The Menendez Brothers in Media: A Review of Netflix's Limited Series and Documentary
By Hannah Kline
Content warning: mentions of violence and sexually explicit content
The Menendez brothers have made a comeback in the media as of the past month with their recent booming popularity coming from new Netflix releases: Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, a limited series, and The Menendez Brothers, a documentary.
The brothers, Lyle and Eric, made their first appearance in the media in August 1989. On the 20th August 1989, Lyle and Eric murdered their parents, Jose and Kitty, in their living room. At the time the family was living in their Beverly Hills mansion, Lyle and Eric were 21 and 18 years old respectively. In 1990, Lyle was arrested. Shortly afterwards, Eric confessed to his therapist. After a first and second trial during March of 1996, the brothers were convicted with murder in the first degree and are still in prison today.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
Ryan Murphy was the director of the Monsters series. The first season of the series followed Jeffrey Dahmer’s harrowing killings. The second season captured the story of the Menendez brothers. Before the release of the second season, Law and Order had already done an episode about Lyle and Eric called ‘The Menendez Murders’. Many other documentaries had been made to showcase the story of the brothers.
The Menendez Brothers season was released on 19 September, and consisted of 9 episodes. It featured performances by Cooper Koch, Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Javier Bardem, and Chloë Sevigny. The reaction and eviews that came along with it have been controversial to say the least. Much of the show’s content has been seen as overdramatised and has caused many people to feel more put-off than entertained. Many individuals feel that the series was a dishonest portrayal of the events of the murder, specifically surrounding the sexual abuse the real Lyle and Eric had to endure, which they claim was their primary reason for committing the murder.
The motive behind the murder was disputed over 2 trials. During the first trial, both Lyle and Eric testified to having been molested by their father, Jose Menendez, which the series does document accurately as per these testimonies.
There is high emphasis on a disturbing concept of incest in the series, inferring that the brothers had a more than intimate relationship with each other. During the trial, according to Lyle, he admitted to committing similar acts to Eric when they were younger. The series managed to convey a more than disturbing image of the brothers having had a sexual relationship up until the murder, which is inaccurate according to their own accounts.
Nicholas Chavez’s outstanding portrayal of Lyle Menendez received a lot of negative and positive attention. A statement was released by Tammi Menendez, Eric’s wife, expressing her husband;s views about the series. Eric said, “I believe we have 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 also expressed that he feels that the director, Ryan Murphy, had a biased opinion about the case and that his views were naive and inaccurate. On the other hand, the series has become popular on TikTok and sparked interest amongst many young women viewers.
The Menendez Brothers (Documentary)
The Menendez Brothers documentary was released on the 7th of October, not long after the series. In some capacity, this documentary shed light on a lot of the controversy created by the series. Both brothers had been interviewed and recorded and were able to tell their story themselves. Lyle and Eric spoke about different aspects of the series and explained their points of view. This documentary, to many, is a more accurate and honest telling of their truth. After having been in prison for over three decades, both men were able to speak about what had happened to them outside of a courtroom. The brothers are currently located at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility.