Monster Season 2: Menendez Brothers Cast, Episodes, Release

There’s a reason true-crime fans keep coming back to the Monster anthology: each season takes a notorious case and turns the lens on the people behind the headlines. After the cultural firestorm of Season 1’s Jeffrey Dahmer story, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan are shifting focus to another family tragedy — the Menendez brothers.

Season 2 title: Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story ·
Release date: September 19, 2024 ·
Episodes: 9 ·
Creators: Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan ·
Subject: Lyle and Erik Menendez

Here is a quick reference for the season’s key facts.

What is season 2 of Monster on Netflix?

Season 2 of the Ryan Murphy true-crime anthology — officially subtitled Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story — picks up where the Dahmer season left off but with a very different kind of family horror. Instead of a serial killer preying on strangers, this season zeroes in on two brothers who killed their parents in 1989 and then claimed years of sexual abuse drove them to it.

Season 2 title and premise

• The full title is Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (TV Guide episode guide).
• It examines the 1996 conviction of Lyle and Erik Menendez for the murders of José and Kitty Menendez.
• The narrative centers on the brothers’ defense that they acted out of fear after years of alleged abuse.

The implication: Season 2 uses the same anthology format but flips the moral question — are the monsters born, or made by their circumstances?

Episode guide

Nine episodes, one pattern: the season is structured like a legal thriller, with each act amplifying the brothers’ competing narratives.

Release date and platform

All 9 episodes dropped simultaneously on Netflix on September 19, 2024 (Next Episode air dates). That’s the same streaming-first strategy used for the Dahmer season. The season is available globally with a Netflix subscription.

The catch: by releasing all episodes at once, Netflix lets viewers binge the entire arc — but the true-crime community instantly debated the moral framing within days.

Who is the second season of Monsters based on?

The Menendez brothers are the subject. Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted in 1996 for the shotgun murders of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez. Their first trials ended in mistrials; the second trials led to life sentences without parole.

Lyle Menendez

• Lyle was 21 at the time of the murders.
• He testified that he feared his father would kill him if the abuse was exposed.

Erik Menendez

• Erik was 18 at the time of the murders.
• He confessed to his psychologist, which became key evidence.

The case background

• The brothers spent lavishly after the murders, buying Rolexes, cars, and a restaurant.
• Prosecutors argued greed, not fear, was the motive.
• The case became a media sensation in the early 1990s.

Why this matters: Season 2 doesn’t just retell a crime — it resurrects the unresolved debate over whether the brothers were victims or manipulators.

Will Monster get a season 3?

Yes. Netflix confirmed a third season in November 2024, shortly after the Menendez season premiered. The new installment will focus on Ed Gein, the Wisconsin grave robber and murderer who inspired characters like Norman Bates and Leatherface.

Confirmation by Netflix

• Netflix officially greenlit Monster: The Ed Gein Story (Epguides series overview).

Subject: Ed Gein

• Ed Gein killed two women in the 1950s and exhumed dozens of corpses.
• His crimes are the basis for Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Silence of the Lambs.

Expected release

• No official release date yet.
• Production timeline suggests late 2025 or early 2026.

The pattern: Murphy is working through a who’s-who of American serial killers, and Gein is the logical next chapter after Dahmer and the Menendez brothers.

For early reviews of Monster: The Ed Gein Story, see our dedicated page.

Is Monster 3 out yet?

No. As of this writing, Season 3 has not been released. Netflix has not announced an exact date.

Current status

• Pre-production stage.

Release window

• Likely 2025 or later.

Production updates

• No cast announced beyond the lead.

The trade-off: fans eager for the Ed Gein season will have to wait, but the gap gives the Menendez season room to breathe.

What is Monster season 4 about?

Season 4 was announced simultaneously with Season 3. It will tackle the story of Lizzie Borden, the Massachusetts woman acquitted of murdering her father and stepmother with an axe in 1892.

Announcement

• Netflix confirmed Monsters: The Lizzie Borden Story in November 2024.

Subject: Lizzie Borden

• Borden was tried and acquitted; no one else was ever convicted.
• The case remains one of America’s most famous unsolved murders.

Cast and production

• Ella Beatty is cast as Lizzie Borden (TVmaze series data).
• In production as of late 2024.

What this means: The anthology is expanding beyond 20th-century killers into historical figures, suggesting Murphy intends to turn Monster into a long-running franchise.

“The Menendez season is a mirror — it asks viewers whether they can sympathize with defendants who killed in cold blood but claim they were victims first. That’s the kind of moral complexity that makes true crime so divisive.”

— TV critic, TV Guide analysis

“Ryan Murphy knows how to pick cases that keep the internet arguing for weeks. The Menendez brothers are perfect because the evidence is contradictory, the abuse claims are unprovable, and the brothers themselves are charismatic.”

— Entertainment analyst, Next Episode commentary

The guide above answers the most frequently asked questions about Monster Season 2 and what’s next for the anthology. For anyone catching up, the Menendez season is a strong entry point — a case where the line between victim and perpetrator is deliberately blurred.