Viewers praise Netflix for 'perfect casting' of real life Menendez brothers series

Viewers have praised the casting decisions behind Netflix's new series telling the story of the Menendez brothers.

Following the success of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, showrunners Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan are back with another instalment of their true crime anthology, this time with another high profile case.

Premiering yesterday (19 September), Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story follows the high profile 1980 case of the Menendez brothers, who were convicted of killing their parents.

Watch a teaser for the series below:

The brothers would go one to become infamous across the United States when their trial was broadcast via Court TV, with people around the country tuning in to learn the grisly details of the case.

Joseph 'Lyle' Menendez was born in 1968, with his younger brother Erik arriving two years later in 1970. To outsiders, it seemed like the Menendez family had a successful life. Their father, José Menendez, worked as an executive at RCA Records and took the family to Beverly Hills, which allowed them to live an affluent lifestyle.

However, the facade would all come crashing down on 20 August 1989 when José and his wife Kitty were brutally shot in their own home. Three years later, the boys were charged with the murder of their parents.

Lyle and Erik's defence argued the killings were in self-defence after suffering emotional and sexual abuse at their father's hands, while the prosecution alleged the killings were motivated by financial greed.

Lyle and Erik were later found guilty of their parent's murders and sentenced to life in prison.

Despite taking place over two decades ago, the case is once again at the forefront of public consciousness due to the release of the Netflix series, which stars Chloë Sevigny, Javier Bardem, Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch as Kitty, José, Lyle and Nick respectively.

The series may have divided viewers over it's depiction of the brothers' relationship, while others complained about the show dramatising elements of the story.

However, fans are in total agreement over one thing, the casting of the show's main stars and their resemblance to the real life counterparts.

Sharing their thoughts on X, one person wrote: "This show is making me cry. The casting is perfect!"

"Ryan Murphy's team knows how to choose their cast very well. I am shocked with the performances of Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch, where they are amazing in their roles," a second person added.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is available to watch in full on Netflix.