“Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Eric Menendez” has just been released on Netflix, and despite being one of the best streaming services, viewers can't seem to turn it off

A look at Netflix's top 10 shows list reveals that the second chapter of Ryan Murphy's true crime anthology (the first part being the Emmy Award-winning drama “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”) has jumped to No 1 This first-place finish comes after the film's first appearance on the platform last weekend, and it has never slipped from that spot since then

The first season's revisiting of such a grisly chapter in its history has led to much backlash, with critics claiming that the series romanticized the actions of its titular serial killer (played by Evan Peters)

While parts of the new series have garnered significant praise (the format-breaking fifth episode, “The Hurt Man,” has received particular attention), Murphy's latest work has also generated much controversy

Below is a look at what the series is all about and why it has drawn backlash from some viewers

“Monsters”: The Lyle Menendez and Eric Menendez Story is the second season of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan's true-crime anthology series This time, the story centers on the Menendez brothers, who were convicted of murdering their parents, Jose Menendez and Mary Louise 'Kitty' Menendez, in 1996

The prosecution argued that the brothers killed their parents in order to inherit their parents' property However, Eric and Lyle, who are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole, claimed (according to Netflix's official series synopsis) that they committed the crimes in self-defense after “enduring a lifetime of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse from their parents”

The concern that some viewers and critics have with “Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Eric Menendez” is that there are scenes in the film, including one in which actors Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch kiss, that imply that the two brothers shared an incestuous relationship that the two brothers shared an incestuous relationship

One post on X criticizing the series for portraying the brothers' relationship as an “incest fantasy” has, at the time of writing, received over 180,000 likes siblings, which has garnered more than 180,000 likes at the time of writing

Later in the series, Vanity Fair reporter Dominick Dunne, played by Nathan Lane, speculates that the brothers were hiding a “darker secret” (ie, their relationship), a theory that was allegedly referenced through coverage of the brothers' trial in 1994 However, according to Todaycom, the real reporters never mentioned this specific theory in their work

The series has even prompted a response from the real Eric Menendez himself In a statement released by his wife Tami, Erik Menendez called the series a “dishonest portrayal” of their story “rooted in horribly blatant lies” (h/t Forbes)

A few days after the series aired, Netflix released a trailer for a new documentary about the actual murders, The Menendez Brothers

“The Menendez Brothers” is directed by Alejandro Hartman and includes all-new audio interviews conducted with both brothers, as well as new interviews with their cousin Diane Vander Molen and prosecutor Pamela Bozanich The “Menendez Brothers” doc will hit Netflix on October 7, 2024

UPDATE: In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Ryan Murphy responded to the backlash against “Monsters He said, “It's interesting that Eric made that statement without having seen the show”

“What he doesn't mention in the quote, which I find interesting, and you can see if you watch the show, is that 60% to 65% of our show in the script is centered around the abuse and what they claim happened to them We do it very carefully, we give them their day in court, and they talk openly about it”

Murphy further admits that taking a topic like abuse and ensuring that “every perspective” was covered could be controversial and felt obligated to include other perspectives, such as the brothers' murdered parents

When asked about the incestuous relationships portrayed in the Netflix show, Murphy replied: what the show is doing is presenting the perspectives and theories of many people involved in the case”

“Dominick Dunn has written several articles on that theory We are presenting his views in the same way that we present Leslie Abramson's views And we have an obligation to show all of them, and we have done so”

Frankly, I don't blame you if all the controversy surrounding the series has put you off streaming “Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Eric Menendez”

Even if you don't, you might want to know that despite being Netflix's No 1 new show, “Monsters” hasn't exactly been well received either As of this writing, the Rotten Tomatoes critic score is 47% and the viewer score is 48%, and these scores are not necessarily indicative of quality

Variety critic Alamide Tinubu noted the cast's “outstanding performances” in the series, but also described it as “too long and exhausting” and labeled the overall story “unnecessary and bizarre”

Katie Losinski of The Independent was somewhat more positive She rated the show 3/5 and called it “a mixture of the best and worst of Murphy's work”

Curious to know how fellow viewers felt, a look at viewer responses on Rotten Tomatoes shows that while some were positive, many users condemned “Monsters” as “disrespectful,” “exploitative,” and “disgusting”

If you are a fan of Ryan Murphy, or if you like true crime, this series may be worth adding to your Netflix watch list Otherwise, you might want to look through the list of new Netflix shows for September or Netflix's best shows list for something else to stream