TV shows as “American Crime Story” and “American Horror Story,” and stated that whether his efforts are “interrogative or just plain exploitative can be pretty hit and miss,” and found “Monsters” to land somewhere in the middle. The Hollywood Reporter said the series comes close to “cheapenting two brutal deaths or a decade of sexual assault, all in the name of rehashing a case that’s been rehashed many times over the years.”

Main background

Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted in 1996 of fatally shooting their parents in 1989, when they were 21 and 18, respectively. The brothers faced two trials: the first in 1993, when they were tried separately, which ended in two no-jury juries, and the second, which began in 1995, when they were tried together and convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The brothers argued that the killings were self-defense, claiming they had endured years of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of their father. Prosecutors argued that the brothers killed their parents to inherit their wealth, citing large purchases they made after the killings, including a Rolex and a Porsche Carrera. The first trial, which was televised, drew widespread media attention, and the case also went viral on TikTok in 2021, with many Gen Z users calling for their release, The New York Times reported.

Where are the Menendez Brothers now?

Both brothers are incarcerated at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, where they are serving life sentences without parole. Attorneys representing the brothers filed a motion in Los Angeles County Superior Court last year seeking a new hearing, citing recently discovered evidence: a letter the attorneys said Erik wrote eight months before the murders, in which he discussed his father’s alleged sexual abuse.

Tangent

Murphy’s predecessor series, “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” also attracted controversy, with the families of Dahmer’s victims criticizing it for reopening old wounds. “This is not just a story or historical fact, these are real people’s lives,” Eric Perry, a relative of Dahmer victim Errol Lindsey, told the Los Angeles Times. “I don’t have to watch it, I lived it,” Lindsey’s sister Rita Isbell wrote in a piece for Insider, criticizing Netflix for not asking the families of Dahmer’s victims “if we minded or how we felt about making this.” The series received mixed reviews, holding a 57% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite the controversy, the series received 13 nominations at the delayed 75th Emmy Awards in January 2024, winning one for Niecy Nash’s supporting role.

Read more

Ryan Murphy’s ‘Monsters’ Series: Were the Menendez Brothers Incestuous Lovers? (The Daily Beast)

The Wild, True Story Behind Monsters: The Tale of Lyle and Erik Menendez (Vanity Fair)