Unbelievable Drama Plays Out Over Menendez Brothers Netflix Show! A long-standing rivalry between two of the biggest names in television saw the light of day this week when sweeping statements about gratitude and controversy were made on either side. And at the center of it all is the inventive and trendsetting kingpin of television, Ryan Murphy, who, alongside his equally revered and close rival, Shonda Rhimes, has been at the top of the industry’s game for quite some time now. But this time, it is Murphy who is taking the heat and throwing shade, as the situation unfolds in a manner most befitting Hollywood’s most famous stories.
**Ryan Murphy: A Genius or a Provocateur?**
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that starred as much for the audacity of its claims as for the heightened interest it generated, creator Ryan Murphy said his newest project, the true-crime miniseries “Monster,” had given the Menendez brothers—who, in the late 1980s, murdered their parents—a segment of exposure they’d not experienced since the trial that, for both sides, was over and done with 30 years ago. “It’s a fascinating subject,” Murphy went on. “And like all good true crime, it raises these awful questions.”
Gratitude or grievance: The Menendez brothers speak out. Just weeks ago, Eric Menendez levehemently criticized the series for its chilling, bold depiction of the brothers’ conviction. That conviction was largely built upon a narrative of greed-fueled patricide for a lavish inheritance. The series, however, in not so subtle a way, takes the audience into all the unsettling, shadowy opulence of the Menendez home—one that’s disturbingly lit at times and also disturbingly dark at others—the alleged half-hearted warmth of the parents’ parenting, the cozy fireside chats that are just too convenient to be cozy at all, and the unsettling prescience hinted at in the parents’ constant, reiterative opining about what a failure the boys are.
**Ryan’s Retort: A Battle for the Truth** In the face of public outrage, Ryan Murphy has made it very clear that his meticulously crafted series is about more than just Eric and Lyle’s story. For Murphy, the series is also very much about the many characters who shook hands with the boys, the myriad lives they intersected, and the chilling ripple effect that fateful morning sent through not just their lives but the lives of everyone around them. With typical audacity, Murphy stated, “We were telling a story that was a just very broad canvas… It’s fascinating that they’re playing the victim card, which I find reprehensible and disgusting.” For his part, Murphy insists that he’s constructed a narrative with great care, one that tells tales up, down, and even sideways across the characters in the series.
**A Drama with No Clear Victim or Villain?** By no means is the complex story of the Menendez brothers distilled down to a simple narrative highlighting good or bad intentions. In conclusion, Murphy leaves us with the tantalizing thought that two things could be true at the same time. He has pushed the story forward but also challenged us to sort through the multitude of truths and lies—something we have come to expect from a Ryan Murphy production. The firestorm surrounding the original story and its retelling had long since died down, but now, thanks to Murphy, the Menendez brothers’ saga is back in the public discourse…
Will the Menendez brothers come to terms with this version of their story, or will they keep fighting for control over their narrative? As this unfolding drama spins into the headlines, what seems certain is that audiences are as captivated as ever, waiting with baited breath for the next chapter in this real-life crime thriller.
