“And I think, love it or not”: Ryan Murphy breaks down his approach to the Menendez brothers case in new Netflix series

The Menendez Brothers case has ricocheted back into the public eye in 2024, ever since the release of two Netflix originals that explored the lives of Lyle and Erik Menendez. In an interview for The Hollywood Reporter, Ryan Murphy spoke about the brothers and his approach to telling their story. Murphy is the showrunner for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

Even though Monsters brought the Menendez case back into the limelight, Murphy has been heavily criticized online for his portrayal of the brothers as overtly s*xualised figures. However, Murphy maintains that he wished to incorporate several viewpoints into the story to feed into its complex nature. He said as a message to the audience:

"And I think, love it or not, there’s a movement with young people who want to talk about that in a way that wasn’t available in 1989 ... What it did, I think, which is why I wanted to make it, was launch a conversation about that topic."

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What are the current updates in the Menendez Brothers case?

Erik and Lyle Menendez were convicted in 1996 for the murder of their parents José and Kitty Menendez. On October 28, 2024, the defense team for the Menendez Brothers submitted a request for pardon. This was primarily after there was an outpouring of public sympathy for the brothers after two shows regenerated interest in the case.

The first Netflix release was a cinematic recreation of Erik and Lyle's case, titled Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. The second was a documentary called The Menendez Brothers featuring official telephonic interviews of the brothers themselves. Both these shows explored the alleged physical and s*xual abuse that the brothers had to undergo at the hands of their father.

The District Attorney's Office for Los Angeles has also appealed for the brothers' sentence to be reworked. Many hope that the legal appeals might be considered by the court and put Erik and Lyle on the fast track to their freedom.

Along with fans of the series, many celebrities have also spoken up in support of the Menendez Brothers. Popular social figure Kim Kardashian even wrote an essay for NBC News, calling for Lyle and Erik's release after she met with them in prison.

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Who were the main cast members for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story?

The series' two main performers were Nicholas Alexander Chavez, who played the role of Lyle Menendez, and Cooper Koch, who played the role of Erik Menendez. As Murphy recounted, the casting process for the leads took six months. Their co-actor Javier Bardem also marveled at the long-drawn process and praised his on-screen sons:

"In the case of you guys [Chavez and Koch], knowing that it could be a life-changing experience as it is, and being able to give the very best of yourselves, it always amazes me, the fact that an actor can really perform in an audition."

Another prominent member of the cast was actress Ari Graynor, who played Leslie Abramson. She took on the role of playing Erik Menendez's defense attorney on the series, and was praised particularly for the episode titled 'The Hurt Man'. The episode was a single-shot scene capturing Erik talking about the abuse and violence he faced as a child.

Nicholas Alexander Chavez has gone on to star in another one of Ryan Murphy’s productions. He has a role on the FX horror series Grotesquerie at present.

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Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and The Menendez Brothers documentary are streaming now on Netflix.