Ryan Murphy’s second season of Monster will be released on Netflix on September 19, 2024. This season focuses on the Menendez Brothers who murdered their parents inside their Beverly Hills home in 1989. Following the first season which covered the crimes of serial killer Jeffery Dahmer, fans have a mixed reaction to the second installment.
The nine-episode season covers the crime and trials of the Menendez Brothers, Erik and Lyle, who were only 18
and 21 when they murdered their successful and well-known Hollywood parents Kitty and Jose Menendez with shotguns at close range in their home. The brothers were sentenced to life behind bars following a guilty conviction in 1996. They have already served 33 years.
The show has received major backlash from audiences for multiple reasons. People are upset over the brothers’ lies and betrayals in the new series. Some call it a show “full of lies” and “completely fiction.” Similar comments were made following the release of the first season of the show.
“Are They Monsters” is plastered on the Netflix billboard on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, an advertisement for the new show. This gained immediate attention from the true crime community. This opened a discussion of what it was implying. Was it referring to the brothers or their parents? Were the Menendez Brothers monsters or victims of horrible abuse? The question weighs heavily in the minds of people who have watched the series.
Over the past few decades since the Menendez trials, the public perception of the murders has shifted greatly. New evidence has come forward that backs up the brother’s original claims of sexual abuse. Family members, as well as many supporters of the brothers, have come forward claiming they didn’t deserve a life sentence.
Kitty Menendez’s older sister, Joan VanderMolen who is now 91 years old and living in Ventura told the Los Angeles Times that the brothers “would have been out a long time ago if they’d had a fair trial,”
When Murphy announced the new season covering the brothers, true crime fans were thrilled in hopes that someone would finally portray the abuse the brothers faced from their parents before the 1989 murders. However, fans were quickly let down after the release of the show.
Murphy “not only fictional details but almost certainly fabricated a relationship between the brothers.” according to Vox. Many details of the show were called out for being inaccurate or outright lies. Some of these lies included the brothers having an incestuous relationship, which was implied in some scenes of Murphy’s production, including a scene where the brothers kiss at a party.
Erik Menendez, who was only 18 at the time of the murders, called out Murphy for his “dishonest portrayal” of him and his brother’s story and claimed it was “rooted in horrible and blatant lies.” The media seemed to agree
with him in their reactions to the show.
The show also gained great media attention on TikTok. Many fans of the show have made thousands of video edits of the actors who portray the brothers. Alongside that, videos from the original trial, old photographs, and prison letters from the actual brothers have been posted on the app. #FreeMenendez is a current trending hashtag across social media platforms.
However, the success of the show has brought major attention to the brothers and their case. Just a few days ago, the LA County DA came out stating that new evidence has come to light with the case, and a possible new sentencing is underway.
The new evidence includes a letter written by a teenage Erik Menendez that aligns with his claims of being sexually abused by his father. This new evidence can help prove the abuse that they endured, which was not considered in the first trial. The hearing for both Erik and Lyle is set for November 27, 2024.
