The second season of Ryan Murphy’s true crime Netflix series “Monster” has attracted a lot of attention since its debut on Thursday, but it is not all positive.

“Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story” is the sequel to the first and extremely successful part of the series, which was about the cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer from Milwaukee, played by “American Horror Story” star Evan Peters. People were not enthusiastic about the series either, because it glorified a literal killer.

Starring Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch as Lyke and Erik, “Monsters” presents the fictional story of the murder of parents José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, played by Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny, by the brothers in 1996.

After the huge success of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, one might assume that the Menendez brothers’ nine-part dramatization would be just as well received – Murphy even seemed so confident of its success that he recently announced a third season in which Charlie Hunnam will reportedly play the notorious 20th century murderer and grave robber, Ed Gein.

But as reviews of Monsters began pouring in, some viewers criticized the portrayal of Erik and Lyle – namely, the implication that the brothers had some sort of incestuous relationship. In the second episode, after the boys have already killed their parents, they kiss on the lips while discussing their future plans. Later in the episode, the brothers dance intimately at a party, do cocaine together, and have several other sexually charged interactions.

In the seventh episode, journalist Dominick Dunne (Nathan Lane) suggests that the Menendez brothers had a physical bond. Then viewers see a cutscene where Kitty catches the boys in the shower together. As TODAY noted, the real Dunne never hypothesized about the connection between brothers and lovers during his coverage of the trial in the ’90s.

In a storyline that has already seen many allegations of physical and sexual abuse within the family, it is understandable that some viewers of the series found this seemingly unfounded theory disturbing.

“I don’t understand why Ryan Murphy made it seem like Erik and Lyle Menendez had some kind of incestuous relationship…” wrote an X/Twitter user. “Well, come on. That just made me fucking angry.”

“This is awful,” argued another X/Twitter user alongside a clip of the brothers kissing. “Why are they portraying the Menendez brothers like this??? They never liked doing these things. What kind of perspective is that??? We need empathy, not sexualization.”

Others criticized Murphy directly. “If Ryan wanted to make a show about twin brothers developing an intimate relationship due to shared sexual trauma and parental abuse, then he should have written a new story,” tweeted another X user. “You are not allowed to rewrite the experiences of real people and REAL VICTIMS to suit your needs!”

This latest series is not the first time Murphy has been criticized for his fictionalized true crime stories. Despite the popularity of “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” Murphy still received backlash for “romanticizing” a story about a man who killed 17 men and boys. Some surviving relatives of Dahmer’s victims claimed the series re-traumatized them, and claimed they were never contacted about the show’s production. Rita Isbell, the sister of Errol Lindsey – one of Dahmer’s victims – wrote a 2022 essay for Insider detailing her frustration. “I think Netflix should have asked if we cared or how we felt about it,” Isbell said. “They didn’t ask me anything. They just did it.” Isbell added, “But I’m not greedy, and that’s what this show is about: Netflix trying to get paid.”