Will there be more episodes of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story?
Series creator Ryan Murphy has teased that his Netflix series may not be done with the Menendez brothers' story.
It's the controversial series that continues to dominate Netflix and divide viewers. Since its release last month, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story has not only been at the top of the streaming giant's charts, but has propelled both the show's stars and the true crime story into the spotlight.
The nine-part series dramatises the murders of José and Kitty Menendez by their sons, Lyle and Erik, in 1989. The drama chronicles - through a fictionalised lens - what transpired both before and after the murders, resulting in the talked-about trial and eventual sentencing of the brothers.
But since its release, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story has been slammed by critics and also Erik Menendez who has criticised creator Ryan Murphy's portrayal of the siblings.
With the release of an upcoming Netflix documentary that's been made with the Menendez brothers' input, the case has most certainly had a new wave of interested parties, while it was also recently announced that there has been a new hearing set for the brothers this November.
Murphy has hinted that because the real-life story is far from over, it could mean that there will be further episodes of Monsters in the pipeline. So will there be more instalments of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story?
Will there more episodes of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story?
As of now, there has been no confirmed news about if there will be any more episodes of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.
However, series creator Ryan Murphy has said that it's certainly not outside of the realms of possibility, expressing interest in doing a further "one or two episodes".
Speaking to Variety, Murphy said: “I think what I would be interested in doing, if Nicholas [Alexander Chavez] and Cooper [Koch] would agree to do it, is maybe one or two episodes that continue the story."
Of course, Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch play Lyle and Erik Menendez in the series. Murphy's statement comes after the Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón called for a new hearing for the Menendez brothers in light of new evidence and renewed interest in the case following the success of the Netflix series.
Gascón made the announcement at a press conference this October (via Variety), saying: “We have been given evidence. We have been given a photocopy of a letter that allegedly was sent by one of the brothers to another family member talking about him being the victim of molestation.
“We’ve also got evidence that was provided by the defense, by his lawyers, that one of the members of the Menudo band alleged that he was molested by the father.”
No decision has been made about the outcome of the November hearing so it is not yet known whether or not it will result in a retrial or resentencing of Erik and Lyle. “None of this information has been confirmed,” he said.
“We are not at this point ready to say that we either believe or do not believe that information, but we’re here to tell you is that we have a moral and an ethical obligation to review what is being presented to us and make a determination based on a resentencing side, whether they deserve to be resentenced – even though they were clearly the murderers – because they have been in prison for years and they have paid back their dues to society.
"If there was evidence that was not presented to the court at that time, and had that evidence been presented, perhaps a jury would have come to a different conclusion.”
At this point, we know that the Monsters anthology series will definitely continue with a third season focused on serial killer Ed Gein, who will be played by Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam. But as for further episodes of the Menendez brothers' story, we'll have to see whether the cast agree to come back on board for more and whether the new episodes will allow for further dutiful exploration of the story.
What could further episodes of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story be about?
Murphy has said that, if it goes ahead, the new episodes of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story will "continue the story" of the Menendez brothers but as for whether it will do so up to the present day, we're not quite sure.
Seeing as Murphy is keen for both Chavez and Koch to reprise their roles as the brothers, we'd assume that the series would perhaps continue telling the stories of the brothers sometime soon after their prison separation, which was one of the final scenes of episode 9.
Unless the series plans to age Chavez and Koch up, we could be looking at more episodes detailing their separate prison experiences and potentially their numerous appeals over the years. During their incarceration, both brothers have got married, launched the Green Space Initiative and were eventually reunited in 2018.
Murphy has previously said he wasn't interested in the Menendez brothers per se, but rather their claims of sexual abuse. So, we could expect the new episodes to continue to map out the alleged abuse that the brothers say they suffered at the hands of their father José.
Murphy said in an interview with Variety: “It’s dangerous, yet exhilarating, to tackle things that are current.
“As I told you earlier, I was never interested in the Menendez brothers. What I was interested in was the sexual abuse angle. That was always the thing that I was obsessed with. The fact that it’s obviously resonated with people, and people think that those facts should have been admissible in that second trial, is fascinating to me.”
Both leading actors have made their feelings known about the real-life brothers, stating that they "stand with them", and Koch himself met the siblings in San Diego in September, soon after the release of the Netflix series.
As for whether the actors' support and meeting of the real-life brothers will impact their performances in any potential future episodes, we'll just have to wait and see.
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Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.