‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’: Netflix Release Date, Trailer, Episode Titles & Everything We Know

In late 2022, we got word that following DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, we’d be getting two additional seasons of what would now become an anthology series from Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan. Season 2 will be MONSTERS: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, scheduled to hit Netflix on September 19th, 2024.

DAHMER remains one of Netflix’s most-watched series of all time, currently ranking third only behind Stranger Things and Wednesday in the English-language list. The series was released on Netflix globally on September 21st, 2022.

Netflix announced the title for season 2 in May 2023, MONSTERS: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. In addition to the new drama series, Netflix announced they have “exclusive access to Lyle and Erik Menendez for a forthcoming documentary feature.”

Let’s kick off our preview with the brand new teaser trailer:

---

When will MONSTERS: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story be released on Netflix?

What’s on Netflix can exclusively reveal that all 9 episodes of the show are due to be released on Netflix globally on Thursday, September 19th, 2024. 

---

Who are Lyle and Erik Menendez?

The series will focus on the two brothers who infamously murdered their wealthy parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home in 1989.

The brothers, aged 21 and 18 at the time, claimed they acted in self-defense due to years of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. However, the prosecution argued that the killings were motivated by greed and a desire to inherit their parents’ fortune.

Much of the story will undoubtedly take place in the courtroom, which was highly publicized and lasted for months, capturing the nation’s attention with the pair eventually going on to be charged.

Jailed at separate prisons initially, the eldest brother, Lyle, was housed at Mule Creek State Prison from 1996 through 2018, while Erik served his time at the Pleasant Valley Prison. The pair reunited in 2018 at the R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.

The pair recently hit the headlines again in 2021, with many on social media coming to the defense of the two brothers. According to Chloë Sevigny, the series is told from the brother’s perspective throughout. “I’m having to play the worst kind of person,” the actress said, “It’s all about the cycle of abuse… I need to empathize with where Kitty was coming from even if I don’t morally agree with her.”

---

Who are the cast members of MONSTERS: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story?

On May 18th, 2023, The Telsey Office (the casting company working on Monster season 2) issued an open casting call for the two brothers. The call describes the two characters and provides some insights into what we can expect from their traits in the forthcoming season:

“[ERIK MENENDEZ) – Character is male, 18-22, Blue-eyed and brown-haired with lanky, athletic build.

Comes fom extreme privilege. Gentler and more sensitive than Lyle, but also can go from charismatic and humorous to sullen and damaged to hysterical crying.

[LYLE MENENDEZ] Character is male, 18:22, Brown hair and eyes, a little more muscular/bulky than his younger brother.

Comes from extreme prviege. Can go from charismatic and humorous to mercurial ‘and commanding to sullen and damaged to hysterical crying.”

Deadline confirmed the casting of the show’s leads a month later, in June 2023, with Cooper Koch set to play Erik Menendez and Nicholas Alexander Chavez playing Lyle Menendez.

Koch has yet to star in a Netflix Original production, and his role as Erik Menendez will be his first project for both the streaming service and Ryan Murphy. He previously starred in the Peacock original They/Them as Stu and in the horror Swallowed. Chavez’s acting career began in 2021. So far, he only has two on-screen acting credits to his name as Jason in Crushed and as Spencer Cassadine for 272 episodes of General Hospital.

Rounding out the cast of the series are:

• Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men, Being the Ricardos) will play Jose Menendez (the father of the brothers).
• Chloë Sevigny (FEUD: Capote vs the Swans) will play Kitty Menendez (the mother of the brothers).

