Netflix’s Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story has arrived with one of the most recognizable true-crime names in American history—and the early response is proving just as complicated as the mystery surrounding Lizzie Borden herself.
The fourth installment of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s Monster anthology premiered on Netflix on September 17, 2026. The eight-episode series stars Ella Beatty as Lizzie Borden, with Rebecca Hall, Charlie Hunnam, Vicky Krieps and Billie Lourd among the supporting cast.
Early Rotten Tomatoes reactions have revealed a noticeable divide between critics and viewers. However, because the series has only just premiered and Rotten Tomatoes is still adding reviews and audience ratings, the numbers should be treated as an early snapshot rather than a final verdict.
As of the latest Rotten Tomatoes page available during publication, Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story had a 32% Tomatometer score based on two critic reviews, while the Popcornmeter was listed separately with fewer than 50 audience ratings. Earlier on September 18, Forbes reported a 50% critics’ score from six reviews and a 26% audience score based on more than 50 verified ratings, demonstrating how quickly the figures can change during release.
That uncertainty is part of what makes the early Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story Rotten Tomatoes conversation so interesting.
What Is Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story About?
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story revisits one of the most famous murder cases in American history.
The story centers on Lizzie Borden, who was accused of killing her father, Andrew Borden, and stepmother, Abby Borden, in Fall River, Massachusetts, in 1892. Lizzie was eventually tried and acquitted in 1893, but the case has remained a subject of debate and speculation for more than a century.
Rather than presenting itself as a traditional documentary, Netflix’s series takes considerable dramatic liberties with the historical material.
That approach allows the creators to explore Lizzie's household, relationships, sexuality, family tensions and the psychological atmosphere surrounding the murders. At the same time, those creative choices are becoming one of the biggest points of discussion among viewers and critics.
The series is also notable because it is the first Monster season to center on a female historical figure accused of murder. Previous installments focused on Jeffrey Dahmer, Lyle and Erik Menendez, and Ed Gein.
Rotten Tomatoes Response Is Highly Divided
The early Rotten Tomatoes score for Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story has attracted attention because the numbers are moving rapidly.
At the time of one Forbes report on September 18, the series had a 50% critics’ score and a 26% audience score. That report was based on six critic reviews and more than 50 verified audience ratings.
Rotten Tomatoes’ own page later showed a different early snapshot, with a 32% Tomatometer based on two listed reviews and fewer than 50 audience ratings displayed.
The important takeaway is that these figures are not yet settled.
For a newly released Netflix series, the number of reviews can increase substantially during the first several days. Audience scores can also move as more viewers finish the show and submit ratings.
That makes it too early to treat the current percentage as the definitive reception of the entire season.
Critics Are Split Over the Series' Style and Storytelling
The early critical response highlights a major disagreement about what Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story should be trying to accomplish.
Some critics have found value in the performances and visual style, while others argue that the series spends too much time on sensational material without developing a deeper interpretation of Lizzie Borden.
The Guardian's Lucy Mangan, for example, praised the show's style, energy and performances while ultimately criticizing its lack of meaningful insight into Borden.
Other early critics have been more receptive.
Variety's Aramide Tinubu gave the season a positive review and described it as something refreshing and distinctive within the Monster franchise, according to Rotten Tomatoes' review summaries. Decider's Joel Keller also responded positively to the show's comparatively restrained opening and its performances.
That split explains why searches for Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story reviews are producing very different reactions.
For some viewers, the series' unusual interpretation is part of its appeal. For others, the creative departures from the historical record can make the drama harder to accept.
Ella Beatty Takes on the Role of Lizzie Borden
One of the biggest talking points surrounding the new Netflix series is Ella Beatty's performance as Lizzie Borden.
Beatty portrays Lizzie as a complicated and emotionally constrained woman living inside a deeply unhappy household. The series spends considerable time exploring the relationship between Lizzie and her family, particularly her stepmother Abby, played by Rebecca Hall.
Decider's early review noted that the opening episode approaches Lizzie in a comparatively sympathetic way and focuses on the relationships surrounding her before the story moves deeper into its more extreme material.
Rebecca Hall has also received attention for her performance as Abby Borden.
The cast includes Vicky Krieps as Bridget Sullivan, the Borden family's maid, Billie Lourd as Lizzie's sister Emma, and Charlie Hunnam as Andrew Borden.
