In 2018, co-creator and co-showrunner Ryan Murphy signed a deal with Netflix for $300 million to create original television shows.[10][11] On October 2, 2020, a limited series focusing on the life of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was announced to have been greenlit from Murphy and co-creator Ian Brennan, titled Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.[12] To prepare for the role, Dahmer actor Evan Peters reportedly "stayed in ... character ... for months."[13]
On November 7, 2022, Netflix announced that the series had been renewed as an anthology series based on famous convicted killers who are "monstrous figures".[14][15] The series had a two-season order, and was renamed simply to Monster.[16] On May 1, 2023, Netflix announced that the second season would center on the murder case of the Menendez brothers, and be titled Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.[17]
On September 16, 2024, it was announced that the third season of Monster will focus on convicted murderer and suspected serial killer Ed Gein. The season is scheduled to begin production in October 2024.[7][18][8] On October 4, it was confirmed that the season would be titled The Original Monster, exploring Ed Gein's life as the first "celebrity serial killer" and examining how true crime evolved into a pop culture phenomenon.[19]
Production for the second season was initially set for September 2023, but was postponed due to the SAG-AFTRA and WAG strikes.[29] Principal photography commenced in March 2024 and wrapped in July 2024, also in Los Angeles.[30]
On October 5, 2024, it was reported that principal photography for the third season was scheduled to begin on October 31.[31] On November 23, it was reported that filming had begun earlier that month.[32]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack for the first season was composed and performed by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. The soundtrack album was released the same day as the series.[33] Julia and Thomas Newman composed the soundtrack for the second season.[34] The official soundtrack album was released on various streaming platforms on September 13, 2024, prior to the release of the season.[35]
The series rose to the number one spot on Netflix in the first week of its release for the first season.[37] In the second week of its release, Netflix announced that Dahmer was its ninth most popular English-language TV show of all time, with 56 million households having viewed all 10 episodes.[38][39][26] The season remained number-one for weeks and became Netflix's second most-viewed English Netflix series of all time, and the fourth highest across any language with 701.37 million hours viewed in 21 days.[40] In 60 days it became the third Netflix series to pass 1 billion views.[41]Dahmer debuted at number-one on the Nielsen Top 10 streaming chart by garnering more than 3.6 billion minutes of viewing for the week of September 19–25, placing it 10th on the all-time list for single-week viewership.[42] The following week, it jumped to No. 7 on the all-time list with 4.4 billion minutes viewed. The season topped Nielsen's streaming chart for the third consecutive week with 2.3 billion viewing minutes.[43]
Under Netflix's new streaming metrics, the second season debuted at the number-one spot on the platform globally, garnering 12.3 million views (or 97.5 million hours viewed) within just four days of its release.[44] On its second week, it remained the most-watched series on Netflix after earning 19.5 million views (or 153.8 million hours viewed).[45]
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 57% approval rating for the first season, with an average rating of 6.3/10, based on 30 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus says: "While Monster is seemingly self-aware of the peril in glorifying Jeffrey Dahmer, creator Ryan Murphy's salacious style nevertheless tilts this horror story into the realm of queasy exploitation."[46]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 46 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[47]
For the second season, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 47% approval rating, with an average rating of 5.0/10, based on 30 critic reviews.[48] The website's consensus says: "Well-acted but off-puttingly sordid, Monsters leaves viewers feeling guilty without enough pleasure to compensate." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 47 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[49] The season received praise for its performances (particularly those of Bardem and Koch) and the fifth episode but criticized its runtime, inconsistent tone, and the incestuous portrayal of the Menendez brothers.[50][51] Erik Menendez denounced the season for its inaccuracies and Lyle's characterization.[52]
Accolades
Accolades received by Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Evan Peters, Janet Mock, Scott Robertson, Sara Stelwagen, Tanase Popa, David McMillan, Todd Nenninger, Lou Eyrich, Todd Kubrak, Reilly Smith, Regis Kimble, Richard Jenkins, and Mathew Hart
On September 23, 2022, Netflix removed the first season's "LGBTQ" tag after backlash on social media.[71][72] The season also received backlash from the families of Dahmer's victims, accusing Netflix of profiting off their traumatic experiences and "retraumatizing [the families] all over again".[73][74] Production assistant Kim Alsup alleged racial mistreatment while on set.[73]
Initially, Erik Menendez issued a statement denouncing the second season, claiming, "I believed we had moved beyond the lies and ruinous character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies rampant in the show." Menendez called the portrayal of him and Lyle as "disheartening slander". He also called out the series' creator and co-writer Ryan Murphy, stating, "[he] cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent."[75][76] However, a few months later, the brothers expressed gratitude for how it brought attention to their case and the childhood trauma they endured. Lyle Menendez stated that the series "opened a lot of people’s eyes", and both brothers acknowledged that it helped shift public understanding of their story. Lyle also defined Cooper Koch's performance as "pretty extraordinary".[77]
The second season also received backlash for its incestuous depiction of the Menendez brothers.[78][79] Viewers have also accused it of sensationalizing the brothers' abuse and turning it into a "fictitious incestuous relationship."[80] Trial expert and journalist Robert Rand, author of The Menendez Murders, labeled the incest allegations as "fantasy" and pointed out that there was no credible evidence to support such claims.[81] He explained that while some rumors circulated during the trial, they were baseless, and the series distorted the brothers' relationship for dramatic effect.
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