‘Monsters’: Menendez Brothers Shows and Documentaries Worth Watching Next

• This week, Netflix released a documentary about Lyle and Erik Menendez, featuring new interviews with the brothers.
• It comes after Netflix staged the brothers’ trial in “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.”
• Here are seven other documentaries and dramas from the lives of the Menendez brothers.

Netflix’s “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” and “The Menendez Brothers” are the latest continuations of 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 in self-defense, claiming that their parents had physically and sexually abused them for years. They said they thought their parents would kill them to hide the secret.

The prosecutor’s office argued that the brothers, who were 18 and 21 years old at the time, murdered their parents to gain wealth.

In 1996, the prosecutor’s office convinced the jury, and the brothers were sentenced to life in prison.

Even nearly 30 years after the conclusion of the Menendez brothers’ trial, production studios and streaming services continue to benefit from viewers’ interest in the trial.

In September, Netflix got in on this trend by releasing the second season of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s anthology “Monsters.” “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” has topped streamer charts for the past two weeks and has amassed more than 30 million views, according to Netflix.

True crime stories have proven to be big business for Netflix. According to the streaming service, the first season of the same series, “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”, is the third most watched Netflix series ever in English. Various other crime series have also flourished on the platform.

But the “Monsters” stand criticism from fans, Erik Menendez and the family of the Menendez brothers, who accused that the series contained scenes that were untrue. Murphy, the series’ co-creator, defends the series.

Amid controversy, Netflix released the documentary “The Brothers Menendez” this week. In it, the Menendez brothers, numerous family members, reporters and lawyers share new insights into the brothers’ trial.

If you want to learn more about this case, here are seven other shows and documentaries you could be airing next.