Netflix confirms new seasons of Jeffrey Dahmer series Monster despite controversy
Ryan Murphy said he reached out to the families of Jeffery Dahmer’s victims while researching for his Netflix series. (Getty/Netflix)
Netflix is spinning the controversial Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story into an anthology series.
Dahmer has drawn criticism for rehashing the Jeffrey Dahmer murders against the wishes of his victims’ families.
Despite this, the show has proved incredibly popular, remaining in Netflix’s most-watched for several weeks and becoming Ryan Murphy’s first real hit on the platform since he joined Netflix on a reported $300m deal.
Netflix confirmed on Monday (7 November) it has ordered two more instalments of Monster, which will focus on “monstrous figures who have impacted society”.
It has yet to reveal details about which real-life criminals the new seasons will revolve around.
Netflix has also renewed Ryan Murphy’s mystery thriller The Watcher, which is based on a true story of a couple who moved into their dream-home-turned-walking-nightmare.
Since its release it has been widely criticised for the “worst ever ending”, but has clearly proved popular enough to warrant a renewal.
It’s currently unclear if The Watcher’s new season will be a continuation of season one or focus on an entirely new storyline.
Bela Bajaria, head of global TV at Netflix, said: “Audiences can’t take their eyes off Monster and The Watcher.
“The creative team of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan on Monster along with Eric Newman on The Watcher are masterful storytellers who captivated audiences all over the world.
“The back-to-back force of these two series is due to Ryan’s distinct original voice which created cultural sensations and we are thrilled to continue telling stories in the Monster and Watcher universes.”
Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is about the murderer of 17 men and boys between 1998 and 1991, many of whom were young, gay and Black.
Murphy and his team claim they have reached out to around 20 families of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims over the three-and-a-half-year preparations for the show – but say they received no responses.
Families of several victims have spoken against the show.
Rita Isbell, sister of Errol Lindsey, who was murdered by Dahmer at age 19, and Shirley Hughes, whose son Tony was the 12th victim of Dahmer, are among the families of victim’s who have voiced their distress and slammed Netflix for platforming the show.
Sadly, the popularity of the show has had led to the “Milwaukee cannibal” becoming a popular Halloween costume, with it being banned by several LGBTQ+ bars in the serial killer’s hometown of hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Monster season 2 does not yet have a release date.
