Law & Order True Crime vs. Netflix's Monsters: Which Menendez brothers Story Reigns Supreme?
Law & Order True Crime: A More Respectful Telling of the Menendez Brothers' Story
Let's talk about the Menendez brothers. Their story is dark, complex, and deeply disturbing; and many productions attempted to make something engaging and thought-provoking around this specific historical event. Ryan Murphy's Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story (Netflix) came out in 2024; and created quite a stir! It made a huge splash, largely because of the inaccuracies, the extremely problematic approach toward storytelling which completely overshadowed and ignored certain aspects of that deeply traumatic past, resulting in criticisms surrounding the creative decisions. The controversy caused many people to speak out including the Menendez brothers themselves!
But, guess what? There's another version. Way better. And it's older! Law & Order true crime's 2017 miniseries did it better – it’s more accurate; less exploitative; presenting a more nuanced approach toward how those tragic events really impacted everyone involved! Many aspects which are discussed below will focus exactly on this particular approach that helped deliver better storytelling overall!
Law & Order True Crime: A More Authentic and Accurate Portrayal
Law & Order True Crime's portrayal respects the tragic story’s sensitive and immensely complex elements. Unlike Monsters, it does not sensationalize things; avoiding sexualization of abuse victims; showcasing a more realistic understanding which those involved clearly never encountered. It might have its own issues concerning accuracy but largely delivers a far more sympathetic take upon this tragic case, showing just why the production deserves much more serious reappraisal after so many viewers and other related actors and critics had expressed strong views.
Monsters—in stark contrast, made a huge mess, and failed to deliver anything worthwhile in the aftermath; failing to earn any respect or good critical recognition, this series was critically lambasted in several ways, most importantly around how those horrific past traumas were utterly and completely disrespected. Even Jeffrey Dahmer's story in Monsters season 1 had serious factual omissions! Ryan Murphy needs to actually start learning from criticism instead of simply producing yet another problematic narrative.
Edie Falco's Masterful Performance as Leslie Abramson
Acting-wise? Monsters had its moments. However, nothing really matched Edie Falco's mind-blowing portrayal of Leslie Abramson (the criminal defense attorney) in Law & Order True Crime! It is quite frankly mind-blowing! This wasn't mere impersonation— this mimicked actual courtroom footage from the actual trial. Falco's work here created this completely believable portrayal of Abramson that remains incredibly impressive, adding incredible realism which no other series truly conveyed successfully in those specific circumstances. She deserves every bit of that award-level recognition! Even if they used other great actors in Monsters, nothing truly came close.
Why Didn't Law & Order True Crime Get a Season 2?
This remains one of those mysteries only some of those in higher management within Law & Order production might only have access to. That potential second season got teased way back before the first even aired; executives considered various potential plots and the potential for covering important storylines; that was widely discussed within higher echelons of that production team itself!
Dick Wolf had teased plots (Oklahoma City bombing, Son of Sam, Night Stalker). Yet plans ended without explanation by July 2018! No confirmed reasons exists! Those initial high expectations, those promising narratives—simply vanish, leaving audiences feeling shocked, confused and strangely angry over how the whole thing seemed to just suddenly fall apart for such a promising production.
Conclusion: A Missed Opportunity for a More Responsible Approach to True Crime Storytelling
Law & Order True Crime remains a masterpiece of true crime dramatization, demonstrating the kind of sensitivity and detail not found often, showing immense respect for victims while also maintaining the storytelling integrity necessary for good entertainment that provides insight and is also genuinely interesting! It presented things far better than that exploitative trashfire from Netflix and is an amazing missed opportunity not getting multiple seasons. The Menendez brothers story demands care, not sensationalism— and Law & Order True Crime perfectly understands it! The storytelling techniques used for depicting those tragic situations must receive further appreciation!
