Netflix Renews “Monster” as an Anthology Series and “The Watcher” for Season 2

The true crime genre continues to expand on Netflix. On November 7, Deadline reported that the streaming giant has ordered two additional installments of Ryan Murphy’s anthology series Monster, and a second season of his drama The Watcher.

Netflix announced the news on their social media channels on Monday, sharing that future Monster seasons will “focus on other monstrous figures who have impacted society.” The streamer did not reveal a release date or details on who the series will be centered around.

DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, the first installment of Murphy’s anthology series, stars Evan Peters as the notorious serial killer who murdered 17 Black, Asian, and Latino men from 1978 to 1991. Since its premiere on September 12, Monster has become the second most-viewed series on the streamer, racking up nearly 1 billion viewing hours worldwide.

But the 10-episode series has faced backlash since its debut, from those who question the need to revisit and sensationalize Dahmer’s heinous crimes, and profit from the trauma of such tragedy. Families of Dahmer’s victims spoke out following the series’ release, saying that Murphy never contacted them about the show or asked for their involvement. However, the showrunner addressed these claims in October and asserted that families were contacted, but said they never received a response.

Season one of The Watcher, also a Murphy-led production on Netflix, premiered on October 13. Starring Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale, the drama series is based on a true story of a family who moves into their dream home, but soon begins to receive mysterious letters from a neighborhood stalker who calls themselves “The Watcher.”

“Audiences can’t take their eyes off Monster and The Watcher,” Bela Bajaria, head of Global TV at Netflix, said in a statement, per Deadline. “The creative team of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan on Monster along with Eric Newman on The Watcher are masterful storytellers who captivated audiences all over the world. The back-to-back force of these two series is due to Ryan’s distinct original voice which created cultural sensations and we are thrilled to continue telling stories in the Monster and Watcher universes.

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