How Netflix's Two Menendez Brothers Shows Treat Their Subjects Differently

It's been 35 years since Lyle, 21, and Erik Menendez, 18, murdered their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in the living room of their Beverly Hills home. On Aug. 20, 1989, they unloaded 15 rounds from 12-guage shotguns into their parents, with Lyle reloading at one point to finish the job. 

Now, as we're relearning through two new Netflix projects, those gruesome murders were just the beginning of the story. Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan's nine-part series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, dramatizes the story of the boys and their relationships with their parents, whom they claimed abused them from the time they were children. 

In the two-hour documentary The Menendez Brothers, the real-life brothers tell their side of the story to director Alejandro Hartmann from jail. The film also includes experts and insiders from both sides of the trials reminiscing about what happened.

After watching both projects, you may still be on the fence about how you feel or what you believe these men, now 56 and 53, went through at home. Either way, there are some big differences in how the doc and series tackle the brothers, the trials, and the public perception at the time of their mistrial and subsequent conviction. Read on to learn more. 

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The Point of View

The Menendez Brothers clearly tells the story of Erik and Lyle in their own words, making it a biased take. Still, it's a pretty compelling take in which both men stick to their original story of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse and reveal what life was like in their household growing up. 

However, it also explores the other side through interviews with prosecutor Pamela Bozanich, who to this day does not believe the stories of abuse. However, she admits on-camera that the only person she could find to say anything nice about Jose Menendez was his secretary. She also reveals that she knew Dr. Jerome Oziel (the therapist that Erik confessed to) was unfit. However, she asked for his license not to be revoked until after he had testified in the initial trial. 

In Monsters, the bias is less clear. The episodes present several possibilities of what happened, tackling the story from the brothers' perspective and the parents' point-of-view. Jose (Javier Bardem) is charismatic and maybe not that bad of a guy, while his wife, Kitty, is played by Chloë Sevigny and has an entire episode dedicated to sympathizing her.

Erik (Cooper Koch) and Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) are also highly over-the-top and often portrayed as spoiled, clueless brats, which partially speaks to their public perception at the time but also works to keep audiences guessing whether they actually made the abuse up. By the time the show wraps, it still doesn't choose sides, but it's also decidedly unflattering to the main characters. 

The Abuse

The most poignant moment of Monsters comes when Erik opens up to defense attorney Leslie Abramson (Ari Graynor) about his abuse. It's the first time the show digs into the why of the crime and shows either brother with sympathy. As the series progresses, more stories of abuse come to light, often in gruesome detail. As the brothers allege, the boys were six years old when their father started touching them inappropriately, and things grew worse from there.  

However, when Monsters allows the boys these moments of vulnerability, the show also flips the script and shows them reveling in getting people on their side. Lyle, in particular, is painted as a loose cannon who tries to convince his friends to lie for him and sets out to give the performance of a lifetime in the first trial. 

The doc takes a different approach and uses actual footage from the first trial, where the brothers are both convincing in their testimony. The brothers also open up about why it took them so long to talk about what happened in public and how Lyle, in particular, has since dedicated his life to helping other victims of abuse. 

Additionally, the doc interviews relatives, including cousin Diane Vander Molen, who testified and now reconfirms the story of Lyle telling her about the abuse as a boy. She also recalls telling Kitty about the incident and Kitty's cold and unexpected reaction.

The Trials

Both projects re-examine the initial trial, which resulted in a hung jury, in detail. Since the trial was televised, it makes sense. It caused an international media frenzy and resulted in many celebrities and pundits weighing in. However, Monsters really glosses over the second trial. 

While it does show Judge Stanley Martin Weisberg (Ross Mackenzie) being highly biased, it doesn't get into the nuances of the climate at the time the way the documentary does. 

Monsters also animates certain witnesses in both trials, making them feel like unbelievable caricatures rather than actual people who delivered believable testimony. Judalon Smyth (Leslie Grossman) is one such character, but her real-life affair with Dr. Oziel (Dallas Roberts) and her allegations on the stand were certainly among the original trial's most shocking moments. 

