Ryan Murphy Is Back At It Again With Trauma Fest “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”

One thing about Ryan Murphy, he’s going to try to make true crime sexy. From Glee to tackling the world of true crime, Murphy has a lot of awards under his belt — for better or for worse. After his highly acclaimed American Crime Story series, which included the incredibly done The People vs OJ Simpson and the Darren Chris epic of The Assassinationof Gianni Versace, he hit big with Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.

The show became one of Netflix’s biggest hits and won Evan Peters an emmy for his starring role. Now, Murphy is tackling one of the most captivating trials of the 80s and 90s — the Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

For those of us who weren’t alive during this case, just know: it captured the nation for years. Long story short, the case saw two California rich boys, Erik and Lyle Menendez, stand trial for murdering their parents with shotguns in cold blood.

Not only was it one of the first major television trials, it was also rocked Americans to their very core. Here were two handsome, rich boys who had it all. Everything about the boys was contrary to their belief about killers — mind you, this was before movies like American Psycho. The American public were fascinated, yet unmoored. How could those two boys, perfectly normal looking boys, do something so heinous?

This is the question Ryan Murphy is trying to unpack in the ambitious Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. Delving deep into the murders, the boys, their motivations, and the history of the family, Murphy’s epic is a study in scale. It takes us through decades, then zeroes in on crucial minutes of the case, then zooms back out again.

I have to admit, it’s an impressive watch. First of all, it does what good TV should do: keeps your eyes glued to the TV. Just like the real trail itself, you can’t look away. From the standout performances to the directorial decisions, Monsters is a feat of television — so why is it so controversial?

Monsters has been criticized by both Menendez brothers, some viewers who found it too “sexy,” and critics of true crime as a whole. But is it worth the watch? And what does Kim Kardashian have to do with it? Read on for the full scoop.

What is Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story about?

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story follows the titular brothers from the murder of their parents through both their trials and eventual convictions. But it isn’t a chronological version of events. It’s a campy adventure that places you right in the 80s and 90s, immersing the viewer in a world of excess and, somehow, empathy.

Murphy and co-creator Ian Brennan have taken the already sensational tale of the Menendez brothers and cranked it up to eleven. The murder scene? Worthy of a Quentin Tarantino revenge fantasy. The brotherly bond? Very Game of Thrones in the incest-innuendo department — which is one of the major criticisms of the series (I mean, did the boys really kiss in speedos and dance provocative together at parties? Or did Ryan Murphy just imagine they did?). It's a campy spectacle that’s like Beverly Hills, 90210 meets Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny as José and Kitty Menendez. Bardem, channeling his inner No Country for Old Men energy, is terrifying as the abusive patriarch. Sevigny, meanwhile, is not the cool girl we know and love but instead someone horrifyingly hatable in her portrayal of the complicit mother.

Nicholas Alexander Chavez (Lyle) and Cooper Koch (Erik) lead the charge as our murderous duo. Chavez, fresh off his run on General Hospital launches us into the series’ intensity with his unflinching performance in the very first scene. He doesn’t waste a second, managing to be both intimidating, frustrating, and quietly funny — who didn’t chuckle at the toupee scene? His Lyle is a Patrick Bateman-esque concoction of charming and chilling.

Koch, meanwhile, brings a vulnerability to Erik that will undoubtedly win him an Emmy. Notably, his performance in Episode 6: “The Hurt Man,” is a single shot, a single take, where he delivers a chillingly devastating monologue that solidifies him as one of the greatest working actors of the moment. This will no doubt propel him to superstardom — not to mention his good looks and abs.

But this is exactly the problem. Murphy is constantly reminding us how hot these guys are. Part of it is to underscore their vanity. The scene where Lyle asks for self tanning lotion in prison shouldn’t have been relatable but I couldn’t help but think: he’s so real. Half of the series sees them shirtless, either lounging by the pool in speedos or playing tennis a la Challengers. Ryan Murphy makes many cases for the viewers to empathize with the brothers. But his main argument seems to be: they’re hot.

What is the controversy about Ryan Murphy’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story?

The show’s shameless horniness is made more complex because of the serious themes of sexual abuse and violence explored in the show. Murphy has never been one to shy away from controversial topics, but "Monsters" pushes the envelope even further. The series depicts the brothers' alleged abuse at the hands of their father in graphic detail, while simultaneously playing up the homoerotic tension between Lyle and Erik.

It's a choice that's bound to raise eyebrows. On one hand, it could be seen as an attempt to explore the complex psychological effects of abuse. On the other, it often feels like it's veering into exploitation — and for what? To get more views. Every scene is shot like a Calvin Klein ad from 1991, all sun-kissed skin and smoldering glances, which doesn’t feel appropriate for the storyline.

The controversy is so profound that the real life Menendez brothers heard about the show from their detention at Donovan Correctional Facility in California, where they don’t even have Netflix. But they seem to know enough to slam the show. Despite speaking to members of the cast and crew in preparation for the show, Erik called it a “dishonest portrayal.”

His main point of contention, like many others, is the portrayal of their abuse — or any doubts about its validity. His statement called out Murphy, saying he had “taken the painful truths several steps backward — back through time to an era when the prosecution built a narrative on a belief system that males were not sexually abused, and that males experienced rape trauma differently than women.”

But Murphy, in a rare move, responded to this criticism directly. Though he expressed empathy, he stood by his choices. “We give them their day in court, and they talk openly about it. In this age, where people can really talk about sexual abuse, talking about it and writing about it and writing about all points of view can be controversial,” he said.

And what does Kim Kardashian have to do with it?

One thing about Kim K? She’ll pull that lawyer card when she needs to — like father, like daughter. Though headlines make it seem like Kim was paying a visit to Erik and Lyle personally, that’s not exactly true.

Kardashian was reportedly speaking about prison reform at San Diego County's Richard J Donovan Correctional Facility, where the Menendez brothers are currently serving life sentences. Maybe it was just a coincidence that she did this speaking engagement just days after the show premiered — especially since she, too, was once featured in a Ryan Murphy adaptation (her father was a major character in The People vs OJ Simpson).

Kim wasn’t alone, which complicates the story. Her entourage included her sister Khloé, her mother Kris, and — surprisingly — the actor who plays Erik, Cooper Koch.

“Kim and Scott Budnick do a lot of prison reform work and she had seen the show,” said Koch to Extra. “We went down and we went to this gymnasium where we sat around with 30 or so incarcerated individuals, who all shared their stories and it was very emotional and inspiring,” Cooper added. “I got to meet both of them and just tell I believe them and I support them and I did everything I could to portray them authentically.”

So, where does that leave us? Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is undeniably compelling television. It's beautifully shot, expertly acted, and paced like a thriller. But it's also problematic, especially in light of Erik’s comments — Erik who comes out the most sympathetic in the script. The show's treatment of sexual abuse, its glamorization of violence, and its loose relationship with facts all raise serious ethical questions.

Will it win Emmys? Probably. Will it spark heated debates about the ethics of true crime entertainment? Definitely. Will you be able to stop watching once you start? Not a chance.