‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ trailer hints at sexual abuse claims by brothers

The first trailer for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, the second season of Ryan Murphy’s Monster series on Netflix, has been released, hinting at the sexual abuse allegations made by the Menendez brothers against their father, José Menendez. The series is set to premiere on Netflix on September 19.

The teaser opens with a family portrait session, featuring Kitty Menendez, played by Chloë Sevigny, who quietly questions her husband José, portrayed by Javier Bardem, about his relationship with their sons. “I need to know what’s going on with you and the boys,” she says. José responds, “It is over. Stop. I’m going to fix this family,” before walking away from the session. The brothers, portrayed by Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch, stand silently in the background during the exchange.

The official synopsis for the series reads: “While the prosecution argued they were seeking to inherit their family fortune, the brothers claimed — and remain adamant to this day, as they serve life sentences without the possibility of parole — that their actions stemmed out of fear from a lifetime of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents.”

The cast for this season also includes Nathan Lane as investigative journalist Dominick Dunne and Ari Graynor as criminal defense attorney Leslie Abramson. The Menendez case has been the subject of various adaptations over the years, including TV movies and documentaries, highlighting the lasting public fascination with the case.