The doc, by nature, is more straightforward. Erik and Lyle recall the trials and blatantly accuse Judge Weisberg of bias, digging into how he needed a guilty verdict after presiding over the Rodney King case two years prior. In real life, he blocked all expert testimony on the "abuse-excuse" defense for the second trial, saying he didn't believe abuse could have happened because the Menendez brothers were boys, not girls. He also refused to allow mental health experts and a slew of other key witnesses to testify before presenting the jury with two options: The brothers were either guilty of first-degree murder or innocent. 

O.J. Simpson's Connection to The Boys

The back of O.J. Simpson's head, along with his voice, appears briefly in Monsters when police put him in the jail cell next to Erik. The drama also notes that the Menendez Brothers briefly hired Robert Shapiro for their defense. In the jailhouse scene, Erik warns O.J. against trusting Shapiro. 

Later, after Simpson is acquitted, Lyle slams their lawyers for not coming up with a slogan as Abramson worries the court decision will completely alter the boys' second trial. 

In the doc, experts weigh in on how the climate following Simpson's trial factored into the bias that went into the second trial and how it was an all-hands-on-deck situation for the District Attorney's office, who needed a win. The Menendez Brothers were treated quite differently following Simpson's acquittal, by the judge, as noted above, but also by the public, who had started to turn on the brothers. 

What Do The Menendez Brothers Think About Monsters?

The brothers have spoken out about how they're portrayed in Monsters and have said the series is rooted in "horrible lies." Erik posted a statement on X via his wife, Tammi Menendez, following the show's debut on Netflix. 

"I believed we had moved beyond the lies and ruinous character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies rampant in the show," he wrote. "I can only believe they were done so on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I say, I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent."

The boys' family members had a similar response, calling the series "a phobic, gross, anachronistic, serial episodic nightmare that is not only riddled with mistruths and outright falsehoods but ignores the most recent exculpatory revelations."

Murphy later responded to People, saying that Erik had faux outrage and that the brothers should send him flowers.

"They haven't had so much attention in 30 years. And it's gotten the attention of not only this country, but all over the world. There's sort of an outpouring of interest in their lives and in the case," he said. 

"I know for a fact that many people have offered to help them because of the interest of my show and what we did. There is no world that we live in where the Menendez brothers or their wives or lawyers would say, 'You know what, that was a wonderful, accurate depiction of our clients.' That was never going to happen, and I wasn't interested in that happening." 

What's Next for The Menendez Brothers?

One of the biggest reasons the Menendez Brothers are making headlines again isn't because of either project but because of social media. A new generation of TikTokers has been investigating the case independently, and there is a mounting push for the brothers' release.

Because Monsters is a fictionalized period piece, it can't explore that. However, the documentary takes time to explore the new public sympathy and how it has led to a renewed interest in the case. 

In early October, a new hearing was set for the brothers based on new evidence that has surfaced: In 2023, singer Roy Rosselló alleged that Jose Menendez drugged and raped him as a teen, and a letter that Erik wrote to his cousin describing the abuse he endured has since surfaced. 

Now, on Nov. 26, a court could decide on the brothers' possible resentencing or perhaps order a new trial. The brothers, along with their supporters, are anxiously awaiting that decision. 

Other Menendez Projects to Check Out

If you're as obsessed with uncovering details about this case as we are, here are five other projects to check out:

Truth and Lies: The Menendez Brothers (Apple TV+) — This 2017 ABC special looks at the evidence surrounding the case and interviews friends and family members to get their hot takes. 

The Menendez Murders: Erik Tells All (Prime Video) — Another 2017 project, this five-part A&E series features interviews with Erik from jail as he reflects on the trial and murder of his parents.

Law & Order: True Crime — The Menéndez Murders (Apple TV+ and Prime Video) — This L&O spinoff told the brothers' story over eight dramatized episodes. Miles Gaston Villanueva played Lyle, Gus Halper was Erik, Josh Charles embodied Dr. Oziel, Heather Graham played Judalon Smyth, and Edie Falco earned an Emmy nod for portraying Leslie Abramson.

Menendez: Monsters or Misjudged? (Max) — Two years ago this project debuted, taking a look at the strong social media response and support the Menendez Brothers have recently experienced and why.

Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed (Peacock) — If you want to know more about Roy Rosselló and his alleged past with Jose Menendez, he discusses it in great detail for this docuseries.