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Netflix’s ‘Monster’ series is taking on Lizzie Borden in Season 4
Ryan Murphy's popular Netflix anthology series will tackle Lizzie Borden in Season 4, and has cast the actress who will play the infamous Fall River woman.
Ryan Murphy’s wildly popular Netflix anthology series “Monster” is focusing on the grisly tale of Fall River’s most infamous resident, Lizzie Borden, in Season 4.
“Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story” began production in Los Angeles this week, fresh on the heels of Season 3 of the series, starring Charlie Hunnam as serial killer Ed Gein, debuting on Netflix.
Here’s everything we know about “Monster” Season 4 so far.
Wait, what exactly happened to Lizzie Borden?
Unlike the subjects of season 1 (Jeffrey Dahmer), season 2 (the Menendez brothers), and season 3 (Ed Gein) of “Monster,” Borden will be the first historical figure featured on the Netflix series to actually be found innocent in a court of law.
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Borden was accused of killing her father, Andrew Borden, and her stepmother, Abby Durfee Gray, with an axe on August 4, 1892. Though Lizzie was found not guilty in 1893 after a lengthy and highly public trial, many still consider her the prime suspect.
Lizzie and her older sister, Emma, had begun to fight with their father over gifts of real estate he gave to members of Abby’s family. In fact, Lizzie and Emma had left Fall River in July after a fight with their father, returning only one week before the murders.
The two other key figures in the case were Lizzie and Emma’s maternal uncle, John Morse, who was staying with the Bordens the night before the murders; and Bridget Sullivan, a young live-in maid from Ireland who was in the house when Lizzie claimed to discover her father’s body.
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During the trial, which attracted widespread public attention, Lizzie gave bizarre and contradictory testimony, but was still found not guilty. Afterward, she and Emma moved in together in a new house in Fall River, where they continued to live until their deaths, only days apart, in 1927.
Since then, the story of Lizzie Borden has attracted continued interest, with scholars across more than a century analyzing every aspect of the case and proffering new theories about what really happened.
Who will play Lizzie Borden?
Murphy likes casting prior collaborators in his shows, and he has done so once again for the role of Borden. Ella Beatty, who had a breakthrough role in Murphy’s “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans,” will play Borden.
Beatty is also part of the cast of Rose Byrne and Conan O’Brien’s upcoming comedy-drama “If I Had Legs I Would Kick You,” and previously appeared in the off-Broadway production “Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes,” opposite Hugh Jackman.
Who else is in the cast?
Speaking of Murphy using repeat collaborators, “Monster” Season 4 will also star Charlie Hunnam, who can currently be seen playing serial killer Ed Gein in “Monster” Season 3. Hunnam will play Andrew Borden, Lizzie’s father.
The cast will also include Vicky Krieps (“Phantom Thread”) as the maid Bridget Sullivan; Rebecca Hall (“The Town”) as Lizzie’s stepmother, Abby; Billie Lourd (“The Last Showgirl”) as Emma Borden; and Jessica Barden (“Dune: Prophecy”) as Lizzie’s actress friend, Nance O’Neill.
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No actor has been announced for the role of John Morse.
Regardless of the remaining casting choices, Netflix will likely have another hit on its hands with “Monster” season 4. According to the streamer’s self-reported data, “Monster” Season 1 remains one of the most popular Netflix original series of all time, and Season 2 immediately topped the streaming platform’s weekly viewership charts.
When will “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story” be released?
Netflix has not announced a release date for “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.”
Given that production on the show is just getting started, the earliest you can expect to watch Season 4 of “Monster” is sometime in 2026. Given that all three previous seasons of “Monster” have been released in late September or early October, fall 2026 seems like a reasonable guess.
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