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Netflix: Dahmer successor found, new monsters are already waiting

4.5.2023

Translation: machine translated

After the huge success of the first "Monsters" season about serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, Netflix was quick to order further seasons of the anthology series. The streaming service has now announced which monsters will be the focus of the second season: the Menendez brothers.

True Crime. The world of true crime fascinates me. Newspaper articles, podcasts, documentaries, series, films. There's hardly anything I haven't already consumed in this area. It all started for me with Medical Detectives. Who doesn't know this crime documentary series? In Germany, it's been on Vox at night for years. And yes, I used to watch it for years to relax and fall asleep. Sounds kind of macabre and dark, but for me it's quite normal.

True Crime - a success for Netflix

Netflix has also jumped on this bandwagon in recent years and has brought out several different formats. The most successful of these was and is by far "Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story". The anthology series not only achieved great success with viewers with its first season, but also with critics.

As one of four Netflix series, it reached the milestone of more than one billion viewing hours within the first 60 days. In addition, lead actor Evan Peters won a Golden Globe for Best Acting Performance in a Miniseries, Anthology Series or TV Movie for the series. "Dahmer" was nominated in three other categories. Netflix quickly decided to extend the series with at least two more stories about other "monsters". The intention was to depict "monstrous character(s) who have had an impact on society", according to a statement from the streaming service.

The case of Jeffrey Dahmer

The first ten-part season of "Monster" tells the true story of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who committed a total of 17 gruesome murders between 1978 and 1991 - 16 of which were proven to be him, many of them against young gay African-Americans. Evan Peters in particular, as Dahmer, is an outstanding actor who manages to radiate an immense fascination that literally drew me into the story. The series also takes a look at the side of his neighbour Glenda Cleveland (played brilliantly by Niecy Nash), who tried to warn the authorities about his suspicious behaviour but was ignored every time.

In addition to depicting Dahmer's ruthless crimes, series creators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan said they also pursued a look at institutional police failures and systematic racism, particularly against Milwaukee's African-American and gay community. However, the makers of the series were criticised for leaving out the relatives of the real victims and producing the season without ever having spoken to a single bereaved person.

The parricides

According to Netflix, the second season will now focus on the case of the two Menendez brothers. In 1996, Lyle and Erik Menendez were found guilty of the murder of their parents in August 1989 in a trial that attracted a great deal of media attention. After initially denying the crime, the two confessed. However, they claimed to have acted in self-defence as they had been sexually, emotionally and psychologically abused for years.

It is this aspect in particular that makes the second season, which is due to be released next year, so exciting and complex. Because while Dahmer was a serial killer and, in most people's eyes, a monster, the same cannot be said for the Menendez brothers. Was the brothers' motive not pure greed for money, but years of suffering? Were they afraid that their father would beat them to it? I at least hope that the season will take a good fictional look at this complex topic.

Cover photo: Netflix

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