- Netflix released a documentary this week about Lyle and Erik Menendez with new interviews with the brothers.
- It arrives after Netflix dramatized the brothers’ trial in “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.”
- Here are seven other documentaries and dramatizations of the Menendez brothers’ lives.
Netflix’s “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” and “The Menendez Brothers” are the latest additions to Hollywood’s obsession with the Menendez brothers’ trial.
After Lyle and Erik Menendez were charged with the murder of their parents in 1989, their story became a national media sensation.
The brothers testified that they killed their parents out of self defense, saying their parents physically and sexually abused them for years. They said they thought their parents were going to kill them to hide the secret.
The prosecution argued that the brothers, who were 18 and 21 at the time, murdered their parents for their wealth.
In 1996, the prosecution won over the jury, and the brothers were sentenced to life in prison.
Even close to 30 years after the Menendez brothers’ trial concluded, production studios and streaming services continue to capitalize on viewer interest in the trial.
In September, Netflix jumped on the trend with the release of the second season of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s “Monsters” anthology series. “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” has spent the past two weeks at the top of the streamer list and has garnered over 30 million views, Netflix data shows.
True crime stories at large have proven to be big business for Netflix. The first season of the same show, “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” is Netflix’s third-most-watched English series of all time, the streaming service said. Various other true crime shows have also thrived on the platform.
But “Monsters” is facing criticism from fans, Erik Menendez, and the family of the Menendez brothers, who have alleged the series includes scenes that are not truthful. Murphy, the co-creator of the show, has defended the show.
Amid the controversy, Netflix released “The Menendez Brothers” documentary this week. In it, the Menendez brothers, multiple family members, reporters, and attorneys share new insights into the brothers’ trial.
If you want to know more about the case, here are seven other shows and documentaries to put on next.
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