Netflix has officially set the release date for the highly anticipated second season of Ryan Murphy‘s true-crime anthology series, ‘Monsters’. Titled ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’, the new season is set to premiere on September 19.
The announcement follows the massive success of the inaugural season, ‘Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’, which premiered in 2022 and quickly became a significant hit for the streaming giant. Expanding on the success of its first season, Netflix has transformed the ‘Monsters’ series into an anthology format, focusing on different notorious criminal cases each season.
This upcoming season shifts its attention to the notorious case of Lyle and Erik Menendez, who were convicted in 1996 for the murders of their parents, Jose and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez. The case drew widespread media attention and public intrigue in the early 1990s.
The official synopsis teases a deep dive into the dramatic and controversial case, stating: “While the prosecution argued they were seeking to inherit their family fortune, the brothers claimed — and remain adamant to this day, as they serve life sentences without the possibility of parole — that their actions stemmed out of fear from a lifetime of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents. Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story explores this historic case and poses the question: Who are the real monsters?”
Newcomers Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch will portray the Menendez brothers. The series boasts an impressive cast including Javier Bardem and Chloe Sevigny as the parents, Nathan Lane as investigative journalist Dominick Dunne, and Ari Graynor as criminal defense attorney Leslie Abramson.
The Menendez case has previously been adapted for the screen multiple times, including TV movies by Fox and CBS in 1994, Lifetime’s ‘Menendez: Blood Brothers’ in 2017, and NBC’s ‘Law and Order: True Crime’, which featured Edie Falco as Abramson. Additionally, Peacock’s 2023 documentary ‘Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed’ highlighted allegations of sexual abuse involving Jose Menendez.
‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ is executive produced by Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, David McMillan, Louise Shore, Carl Franklin, Scott Robertson, and Bardem, alongside series creators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan. The season is directed by Brennan, Max Winkler, Paris Barclay, Michael Uppendahl, and Franklin, with writing contributions from Murphy, McMillan, Todd Kubrak, Brennan, and Reilly Smith.
The second season promises to deliver a gripping and in-depth examination of one of the most talked-about criminal cases of the 20th century, continuing the series’ tradition of compelling crime storytelling. Fans can look forward to an intense and captivating exploration of the Menendez case when it premieres on Netflix on September 19.