Picture Credit: Netflix
Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s hit true-crime anthology series Monster is returning for its fourth season this fall. In this updated preview, we’ve now got the official full trailer and brand-new stills for the next chapter: Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.
As we previously reported, Netflix secretly renewed the anthology juggernaut for a fourth outing to cover the infamous 19th-century Lizzie Borden murders. Filmed between September 2025 and March 2026, the new season takes the franchise in a bold, darkly comic new direction.
Now, thanks to the official trailer drop and newly released details from Netflix, we have a much clearer picture of what this season entails. All eight episodes of Monster Season 4 will drop globally on Netflix on Tuesday, September 17th, 2026.
Here is everything you need to know about the new season, starting with the chilling official trailer:
What is Monster Season 4 about?
Following seasons focusing on Jeffrey Dahmer, the Menendez brothers, and Ed Gein, Monster is shifting its focus to its first female alleged perpetrator—and the only one to be acquitted of her crimes. Hell hath no fury like Lizzie…
Here is the official logline for the season:
“This installment of the anthology series follows Lizzie Borden. Borden lived in Massachusetts in the late 1800s. In 1892, she was accused of murdering both her father and her stepmother with an axe at their shared home. Borden was eventually acquitted of the crimes, but the brutal nature of the murders attracted nationwide attention and contributed to Borden’s place in popular culture.”
While the facts of the 1892 Fall River double homicide remain a mystery, Murphy and Brennan are giving the Victorian-era tale a feminist, darkly comedic spin. The season will heavily lean into the theory that Lizzie and her live-in maid, Bridget Sullivan, were engaged in a lesbian romance that motivated the brutal killings.
“The show is exploring a legacy of female rage and reaction to the set of circumstances that they are presented with,” star Ella Beatty has said in a statement. “Every season of Monster has been an exercise in understanding the person’s psychology… Are they born or are they made? I knew from the beginning that Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan were really interested in exploring what brings a woman to the point of violence.”
Co-creator Ian Brennan previously told Vanity Fair in an exclusive initial preview that the series will explore how society’s oppressive view of women played into Lizzie’s eventual acquittal: “They literally thought that a woman was too weak to pick up an axe. To be a woman in that period was to be almost a completely different species.”
Here is a look at just a few of the gorgeous, blood-soaked new stills released alongside the trailer:
Who is in the cast of Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story?
As always, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brenna has assembled a powerhouse ensemble cast for the anthology.
Leading the series is Ella Beatty (Feud: Capote vs. The Swans) as the titular Lizzie Borden. Joining her as her “renegade,” punk-inspired accomplice, maid Bridget Sullivan, is Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread).
The doomed Borden parents will be played by Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy, Rebel Moon) as wealthy businessman Andrew Borden and Rebecca Hall (The Town, Godzilla x Kong) as evil stepmother Abby Borden. Hall previously teased her performance as a cross between “Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest and Vivian Pickles in Harold and Maude.”
Rounding out the cast are:
- Joey Pollari (Love, Simon) as John Morse
- Jessica Barden (The End of the F***ing World) as Nance O’Neill
- Billie Lourd (American Horror Story) as Emma Borden
A surprise returning Murphy-verse favorite: We finally know how the season will feature appearances from other famous female killers throughout history. The trailer confirms that Sarah Paulson returns to the Ryan Murphy universe to portray notorious serial killer Aileen Wuornos.
“No one really knows what happened that day,” a voice intones at the end of the trailer. “Oh, I fuckin’ know what happened,” Wuornos (Paulson) responds. Wuornos, a sex worker convicted of killing six men in Florida between 1989 and 1990, plays a major role in scenes set decades after the Borden murders, serving as a spiritual successor inspired by Lizzie’s legacy.
“I think the story of Aileen Wuornos also served that question and that exploration of why women kill,” Beatty says of the thematic connection to Netflix. Working with Paulson was also a highlight for the young star; the two previously collaborated on the Broadway play Appropriate. “I love Sarah Paulson so very much… She was such a part of the creative process for me from the very beginning. Monsters have to stick together.”
Who is behind the scenes?
The series is co-created and executive produced by Ian Brennan and Ryan Murphy. Brennan takes sole writing credit for this season, with the creator tag as well.
Max Winkler (American Horror Story, Love Story) directs the majority of episodes (1-3 and 5-8) and serves as an executive producer. Additional executive producers include Nissa Diederich, Eric Kovtun, Todd Kubrak, Scott Robertson, and Louise Shore. Sarah Adina Smith directs episodes 4 and 6.
The massive production—which boasts an estimated budget of $5–7 million per episode—was shot across locations in Los Angeles, Chicago, and even Rome, Italy.
Are you excited for Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story? Let us know in the comments below, and keep it locked here at What’s on Netflix for more updates!
