The Lyle and Eric Menendez Story: Netflix Show Sparks Controversy

A new Netflix drama about two brothers who killed their parents has sparked controversy after being criticized by real-life men.

“Monster: The Lyle and Eric Menendez Story” was released last week and topped the Netflix streaming charts.

The series stars Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez as two brothers, and Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny as their parents.

It is a continuation of the first Monsters series, which focused on the American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.

The series is created by Ryan Murphy, creator of Glee, Pose, Keepers, Feud, American Horror Story, Hollywood and Ricky Director, screenwriter and producer of the episode.

Lyle and Eric Menendez were two brothers who murdered their parents on August 20, 1989. He was shot multiple times at close range in the mansion.

The brothers, who were 21 and 18 at the time, initially told police they found their parents dead when they returned home.

The two men were eventually tried for the murders, first individually, with a jury for each brother. However, two juries deadlocked, resulting in a mistrial, and both men were later tried together again.

The brothers claimed they committed the murders in self-defence after years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

They said they feared their father would kill them after they threatened to expose him. But prosecutors argued they wanted to kill their parents to inherit the property.

In the second joint trial, the judge excluded evidence of abuse from the defense case.

A jury found them guilty, and the pair were convicted in 1996 of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The Netflix series takes a different look at the murders and explores what led the brother and sister to kill their parents.

The show follows the events surrounding the murders, including the brothers’ claims of physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

But the show also strives to show things from a parent’s perspective, which its creators say is based on extensive research.

Monsters was released on Thursday, September 19, and quickly shot to the top of Netflix’s streaming charts, as is often the case with extremely popular true crime genre shows.

But the show was not well received by critics. In a two-star review, Jesse Hassenger of The Guardian describes It’s exhausting and repetitive” and Ben Travers of IndieWire says It was a “chaotic, obscene slog”.

Variety’s Aramide Tinubu added: “Despite the gripping subject matter and the outstanding performances, [the show] No idea what it wants to be. As such, it is simply a retelling of unspeakable abuse and horrific crimes.

I have had similar feelings Ed Power from The Daily Telegraph said: “Under the harsh gaze of the Netflix algorithm, no subject is too sensitive to be banned or turned into eyeball fodder.

“Ultimately, that’s what Monsters is all about. It’s a perfect piece of nonsense crafted in the worst possible taste.”

Erik Menendez and Lyle Menendez, 53 and 56 years old respectively, are currently being held in a prison in San Diego, California.

in a statementPosted by his wife on X, Eric Menendez criticized the show the day after its release, calling it a “depressing slur.”

“I believe we have moved beyond the lies and devastating characterization of Lyle to create a caricature of Lyle that is rooted in the horrific and blatant lies that run rampant on the show,” he said.

“I can only believe they did this on purpose. I say it with a heavy heart that I believe there is no way Ryan Murphy could be so naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives as to do this without malicious intent.

He continued: “I am saddened that Netflix has presented a dishonest account of the tragedy of our crime, which takes painful truths several steps back and goes back to prosecutors basing their narrative on the belief that men do not belong. The era of the system.

“Over the past two decades, these horrific lies have been dismantled and exposed by countless brave victims who have broken through their personal shame and bravely spoken out.”

Murphy said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight: “I think it’s interesting that he made the statement without ever watching the show.

He admits: “If this is your life, it’s really hard to see your life on screen.

“I think it’s interesting that he didn’t mention in the introduction that if you look at the show, I would say 60-65% of our show is around abuse and what they claim happened to them.

“We did it very carefully and gave them ample time in court and they spoke openly about it.”

But, Murphy added, he and his team believe it’s also important to show things from a parent’s perspective.

“In an age where people can talk about sexual abuse, talking and writing about all opinions can be controversial,” he said.

“Four people were involved, two died, and where are the parents? We have an obligation as storytellers to try to express their perspective based on the research we’ve done.”