On Aug. 4, 1882, the bodies of Andrew and Abby Borden were found in their home in Fall River, Massachusetts. In 1883, Lizzie Borden, Andrew’s daughter and, Abby’s stepdaughter, was tried and acquitted for the crimes.
On Sep. 17, 2026, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan released the fourth season of their “Monster” series on Netflix titled “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.”
Murphy and Brennan have worked together in the past, co-writing and producing the popular television series surrounding a high school a cappella group. From “Glee” to “Monster,” Murphy and Brennan have proved their range.
In their “Monster” series, each season follows the story of a different murderer. Beginning in 2022, the first season was “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.” This was followed by “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” in 2024, and “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” in 2025.
This series is known for its creative liberties. Each season is loosely based on the true story, the majority of the series is based on rumor and inference. The stories being told are dramatized, romanticized, and sexualized. The inaccuracies in the show are justified as this is not a documentary, but a dramatic retelling.
The Borden season got to me. I have done research into the cases seen in the show: Lizzie Borden (obviously), Elizabeth Báthory (aka Erzsebet Báthory aka the Blood Countess), and Aileen Wuornos for classes and case studies.
This series is incredibly inaccurate, it is almost impressive. Most of the events of the show are taken from the real story, but the details are where the story differs. For starters, Mr. Borden was married before Abby to Sarah, the mother of his three daughters. Yes, three. Between Emma and Lizzie, Sarah and Mr. Borden welcomed Alice, who passed away just shy of 2two -years -old.
After Sarah’s passing, it took Mr. Borden almost two years to remarry, it was not weeks later as told in the show.
There is no evidence of Mr. and Mrs. Borden being cruel or abusive to Emma and Lizzie. It is true that they referred to Mrs. Borden as such rather than “mother.” However, this is because Emma never took to her as a mother, and Lizzie’s relationship with her began to suffer later in life after a property dispute tore a rift between the couple and the sisters.
Bridget Sullivan, the maid employed by the Bordens, was not calleddeemed Maggie by Mrs. Borden. In fact, Mr. and Mrs. Borden referred to her as her real name, Bridget, while Emma and Lizzie referred to her as Maggie, the name of their previous maid. There was never any evidence that Lizzie and Sullivan were close, let alone in a relationship. This detail is fabricated for the show, as are many others.
I could go on forever about the inaccuracies of the entire series, let alone this season. Although, we must move on. The series included stories of Elizabeth Báthory and Aileen Wuornos, while it did not take away from the story, it didn’t have much to add.
Báthory committed heinous and gruesome crimes, and she was not a documented inspiration for Lizzie. Wuornos too committed heinous crimes, and did not have a documented fascination with Lizzie. Adding these women’s stories felt more of a space filler. Even after adding, rearranging, and manipulating details to make the show more entertaining for the audience, there still was not enough to say about Lizzie’s story.
There are ways to discuss acts of violence against real people respectfully, accurately, and to be entertainingly. I question whether or not this show lives up to those standards.
This entire season painted Lizzie as a blood thirsty killer, yet Lizzie was acquitted. She was proven innocent of the crimes. The prosecution’s case was built on circumstantial evidence, some of which had to be thrown away, and it crumbled.
It is true that the jury deliberated for a very short time, but waited over an hour to give their verdict. If Lizzie was a man, would this have ended differently? This is a question commonly asked, which will never be answered. Unfortunately, we will never truly know what happened to Mr. and Mrs. Borden. We’ll never know ifWhether Lizzie is truly guilty, ifwhether you believe it was her uncle, John Morse, or Bridget. There are even theories of Mr. Borden having an illegitimate son who committed the murders over money. We will never truly know.
If you want an in depth dissection of this case, and the others portrayed by Murphy and Brennan, there are many articles and videos online which do just that.
Overall, I did not enjoy “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story,” but I can understand how others do. I can understand the curiosity and fascination with dramatic retelling. I feel this could be an excellent series if these stories were used as loose inspiration, making them new, fictional stories based on what truly happened. However, to tell the real story without the real details, it feels dishonest and unfair.
I would recommend the series to a true crime junkie, but I wouldn’t recommend watching them if you are unaware or unwilling to learn about the real story and the very real impact.
I do not have a number rating for this show, as I do not believe there is an honest way to rate it. So, I will leave that to you. What are your thoughts?
