Monsters: why is the Menendez brothers Netflix hit so controversial?

Ryan Murphy’s latest true-crime series recounts infamous 1989 Beverly Hills murders, but some critics say his retelling takes too many liberties with the truth

Nicholas Chavez as Lyle Menendez and Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez in Monsters
The nine-part series about two brothers who killed their parents 'struggles against the temptation to glamorise its subjects'
(Image credit: Alamy / Everett Collection)

"Death, sex, privilege, lies" – the 1989 murder of Kitty and Jose Menendez by their sons, Lyle and Erik, "has it all", said Ed Power in The Telegraph. "At least, it does if you are Ryan Murphy."

Following Murphy's similarly provocative Netflix series about serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, the "American Horror Story" showrunner has turned his hand to another grisly crime, this time revisiting the story of Lyle and Erik Menendez. They are serving life sentences without parole for murdering their parents at their Beverly Hills home.

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Irenie Forshaw is a features writer at The Week, covering arts, culture and travel. She began her career in journalism at Leeds University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Gryphon, before working at The Guardian and The New Statesman Group. Irenie then became a senior writer at Elite Traveler, where she oversaw The Experts column.