Summary

• Monster season 2 will focus on the Menendez Brothers and their notorious murder trial, continuing the true crime anthology series.
• The Menendez case gained extensive media coverage in the 1990s and was characterized by allegations of sexual and physical abuse from the brothers towards their parents.
• While criticized for glorifying killers, Monster season 2 aims to provide a nuanced exploration of the motivations behind the siblings' monstrous acts.

Monster season 2 has found its next subject, and will focus on a much less famous murder case for the second season. Created by Ryan Murphy and released on Netflix in September 2022, the laboriously titled Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story chronicled the life of the cannibalistic serial killer (played by Evan Peters) as he became one of the most notorious serial killers in American history, operating between 1978 and 1991. Shortly after the first season's runaway success, Netflix renewed Monster as a true crime anthology series intended to tell "stories of other monstrous figures who have impacted society.”

In November, it was announced that Monster would have at least two more seasons. In the announcement, Bela Bajaria, the head of global TV at Netflix, said "Audiences can’t take their eyes off Monster". This is certainly true, with the first season hitting over 1 billion hours viewed in 60 days - only the third title in Netflix history to do so. It's also not Netflix's only popular true-crime series, with Making A Murderer becoming a smash hit in 2015, although that was a docies, while Monster is a drama. Now, Monster season 2 will focus on the Menendez Brothers and their murder trial.

Monster Season 2 Will Focus On The Menendez Brothers

The Series Moves Away From Serial Killers

Monster season 2 has chosen its next subject. The second installment will focus on Lyle and Erik Menendez, brothers who were convicted of murdering their parents in their Beverly Hills home in 1989 (via THR). Naturally, the show's title will become pluralized for the second season to Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. For the title announcement, Netflix also released a quick teaser containing Lyle Menendez's real-life 911 call and revealing a 2024 release date.

Monster Season 2 Could Rival Season 1

The Menendez Case Was Huge In The 1990s

By focusing on the Menendez brothers, Monster season 2 has chosen a subject that could potentially rival season 1's Dahmer. The brothers were tried twice in court for murdering their parents, José and Kitty, with the first ending in a mistrial because of a deadlocked jury before the second found them guilty of murder in the first degree. The Menendez case was covered exhaustively by the media during the early 1990s, as well as by subsequent documentaries and dramatizations. Law & Order: True Crime season 1 recently focused on the case with Edie Falco playing controversial defense lawyer Leslie Abramson.

Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez signed on to play Joseph Lyle and Erik Menéndez in the second season of the series. Koch starred in the Starz drama Power Book II: Ghost and Chavez’s has an ongoing role as Spencer Cassadine on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. The release date for Monster season 2 remains unknown, although it will be likely in later 2024.

Though Monster season 2 will likely continue to be criticized for glorifying killers, it should also continue to provide a nuanced exploration into what compelled its subjects to commit such monstrous acts. During their trial, the Menendez siblings said they suffered lifelong sexual, emotional, and physical abuse from their parents and murdered them out of fear for their own lives. However, the prosecution argued they did it to inherit their father's multimillion-dollar estate. By choosing an equally sensational subject as Dahmer, Monster season 2 is primed for more success.