Netflix's fourth Monster season uses the real 1892 Borden murders as its starting point, but it also invents or rearranges major parts of the story.
What the series gets right
- Andrew and Abby Borden were murdered in Fall River in 1892.
- Lizzie was tried and acquitted.
- Emma was Lizzie's sister.
- Bridget Sullivan was a real Borden household maid.
- Nance O'Neil was a real actress who later became close to Lizzie.
What the series changes
The show changes the timing and nature of Lizzie's relationship with Bridget, moves Nance O'Neil into the pre-trial story, and dramatizes family conflicts and motivations that are not established by the historical record.
The Nance O'Neil timeline
Contemporary reporting and historical accounts place the real Borden-O'Neil friendship in 1904, years after Lizzie's acquittal. The series uses a much earlier meeting to serve its drama.
The Bridget Sullivan question
Bridget was real, but the series' romantic and conspiratorial portrayal is not established history. Historical reporting also notes that Bridget had an alibi.
The Aileen Wuornos connection
Sarah Paulson's Aileen Wuornos is used as a thematic continuation of the anthology. There was no documented real-life connection between Wuornos and Lizzie Borden.
Bottom line
Monster is a historical drama, not a documentary. Its core murder case and trial are rooted in history, while several relationships, timelines and motivations are deliberately fictionalized.
Sources
Fact-check note
This article distinguishes the Netflix dramatization from documented history. Lizzie Borden was acquitted in 1893; claims about guilt, private relationships, motives and events not established by surviving records are described as fictionalized or disputed rather than settled fact.
Netflix Tudum: The True Story · Netflix Tudum: Ending Explained · PEOPLE: Fact vs Fiction · PEOPLE: Emma/Lizzie Fact Check
Related: Monster Season 4 Historical Fact Check: 11 Things the Netflix Series Changed
Related: Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story Ending Explained — What Happens in the Finale
