Television series about criminal cases can be entertaining, but they tend to be so inaccurate, that it affects the audience’s perceptions of real-life individuals. In season two of the viral Netflix show, Monster, Ryan Murphy tells the story of the Menendez Brothers; one of the most infamous cases in America. Although the case has been put to rest for years, the resurgence of the case can be traced back to the television show that exploits the brothers’ trauma and actions.
Lyle and Erik Menendez fatally shot their parents after years of being sexually and physically abused by their father. The case went to court in 1989 and the brothers have been serving life in prison ever since. To their surprise, the Netflix series was released without their permission.
While the show claims to be a reenactment of the brothers, Lyle and Erik’s, lives, the inaccuracies outweigh the truths. There were unnecessary scenes of incest, inaccurate sexual representation, and an incorrect cause of the murders. The TV series paints the Menendez brothers to be, just as the title states, monsters.
The director, Ryan Murphy, also directed season one of the series which tells the story of Jeffery Dahmer. Ryan Murphy tries to paint the cannibal as a human in this series and, in a way, defends his actions against homosexual men of color. Yet, he makes the Menendez brothers seem like psychopaths when they truly were being sexually and physically abused by their parents who they murdered.
In the viral series, the older Menendez brother, Lyle Menendez, is portrayed as a violent psychopath who is spoiled by his parents. In reality, he was reluctant to commit the murder and wanted to wait just to be sure it was the route they wanted to take. The official DA of the resentencing, George Gascon’s, recommendation for the brother’s parole states, “It is important to note that Lyle Menendez has not been in a single fight in the 30 years he has been incarcerated. In 1997, he had to be moved from General Population to the Special Needs Yard because he wouldn’t fight back when attacked.”
From this, it is clear that the show is just about entirely fictional and not accurate to the brothers’ story. However, society yearns for entertainment rather than accuracy, meaning shows that are supposed to be telling the story of real people will continue to be exaggerated for an audience’s viewership.
There is a brighter side to the Hollywood attention, as the inflated story grabbed the attention of those who want to help the Menendez brothers get justice, one of those people being one of the most famous faces in the world, Kim Kardashian. Legal experts have explained that the newfound attention has dusted off the path of freedom that the Menendez brothers never thought they’d see again. However, their resentencing gave them life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Even the Menendez brothers themselves have come out publicly against the show, saying it is full of “blatant lies” and called the show “ruinous”. The brothers didn’t have the opportunity to defend themselves against the social media viral series, yet a saving grace came in the form of an accurate documentary that resurfaced from 2023, “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed”.
This documentary supported the claims that the brothers had made back in 1989 about their father and his constant abuse. The show gave chilling details about Jose Menendez, their father, and how he would treat his sons, which ultimately led to the brothers’ decision. What was previously considered an alibi is now being proven as true, ruffling the feathers of fans who wish for the case to be reopened.
Although the attention to the case has helped the brothers reopen the case, their story has been tainted with lies and exaggerations that have changed public opinion on their story. The need to be entertained has overcome the want to be educated in our society, and real people are paying a price for it.