Every true crime fan’s wish came true in 2022 when Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story was dropped on Netflix after it became the platform’s most-watched series at the time – it’s currently the streaming service’s third-most-watched series of all time. Now, the anthology’s long-awaited second season has a release date, and this time around, it’ll follow the story of another case beloved by true crime fans.
Netflix has finally released the teaser trailer for Monster: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez in March, making it one of the most exciting shows we couldn’t wait for. The second season will hit the platform on September 19 and, as the title suggests, will retrace the events surrounding the case of the Menendez brothers who were convicted of murdering their parents in 1989 – one of the most followed true crime stories.
As one of the headliners of everything new on Netflix in September 2024, you can expect the second installment in the anthology series to feature an all-star cast. Netflix’s best-selling series creator Ryan Murphy, otherwise known as the king of TV anthologies, has brought in a number of his esteemed actors, including Chloë Sevigny, Nathan Lane, and Leslie Grossman, along with Javier Bardem.
A trailer that runs just 54 seconds long (see above) shows the Menendez family sitting for what appears to be an innocent family photo, overlaid by an ominous pulsing sound followed by the maternal plea, “I need to know what’s happening between you and the boys.” Ending with the brothers embracing, covered in blood splatter, the second season of Murphy’s Monster anthology points toward another harrowing retelling of a horrific tale, only this time it feels like there’s a sense of empathy for the brothers at work.
What can you expect from Monster: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story?
Inspired by the true story of Lyle and Erik Menendez, the second season follows the two brothers (played by Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch) who shoot to death their parents, Kitty and Jose Menendez (Chloë Sevigny & Javier Bardem), in their Beverly Hills home on August 20, 1989. Following the murder, the brothers were convicted of first-degree murder at the ages of 21 and 18.
At the time of the trial, the brothers said the motive behind their brutal murders stemmed from years of emotional, physical and sexual abuse at the hands of their father, who the brothers believed would kill them if they exposed him. But the prosecution argued that they committed murder to obtain the family’s multimillion-dollar fortune.
In the show’s first season, it not only followed the murders Jeffrey Dahmer committed between 1978 and 1991 in its 10 episodes, but also featured scenes that gave insight into the lives of his victims and the mind of Dahmer himself. Looking at the trailer for the new season, we get the impression that it will follow a similar story structure to the first season, but will hit differently on an emotional level.