‘Law & Order’ Tackled This Real-Life Crime Before Ryan Murphy Could

The big picture

• Ryan Murphy, known for his true crime portrayals, is adding a season to his Monster series depicting the case of the Menendez brothers.
• The Netflix show will focus more on the events leading up to the murders, feature top-notch actors and explore new evidence in the case, but it's not the first series to explore this infamous murder.
• In 2017,
  law and order
  True Crime: The Menéndez Murders
  covered the events, but Murphy's series is expected to delve into the graphic violence, disturbing flashbacks of abuse and unique details not covered in previous adaptations.

Ryan Murphy he is a master when it comes to depicting true crime events. His first entry into his monster The series was the story of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. The Netflix show aired in 2022 and earned 13 Emmy nominations. So it's no surprise that Murphy wants to add another season to his hit anthology. This coming season will bring the title Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez. Many people are already familiar with the horrific case of the Menéndez brothers in 1989, however not everyone will remember that the case was already dramatized for the television audience of recent years.

In 2017, an 8-episode series was called Law & Order True Crime: The Menéndez Murders broadcast on NBC. He starred Eddie Falco as attorney Leslie Abramson. Falco was even nominated for an Emmy for Lead Actress in a Limited Series for her work as the brothers' tough-as-nails defense attorney. But the The series was not a huge success with critics (earning a 64 percent average on Rotten Tomatoes), and seemed to get lost in the shuffle of everyone else law and order franchises and spin-offs. Now that Murphy has addressed the same issue, audiences are wondering how the case of the Menéndez brothers will be portrayed in the new project.

'Law & Order' brought the case of the Menedez brothers to life

Even people who aren't obsessed with true crime stories probably know at least a little about the case of the Menendez brothers. In 1989, two wealthy residents of Beverly Hills, Jose and Kitty Menendez, were found brutally murdered in their mansion. Detectives quickly linked the couple's two sons, Lyle and Erik, to the murders. The trial that followed crossed the whole country, resulting in non-stop coverage by the media (who salivated over every salacious detail). Many people could not understand what could have driven these privileged boys from a seemingly perfect family to murder their parents in such a violent way. The defense alleged that the two brothers had been verbally, physically and sexually abused by their parents (especially their father). The brothers were eventually convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1996.

The law and order representation of the case it had an impressive cast which portrayed all the figures of real life. Along with Falco, the show also starred Anthony Edwards (as the judge who oversaw the trial), Julianne Nicholson i Harry Hamlin (as other members of the defense team), and Josh Charles (as Lyle and Erik's psychiatrist). These actors helped draw viewers to the show (although they never managed to top 6 million viewers per episode), and it was their performances that helped keep the show from being too campy. The series also helped to create a more compassionate atmosphere towards the brothers than the media usually portrays at the time of the murders and the trial, and in doing so, presented a more complete view of events that took place

Ryan Murphy will provide an updated take on the case

There are many ways Murphy can update the Menendez case and the law and order the series may provide a starting point for him and his creative team. So far, the series has cast some pretty big actors, including the Oscar winner Javier Bardem as José and nominated for the Oscar Chloe Sevigny like kitty With these two actors playing the parents, it looks like Murphy will spend more time focusing on the events that happened before the murders took place; this is very different from law and order series, which focused more on the actual test. The supporting cast will also include notable actors, including Leslie Grossman as Judalon Smyth (one of the key figures that led to the brothers' arrest) and​​​​​​ Nathan Lanelike investigative reporter Dominick Dunne. With this caliber of talent, Murphy's show will likely earn him even more Emmy nominations.

There are also likely to be many changes since law and order series in terms of tone. The original aired on network television, so there were strict rules about the violence they could show. With Murphy's series streaming on Netflix, all bets are off. There is no limit to the amount of graphic violence, language or adult content that can be used (and with other Murphy programs like American Horror Story i American Crime Story, there is plenty of evidence that Murphy is not one to shy away from showing shocking scenes of blood and gore). The series will also likely delve deeper into defending the boys' abuse, which could lead to a lot of disturbing and awkward flashback scenes (a departure from the NBC series).

Another significant change is that there have been some updates to the case since the law and order series aired in 2017. In 2023, the brothers filed papers requesting a hearing based on newly discovered evidence showing their father had abused another child (which would verify their own claims of abuse). In May 2023, Peacock released a documentary, Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed, with this evidence. With this information, Murphy could provide new details that most viewers wouldn't already know (including details like the brothers' marriages in prison and the fact that they were reunited in 2018 in the same facility after being separated for decades). There is a lot of fresh material that law and order the series did not know or did not have time to delve into it. Murphy is not tied to the 42-minute length law and order episodes and may have more episodes throughout the series to fully explore what makes this case so unique.

More than 30 years later, the case of the Menéndez brothers still captures America's attention. The shocking crime within a privileged family, the element of patricide/matricide and allegations of abuse remain a fascinating story. While law and order The franchise capitalized on its talented cast, unable to fully delve into the nuances of what made the case so captivating. With Murphy's talent and penchant for knowing what elements will appeal to viewers, the new installation of monsters (airing later in 2024) will likely be Netflix's next big hit.

Law and order True crime is available to stream on Tubi in the US.

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