For audiences coming to the show primarily for the performances, the cast may be one of the strongest reasons to continue watching even when the storytelling becomes deliberately provocative.
How Much of the Series Is Based on the True Story?
This is perhaps the most important question for viewers searching for a Lizzie Borden true story explanation.
The short answer is that the series is inspired by historical events but is not a documentary.
The real Lizzie Borden was accused of murdering her father and stepmother with an axe in 1892. She was tried and acquitted in 1893. The prosecution's case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, and the legal proceedings remain a major reason the case continues to attract interest.
Netflix's drama expands and fictionalizes aspects of the story.
One especially controversial example involves the relationship between Lizzie and Bridget Sullivan. The series depicts a romantic and conspiratorial relationship between the two women, but available historical evidence does not establish that such a relationship existed. Business Insider notes that the idea has roots in later fiction rather than documented evidence from the period.
The series also connects Lizzie's story with other notorious female figures and historical legends, including Aileen Wuornos and Elizabeth Báthory.
Those connections are part of the show's thematic approach, rather than established facts about the real Borden case. People reports that there is no historical evidence linking Lizzie Borden to Elizabeth Báthory, despite the series' use of the connection.
For viewers expecting a strictly historical adaptation, these changes are therefore significant.
Why the Lizzie Borden Case Still Fascinates Audiences
More than 130 years after the murders, the Lizzie Borden case continues to attract filmmakers, writers, historians and true-crime audiences.
Part of the fascination comes from the unanswered questions.
Lizzie was accused, prosecuted and acquitted, meaning the courtroom never established her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Her acquittal did not end public speculation, and the case became part of American popular culture.
The story also contains many ingredients that continue to drive interest in historical true crime: a wealthy family, a shocking double murder, conflicting evidence, a sensational trial and a central suspect whose guilt was never legally established.
That combination makes Lizzie Borden particularly attractive to television creators.
It also creates a challenge.
A modern television adaptation has to balance historical facts with dramatic storytelling. Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story clearly chooses drama over strict historical reconstruction.
How Does It Compare With Previous Monster Seasons?
The Lizzie Borden season continues the anthology's established approach of taking famous criminal cases and turning them into character-driven dramas.
The first season, Dahmer, attracted a strong audience response despite criticism surrounding the subject matter. According to Forbes, it received an 82% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, while the subsequent Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and Ed Gein Story recorded lower audience scores.
The critical response to the franchise has also fluctuated.
That history makes the reaction to Monster Season 4 particularly relevant for fans of the anthology.
The Lizzie Borden story is also different because the case revolves around a woman who was accused but acquitted. That gives the writers an opportunity to examine questions involving gender, family power, social expectations and the construction of public identity.
Whether the series successfully explores those themes is one of the central disagreements in the early reviews.
Is Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story Worth Watching?
The answer depends heavily on what viewers expect from the series.
Those looking for a literal retelling of the historical case should be aware that the show takes substantial creative liberties. The romantic storyline involving Bridget Sullivan, the connections to other infamous women and several heightened dramatic elements are examples of the series' fictionalized approach.
Viewers approaching it as a stylized true-crime drama may find more to appreciate.
The performances, period setting and deliberately unconventional storytelling have received praise from some critics, while other reviewers have argued that the show sacrifices historical and thematic depth for spectacle.
That difference in expectations may help explain the early gap between critic and audience reactions.
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story has generated a divided early response, and its Rotten Tomatoes scores are likely to continue changing as more reviews and audience ratings arrive.
The series has several recognizable strengths: a compelling historical mystery, an impressive ensemble cast and a willingness to take the Lizzie Borden story in unexpected directions.
But those same creative decisions are also generating criticism.
For viewers interested in the historical case, the most important thing to remember is that Netflix's Monster is a dramatization rather than a definitive account of what happened in 1892. Lizzie Borden was acquitted, and the question of who killed Andrew and Abby Borden remains unresolved in the historical record.
As the Rotten Tomatoes page gathers more reviews, the critical and audience scores will provide a clearer picture of the show's overall reception.
For now, the conversation around Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is less about a simple consensus and more about a fundamental question: how much creative freedom should a true-crime drama take when adapting a case that remains famous precisely because so many questions were never conclusively answered?
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