Netflix's Ryan Murphy addresses criticism from Erik Menendez over portrayal in Monsters

One of the masterminds behind Netflix's latest true crime sensation has countered criticism including remarks from one of the depicted individuals.

Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story dramatises the chilling case of the Menendez brothers, who notoriously murdered their parents.

The series portrays their attempt to argue in court that they were victims of sexual abuse by their father, a claim which became a key part of their defence narrative.

However, there has been backlash regarding how the programme approaches several sensitive subjects, particularly detailing the Menendez siblings' relationship.

In the throes of controversy, Erik Menendez took to Facebook expressing his consternation, stating: "I believed we had moved beyond the lies and ruinous character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies rampant in the show."

He continued, "I can only believe they were done so on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I say, I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent," reports the Daily Star.

Amidst the brewing backlash, creator Ryan Murphy rebuffed the criticism while attending the launch event for another of his works, Grotesquerie, soon to star NFL sensation Travis Kelce. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet, Murphy asserted: "I have many things to say about that (the backlash). I think it's interesting that he's issued a statement without having seen the show."

"I know he hasn't seen the show in prison. I hope he does see the show."

Murphy defended the extensive research his team conducted to ensure they accurately portrayed the events, saying: "It's really, really hard, if it's your life, to see your life up on screen. It's been thirty years since that case. I think that's hard."

"The thing I find interesting that he doesn't mention in his quote and that no one from that side of the aisle is talking about is that if you watch the show, I would say 60 to 65 per cent of our show in the scripts, and in the film form, centre around the abuse and what they claim happened to them."

"And we do it very carefully, and we give them their day in court, and they talk openly about it. In this age, where people can really talk about sexual abuse, talking about it and writing about it and writing about all points of view can be controversial."

Murphy also highlighted the 'Rashomon' effect used in the show, which incorporates multiple perspectives, stating: "If you watch the show, what the show is doing is presenting the points of view and stories from so many people who were involved in the case.

"Dominick Dunne wrote several articles about talking that theory and how he thought that theory had validity, what we do is we are presenting his point of view just as we present Leslie Abramson's (the Menendez's defence attorney) point of view."

The series narrates more than ten different perspectives on the events, with one character declaring, "The show presents over ten points of view of different event, so when people see that, that is somebody in our show having a narrative statement about this is what I believe really happened."

Nicholas Chavez, who portrays Lyle Menendez, also weighed in on portraying such a fraught chapter: "I empathise with the fact that it must be incredibly difficult to see some of the most painful moments of your life being portrayed on television."

The original Monster series was centred around serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and charted his sinister path, culminating in his 1991 arrest. Ryan Murphy's involvement as writer gave rise to Netflix greenlighting a sequel under the 'Monster' title, transitioning into an anthology series spotlighting various 'true' crime figures, with another 'Monster' chapter anticipated in due course.

Renowned for his tenure as showrunner on hits like Glee and American Horror Story, Murphy's influence endures.

The Menendez brothers will soon have their version of their story aired on Netflix inan upcoming documentary set to launch on October 7, which promises never-before-heard phone interviews with Lyle and Erik from behind bars.