The Menendez brothers are now being shown as a documentary on Netflix. The news comes as their story is currently streaming in scripted form on the streamer.
On Monday, Netflix announced a new documentary titled The Menendez Brothers will be available on the streaming service on October 7. The project, directed by Argentinian director Alejandro Hartmann (Carmel: Who killed Maria Marta?, The Photographer: Murder in Pinamar) will “offer new insights and a fresh perspective on a case people only think they know,” Netflix said.
Here is the description: “In 1996, Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of murdering their parents. The case became one of the most famous criminal cases of the late 20th century. For the first time in 30 years, the two brothers look back in their own words on the trial that shocked the nation. In extensive audio interviews with Lyle and Erik, the lawyers involved in the trial, the journalists who covered it, the jury, the family and other informed observers, acclaimed Argentine director Alejandro Hartmann offers new insights and a fresh perspective on a case people only think they know about.”
The news comes as Ryan Murphy’s true-crime drama series about the brothers, Monster: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendezis currently the #1 show on Netflix in the U.S. The series tells the story of two real-life brothers who were convicted of the murder of their parents, José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, in 1996.
After Monster Erik Menendez, released last week on Thursday, criticized both Monster and Netflix because of the scripted series, which was criticized by viewers for some scenes depicting an incestuous relationship between the adult brothers (some of the sexualized interactions include the brothers kissing on the lips; in one scene, their mother, played by Chloë Sevigny, walks in on them kissing in the shower). During his retrial in 1995, Lyle testified that he had abused Erik when they were children. In the series, the brothers discuss this as adults with their attorney, Leslie Abramson, played by Ari Graynor, as they recount the abuse they suffered at the hands of their father, José.
Erik had said in his statement, which his wife Tammi Menendez posted on social media: “I thought we had moved beyond the lies and devastating character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle based on horrific and blatant likes that were rampant on the show. I can only believe this was done on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I must say that I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be so naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives to do this without malicious intent.”
He continued, “It saddens me to know that Netflix, with its dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime, has pushed the painful truths back several steps – back to a time when prosecutors built a narrative on the belief system that men were not sexually assaulted and that men experienced rape trauma differently than women. These horrific lies have been refuted and exposed over the past two decades by countless brave victims who have overcome their personal shame and courageously spoken out about it. And now Murphy is shaping his horrific narrative through vile and horrifying character portrayals of Lyle and me and disheartening slanders.”
The Netflix projects are the latest to bring the Menendez brothers’ story to the screen. Fox and CBS aired TV movies about the murders in 1994, and Lifetime aired Menendez: Blood Brothers in 2017 and Law & Order: True Crime on NBC also focused on the case, starring Edie Falco as Abramson. Peacock’s 2023 documentary Menendez + Menudo: Betrayed Boys In the film, Roy Rosselló, a former member of the boy band Menudo, claimed that José Menendez sexually abused him when he was a teenager.
The Menendez Brothers is produced by Ross M. Dinerstein and Rebecca Evans. Ross Girard and Mark McCune are executive producers; Dani Sloane, Gina Scarlata, Cecilia Salguero, Will Mavronicolas and JP Quicquaro are co-producers.
