Netflix's Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story turns one of America's best-known unsolved murder cases into an eight-episode drama. Ella Beatty plays Lizzie Borden, while Charlie Hunnam portrays her father, Andrew Borden, and Rebecca Hall plays her stepmother, Abby Borden.
What is the Netflix series about?
The fourth installment of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan's Monster anthology focuses on Lizzie Borden and the 1892 murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. Netflix says the season explores the Borden household, Lizzie's relationship with the family's maid Bridget “Maggie” Sullivan, and the social pressures surrounding women in the Victorian era.
The season is now streaming globally on Netflix and contains eight episodes.
Who is in the cast?
Ella Beatty leads the season as Lizzie Borden. Charlie Hunnam plays Andrew Borden, Rebecca Hall plays Abby Borden, Vicky Krieps plays Bridget Sullivan and also appears as Countess Elizabeth Báthory, Billie Lourd plays Emma Borden, Jessica Barden plays Nance O'Neil, and Sarah Paulson appears as Aileen Wuornos.
Netflix's official cast guide says Hunnam's previous role as Ed Gein made him a useful resource for Beatty as she approached the new character.
What happened to Andrew and Abby Borden?
On Aug. 4, 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were found dead at their Fall River home. Lizzie was later arrested and prosecuted. Her 1893 trial ended in an acquittal, and no alternative suspect was convicted for the Borden murders.
The case remains famous partly because the surviving evidence has generated competing interpretations for more than a century. Netflix's own historical explainer notes that the series uses established facts but also changes timelines, relationships and some events for dramatic purposes.
How much of the series is historical?
The answer is: some parts are closely tied to the historical record, while others are clearly dramatized. The real Lizzie Borden was acquitted. The famous playground rhyme also exaggerates the number of blows described in popular retellings: Netflix's historical explainer notes that Abby was struck 19 times and Andrew 11, rather than the rhyme's familiar numbers.
The series also adds or changes events involving other characters. For example, Netflix's own fact-focused material identifies fictionalized elements involving Bridget Sullivan, later events in Lizzie's life and the connection to Aileen Wuornos.
Why the distinction matters
Monster is a scripted drama, not a documentary. Its story can use real names, dates and locations while still inventing dialogue, motivations and private events. Viewers looking for the historical record should therefore separate what is documented from what the series imagines.
Quick answer
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is an eight-episode Netflix drama about Lizzie Borden and the 1892 murders of Andrew and Abby Borden. The real case ended with Lizzie's acquittal, while the series adds fictionalized material to explore the characters and their relationships.
Sources
- Netflix Tudum: everything to know about the season
- Netflix Tudum: the true story behind the series
- Reuters on the new season
- Did Lizzie Borden Kill Her Parents? What Monster Says vs What History Proves
- Why Was Lizzie Borden Acquitted? The 1893 Trial Evidence Explained
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: Lizzie Borden Fact vs Fiction — What Netflix Changed From the Real Case
Related: Monster Season 4 Ending vs Real Lizzie Borden History: What Netflix Changed