• Nathan Lane (The Birdcage) as Dominick Dunne – Investigative journalist who covered the trials for Vanity Fair
• Ari Graynor (For a Good Time, Call…) as Leslie Abramson – Lead counsel for Erik Menendez and one of the most prominent Los Angeles defense attorneys in the ’80s and ’90s
• Leslie Grossman (American Horror Story) as Judalon Smyth – Former patient and mistress of Erik Menendez’s therapist, Dr. Jerome Oziel, and key figure in the Menendez case.
• Dallas Roberts (The Walking Dead) as Dr. Jerome Oziel – Self-protective and not-entirely-by-the-book therapist who Erik Menendez sees after the murder of his parents
• Jason Butler Harner (Ozark) as Les Zoeller – Beverly Hills PD detective in charge of the Menendez murder case
• Enrique Murciano (Without a Trace) as Carlos Baralt – Americanized Cuban immigrant, professor, lawyer, and uncle of Lyle and Erik Menendez
• Michael Gladis (Mad Men) as Tim Rutten
• Drew Powell (Gotham) as Detective Tom Linehan
• Charlie Hall (Single Drunk Female) as Craig Cignarelli
• Gil Ozeri (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) as Dr. William Vicary
• Jeff Perry (Scandal) as Peter Hoffman
• Tessa Auberjonois (Nancy Drew) as Dr. Laurel Oziel
• Tanner Stine (Impulse) as Perry Berman
• Larry Clarke (The Shape of Water) as Brian Andersen
• Jade Pettyjohn (Little Fires Everywhere) as Jamie Pisarcik
• Marlene Forte (Knives Out) as Marta Cano

---

When and where did Monsters Season 2 film?

Because of the two respective Hollywood strikes, the original proposed September 2023 filming start date was ultimately scrapped. Instead, we first reported that Netflix was looking to begin production on the show from December 12th, 2023, with it set to run through to February 16th, 2024. 

Filming did get underway, and the first look at the pair behind the scenes was released via the Daily Mail, with pictures provided to them by TheImageDirect.com.

Filming took place throughout Los Angeles. 

Picture by: Brian Prahl / SplashNews.com

---

MONSTERS: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story Episode Count, Episode Titles, Writers and Directors

Let’s begin with the episode count; there will be 9 episodes in the upcoming series.

Per the WGA, here’s who is writing each of the episodes:

• Episode 1 – Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan
• Episode 2 – Ian Brennan & David McMillan
• Episode 3 – Ian Brennan & David McMillan
• Episode 4 – Ian Brennan & David McMillan
• Episode 5 – Ian Brennan
• Episode 6 – Ryan Murphy & Ian Brennan
• Episode 7 – David McMillan, Reilly Smith & Todd Kubrak
• Episode 8 – Ian Brennan
• Episode 9 – David McMillan, Reilly Smith, Todd Kubrak & Ian Brennan

Episode Titles for MONSTERS: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

While we don’t have the exact order for all nine episodes just yet, we can reveal the episode titles for the series: 

• Blame it on the Rain
• Brother, Can You Spare a Dime
• Hang Man
• Kill or be Killed
• Seismic Shifts
• Showtime
• Spree
• The Dream is Over
• The Hurt Man

Directors on MONSTERS: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

We can confirm three directors currently attached to the series as of August 2024. Those are:

• Carl Franklin – On board to direct the first two episodes. Previously directed the first episode of DAHMER. Plus has also worked on Mindhunter, I Am The Night, One False Move, and Out of Time.
• Paris Barclay is on board to direct at least episode 3 for the second season. I previously worked on Station 19, American Horror Story, The Watcher, and DAHMER.
• Michael Uppendahl is a well-known TV director having worked on some iconic shows like The Walking Dead and Mad Men. He’s also worked with Murphy before on American Horror Story.
• Max Winkler is set to direct on the series having previously worked on Jungleland and Flower.
• Ian Brennan is the co-showrunner who will also be sitting in the director’s chair this season. 

---

Who will Season 3 of Netflix’s Monsters cover?

Officially renewed for the third season of Monsters, Netflix has yet to divulge where we’re heading next, but recent production listings have confirmed that season 3 begins filming at the tail end of October 2024, split between Los Angeles and Chicago, with the series expected to cover John Wayne Gacy. We’ve rattled through some names of who could be featured in future installments of the anthology crime series.

Of course, Ryan Murphy’s other hit 2022 show, The Watcher, is also due to return for a future season on Netflix. For more renewed shows coming to Netflix, check out our guide here.

Are you looking forward to season 2 of Monster covering Lyle and Erik Menendez? Let us know in the comments.