Netflix has renewed its serial killer focused Monster for two more seasons, and ordered a second installment of The Watcher. Following the huge success of Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Netflix has ordered two further editions of the series with showrunner Ryan Murphy returning to the helm.
Dahmer – which starred Evan Peters as the notorious American serial killer – proved a huge hit, with viewers watching more than 850m hours within its first 28 days on the platform. It became Netflix’s second most popular English TV season behind Stranger Things.
The show will become an anthology series, akin to Murphy’s American Horror Story and American Crime Story, with each series focusing on “stories of other monstrous figures who have impacted society,” according to Netflix. It is yet to be confirmed which infamous killers be the focus of the upcoming seasons.
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Plot details for the return of The Watcher have been kept under wraps, so it is unclear if it will be a continuation of its first season – which was left somewhat open-ended – or a new story entirely. Its unresolved ending was panned by fans, with some deeming it “the worst ending ever.”
The show – based on a New York magazine article and starring Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale – proved yet another success for Murphy and Netflix despite its lackluster ending. It achieved more than 340m hours viewed in less than three weeks of its premiere.
Murphy teamed up with long-time collaborator Ian Brennan on Dahmer, and the two TV heavyweights joined Narcos boss Eric Newman on The Watcher. In a statement, Netflix head of global TV Bela Bajaria 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.”
Despite its success, Dahmer attracted controversy over its alleged glamourising of serial killers and misrepresentation of actual events. It was also criticised for allegedly not reaching out to the families of Dahmer’s victims for permission to tell the story, though Netflix and Murphy insist they reached out.
Following the record-breaking success of DAHMER - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Ryan Murphy & Ian Brennan will create two more installments that will focus on other monstrous figures who have impacted society.
A second season of The Watcher has also been greenlit! pic.twitter.com/NmFdj6soJj— Netflix (@netflix)
Reacting to the news of both show’s renewals, fans replied to Netflix’s Twitter post urging the streamer not to proceed. @LozzyJonesx said: “Stop making shows about serial killers and glamourising them its so disgusting.”
@MorganS624 added: “After all of the comments from families of the victims and the general populous, you’re going to allow more installments of this type of content? If you want to talk monstrous figures let’s also discuss the monstrous disregard for morality and compassion by making these shows.”
“Yuk. This series [Monster] didn’t show any respect for the families, using their real identity but just showing such inaccurate events, mixing them up… I hated it,” @mfcalana said.
Monster and The Watcher are the latest in a string of shows Murphy has produced as part of a $300m, five-year deal with Netflix. His previous outputs on the platform include the lesser-watched Hollywood, The Politician, Ratched and Halston.
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