How Netflix's ‘Monsters’ Cast Compares to Real-Life Menendez Family

Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story worked hard to make sure the cast resembled their real-life counterparts.

The 10-episode limited series, which will be released on September 19, follows Lyle and Erik Menéndez, who were convicted for the 1989 murder of their parents. The siblings confessed to the crime and claimed they killed their parents, José and Kitty, in self-defense after alleged physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

Season 2 of Monsters unpacks the murder case with a cast of stars including Nicholas Chavez, Cooper Koch, Javier Bardem, Chloë Sevigny, Nathan Lane, Ari Graynor, Dallas Roberts and Leslie Grossman.

This isn’t the first time the Menéndez story was featured on the small screen. Episodes of Law & Order, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and The Sopranos mentioned the case in the ’90s. The Menéndez brothers were also referenced several times on the FX drama The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story in 2016, which Ryan Murphy executive produced. (In addition to Monsters, Murphy is also involved with the American Story franchise.)

NBC previously released an eight-episode special in 2017 titled Law & Order: True Crime — The Menéndez Murders. Netflix teased Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story in August — on the 35th anniversary of José and Kitty’s deaths.

Keep scrolling to see how the cast of Monsters compares to the people involved in the case: