Beloved Netflix true crime series gets season 4 renewal ahead of season 3
Netflix is scratching our true crime itch once again, with one of its most popular series officially coming back for season 4.
The streaming giant has carved an impressive name for itself with the likes of Making a Murderer, Tiger King, and Don't F**k With Cats as true crime documentaries, but it's also become renowned for its crime dramatizations.
As part of his $300 million Netflix deal, American Horror Story's Ryan Murphy has branched out to deliver glossy dramas like Hollywood, Ratched, and The Watcher for Netflix.
Among his biggest true crime successes has been 2022's Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. The dramatization cast Murphy favorite Evan Peters as infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, going on to become one of the platform's most-watched shows of all time.
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The hype continued with 2024's The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, and while both seasons have been commercial hits, they've faced a slew of controversy and mixed critical responses.
The Jeffrey Dahmer Story was removed from Netflix's LGBTQ+ section and received notable backlash from the families of Dahmer's victims for its dramatization.
In particular, The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story was accused of oversexualizing and implying an incestuous relationship between the pair, while Erik Menendez described it as having 'ruinous' portrayals of the pair.
15-year-old Reed R. Gelinskey was arrested in March 2025 and charged with first-degree intentional homicide for the death of his mother, claiming he was inspired by season 2's 'shotgun scene'.
Despite Netflix being accused of profiting off the misery of others, the dollar signs are ringing in its eyes as Monster is coming back for a third season.
This time around, Sons of Anarchy's Charlie Hunnam is playing suspected serial killer Ed Gein in The Original Monster.
As reported by Deadline, the crime anthology won't be ending here. Keen to cash in on the high-profile castings of Monster, the show is supposedly coming back to chart the case of Lizzie Borden.
Tried and acquitted of murdering her father and stepmother with an axe in 1982, the Fall River, Massachusetts, massacre has become the stuff of legend and has been adopted into folklore.
No one was ever charged, meaning the murders have been steeped in theories and adapted numerous times before. Christina Ricci notably played her in Lifetime’s The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, while Murphy alumni Chloë Sevigny portrayed her in 2018's Lizzie. Deadline claims that casting is currently underway, with production apparently eying a fall start.
Both seasons of Monster hit Netflix's number-one spot in the first week of their release, while Peters won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film.
Netflix has declined to comment, but by the sounds of it, another macabre murder drama is on the way.