Monster season 4 has arrived on Netflix, putting nepo baby Ella Beatty in the spotlight as Lizzie Borden in the latest chapter of Ryan Murphy’s true-crime anthology.
The series revisits one of America’s most infamous homicide cases, blending crime and psychological drama on screen.
While Beatty’s performance has drawn plenty of attention, the new installment has already attracted negative reactions. With scathing reviews from critics and viewers alike, Monster season 4 is quickly proving to be one of the “worst series of the year.”
Netflix’s latest Monster installment has divided critics and drawn backlash from viewers
The fourth season of the Netflix anthology series Monster, subtitled The Lizzie Borden Story, was released on September 17, 2026.
Ella Beatty, the daughter of actors Annette Bening and Warren Beatty, plays Lizzie Borden. She made her acting debut in the second season of Feud, an anthology series also co-created by Ryan Murphy.
Season 4 of Monster explores the 1982 double homicide in Fall River, Massachusetts. Lizzie Borden was tried and later acquitted of slaying her father and stepmother with an axe.
The latest installment received negative reviews from critics and currently holds a 50% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Several reviewers had an axe to grind with the show’s treatment of the historical subject matter, describing it as messy and sensationalized.
Writing for The Guardian, one critic described it as “like it was made up as they went along.” In a separate review for The Telegraph, a critic questioned whether the fourth season “needed to be made at all.”
Audience reactions on social media were similarly unfavorable, with one X user declaring it the “worst series of the year.”
“The story, the music, and how they’ve put it all together can’t get any more secondhand embarrassment. It’s terrible,” they added.
A second wrote, “Watching now and it’s abysmal. The script and effects are horrible.”
“Hot garbage,” another added.
Viewers criticized the Netflix series for its portrayal of notorious criminals
Trigger warning: This section contains graphic details of violence that may be disturbing to some.
Ahead of season 4’s release, the anthology series, which focuses on a different homicide case in each installment, faced criticism for its portrayal of the real-life cases that inspire each season.
On September 16, 2026, Netflix released a promo featuring figures from previous seasons, including Jeffrey Dahmer, the Menendez brothers, and Ed Gein, before introducing Borden as the “next monster.”
The clip drew criticism on social media, with viewers accusing Netflix of sensationalizing real-life crimes.
“I’m sick of them idealizing and whitewashing stories about k*ll*rs,” one person said.
Another wrote, “Imagine being m*rd*r*d in the most brutal way possibly imaginable, then 30 years later, Netflix is introducing your k*ll*r like the newest member of the WWE.”
“You glorify and reveal serial k*ll*rs like DLC characters in a fighting game,” a third added.
Get ready to meet the next monster… pic.twitter.com/yZS4GBAYCF
— Netflix (@netflix) September 15, 2026
Some viewers also questioned Borden’s inclusion, pointing out that she was acquitted of the charges against her.
The series faced similar backlash in 2022 following its first season, which chronicled the crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer and drew criticism from the families of his victims, some of whom said the series retraumatized them.
Dahmer was accused of necrophilia and cannibalism and was convicted of 16 counts of homicide.
“I want people to understand this is not just a story or historical fact; these are real people’s lives,” a relative of one of the victims said.
Monster also faced criticism over its portrayal of Lyle and Erik Menendez in season 2. The brothers were convicted of slaying their parents at their Beverly Hills home in 1989.
In September 2024, the brothers’ family members issued a statement condemning the season as “a phobic, gross, anachronistic, serial episodic nightmare.”
Nepo baby Ella Beatty reveals how she prepared to play Lizzie Borden
Amid criticism of the new season, Ella Beatty’s performance as Lizzie Borden also drew mixed reactions.
Writing for Decider, one critic called her performance “less creepy” and “more weird” but ultimately argued it was worth watching. Some X users criticized Beatty’s accent and voice in the series, finding them out of place for the Victorian-era setting.
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For Beatty, the role marks her first lead performance in a television series. During an interview with USA Today, the actress discussed her preparation, calling it a “tremendous responsibility” to play a “real person.”
Amid conflicting accounts of the real-life events, Beatty said she relied on the script and her imagination to craft her performance, while trusting the showrunners with the historical details.
“I felt my job was to create a character from what I saw in the script,” she said.
Beatty cited actress Chloë Sevigny’s performance as Borden in the 2018 film Lizzie as a major inspiration. She reached out to Sevigny, and the two actresses exchanged notes, although Beatty ultimately felt her interpretation differed from Sevigny’s.
Monster season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.
“Creative license at its worst”: Netflix’s Monster season 4 fails to impress viewers
