Ryan Murphy's new 'Monster' is the biggest show on Netflix and critics mostly hate it
'The Lizzie Borden Story' debuted to 12.1 million views in its first week despite a 42% Rotten Tomatoes score, and the gap between audience numbers and critical contempt is the most Ryan Murphy thing imaginable.
In brief
Ryan Murphy's new 'Monster' is the biggest show on Netflix and critics mostly hate it
Ryan Murphy's formula is back, and it is working exactly as designed, which is to say, the new season of Monster is crushing the global charts while critics sharpen their knives. Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story dropped all eight episodes on September 17 and became the No. 1 show on Netflix worldwide within 48 hours. Numbers confirm what the discourse has been screaming all week.
Per Netflix's own Tudum data, the series raked in 12.1 million views for the week of September 14 to 20, and considering all eight episodes didn't drop until September 17, that debut window covered only four days of actual availability, accumulating a total of 80.1 million hours watched. That's a number most shows never touch in their entire run.
According to Deadline, the 12.1 million views for that debut period appears on par with last season's premiere weekend for The Ed Gein Story, though that prior installment launched to somewhat warmer reviews. The franchise's momentum is intact. Its critical reputation, less so.
The worst scores in Monster history, the biggest numbers anyway
The season is the fourth installment of the anthology, created by Ian Brennan for Netflix, and centers on murder suspect Lizzie Borden, played by Ella Beatty, who was tried and acquitted of the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. It is also the first installment of the anthology to focus on an alleged female perpetrator.
Rotten Tomatoes reports a 42% approval rating based on 19 critic reviews, with an average rating of 5.0 out of 10. Metacritic gives it a score of 47 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. The audience score on Rotten Tomatoes sits at a disappointing 35%, lower than Ed Gein's 49%, Lyle and Erik Menendez's 57%, and Dahmer's 82%, making it the lowest-rated entry across the board. Every season has been panned. Every season has been enormous anyway.
The Monster anthology turned Jeffrey Dahmer into one of the most-viewed figures in Netflix history while drawing complaints from victims' families, and then did it all again with the Menendez brothers and Ed Gein. Each installment has been accused of glamorizing its subject, and each has been enormous anyway.
What the critics actually said
The reviews are not uniformly terrible. They're divided, sometimes loudly. Variety's Aramide Tinubu called the season "highly watchable" and said it "offers something refreshing and wholly unique" to the Monster franchise. The Guardian was less enthusiastic overall but praised the show's style and energy, calling it "absolutely full of great performances," with critic Lucy Mangan also noting that the series has "an almost Wes Anderson feel at times."
The Wrap landed somewhere between admiration and bewilderment. At times, the review notes, the show "feels like a bunch of talented performers turned loose in an exceptionally expensive gothic playground." Rebecca Hall in particular impressed TheWrap, which called her "the real scene-stealer." RogerEbert.com pointed to a specific creative choice that bothered several critics: the show ages Borden down and portrays her as neurodivergent, which the review argues may be "the show's first big misstep."
Gold Derby noted that while previous Monster seasons faced mostly ethical objections, reviews aren't convinced that Murphy, Brennan, and Beatty pulled off the shift to a female protagonist. That said, Gold Derby also quoted Sean T. Collins praising the show for indulging audience fascination with famous killers and the details of their crimes.
Who is Ella Beatty, and why does this role matter?
Beatty is 23 years old and the daughter of Warren Beatty and Annette Bening. After an extensive search, Murphy and Brennan chose her to bring Lizzie to life; she previously appeared in Murphy's Feud: Capote vs. The Swans and can also be seen in Mary Bronstein's Oscar-nominated Sundance film If I Had Legs I'd Kick You. Monster is far and away her highest-profile role to date, and the performance has split reviewers almost as sharply as the show itself.
Beatty has described her character as a "very fictionalized version" of the real Borden, which is the diplomatic way of acknowledging what the show freely admits: it is not a documentary. The season also features Sarah Paulson as Aileen Wuornos, the Florida serial killer who lived nearly a century after Borden, a structurally strange choice that critics have flagged as either inspired or incoherent, depending on whom you ask.
According to Vanity Fair, creator Ian Brennan described the season as exploring misogyny, gender roles, and societal expectations placed on Victorian-era women. The show also examines class and sexuality themes through the relationship between Borden and housemaid Bridget Sullivan. It is not a faithful retelling: there is no definite historical evidence that Borden and Sullivan were lovers.
What's next for the franchise?
Netflix has yet to officially renew the anthology for another season, but Murphy and showrunner Ian Brennan have said that Monster could run for at least ten seasons, with figures such as Dennis Rader, Gary Ridgway, and Ted Bundy all being explored in future entries. According to Netflix, the Monster franchise as a whole has reached nearly 170 million views across all seasons. At that scale, the renewal conversation is probably a formality.
On the current Netflix chart for September 14 to 20, Crew Girl followed The Lizzie Borden Story in the No. 2 spot with 11.3 million views, doubling the 5.2 million it achieved in its debut week. Monster held the top slot by a margin, but Crew Girl's surge is the other streaming story worth watching heading into fall.
The show's eight episodes are all streaming now. Vicky Krieps is in it. The axes are period-accurate. Sarah Paulson shows up as a Florida serial killer for reasons the season will explain. Whether or not that makes sense is, at this point, a matter of personal taste and tolerance for Ryan Murphy doing what Ryan Murphy does at full volume.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
