With the true crime series Monster: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, produced by Ryan Murphy, Netflix has landed a new hit that is causing a lot of discussion. Last but not least, the handling of the case of the Menendez brothers, who were convicted of the murder of their parents, has already been sharply criticized by the real Erik Menendez.
However, the second season of Netflix’s monster anthology is not the first film adaptation of the crime and the subsequent court cases. If you want to delve deeper into the story of the brothers Erik and Lyle, you should add an even better-rated series to your watchlist that was released seven years ago.
Before the Netflix series, there was already a better miniseries about Lyle and Erik Menendez
There are plenty of documentaries about the Menendez brothers case. Even Netflix is releasing its own documentary about Lyle and Erik in October. In addition to the monster series, there are also some fictional adaptations. There are not only a few TV films, but also another whole series about the true crime story.
Back in 2017, the US broadcaster NBC launched Law & Order: True Crime as a spin-off of the crime series Law & Order. Under the additional title “The Murderous Menendez Brothers”, the Menendez case was over eight episodes rolled up – even one episode less than the Netflix adaptation.
This adaptation of the story focuses even more on the court cases of the two brothers and presents defense attorney Leslie Abramson as protagonist The focus was on the character of the late actor, who was played here by The Sopranos star Edie Falco. Lyle and Erik Menendenz were played in this series version by Miles Gaston Villanueva (The Boys) and Gus Halper (Law & Order: Organized Crime).
Even though both series are based on a real court case and a shocking true murder case, the versions are nevertheless different in their portrayal and interpretation of important characters. Which is actually better is something each viewer has to decide for themselves. But a look at the ratings reveals that Law & Order: True Crime is way ahead of the Netflix series Monster is.
While Netflix’s Menendez series received just 52 percent of critical approval and 65 percent of audience approval on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, things are looking better for the Law & Order spin-off. Critics gave it a score of 64 percent and viewers even gave it a fantastic 86 percent.
Where can I watch Law & Order: True Crime?
Currently, Law & Order: True Crime is unfortunately nowhere in the flat to stream. Instead, the Menendez series is available as a digital purchase version from all common providers. You can buy the NBC adaptation in HD version from both Apple TV and Amazon for €11.99 each – but only in English. If you want to stream the series in the German dubbed version, you can find it at Magenta TV.