Netflix’s ‘Monster’ Just Revealed a 10-Season Master Plan, and It’s Bigger Than Anyone Expected

True crime anthologies have become one of streaming’s most reliable formulas, but few have managed to stay in the cultural conversation quite like Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s ongoing series. Each new installment has arrived with its own wave of controversy and viewership numbers strong enough to justify Netflix continuing to greenlight more.

That momentum has now translated into something far more ambitious than a season-by-season renewal strategy. Rather than treating each new killer’s story as a standalone gamble, the creative team appears to be building toward something considerably more structured behind the scenes.

‘Monster‘ could be here to stay for a long time, as creator Ian Brennan revealed a massive 10-season plan in a new interview. “There’s a hopper of three things, but Ryan and I both said we want to do 10 of them,” Brennan told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s a fairly exhaustive list, but it’s tricky.”

Brennan explained that the show doesn’t lock into a single subject at a time, describing a rotating development process instead. “We never do. We always switch. It’s always three or four different ones, and we toggle between,” he said, painting a picture of a writers’ room juggling multiple potential seasons simultaneously rather than working through a strict queue.

That approach also means plenty of potential subjects get abandoned early in development. Brennan emphasized that finding compelling material is the real challenge, noting that many killers simply lack the depth needed to sustain audience engagement across a full season of episodes.

This news arrives fresh off the premiere of ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story,’ which debuted all 8 episodes on Netflix on September 17. The season tackles the infamous 1892 Fall River murders, following Lizzie Borden’s trial for allegedly killing her father and stepmother with an axe before her eventual acquittal.

Ella Beatty stars as Lizzie, joined by Vicky Krieps as Bridget Sullivan, Charlie Hunnam as Andrew Borden, and Rebecca Hall as Abby Borden, with Sarah Paulson making a special appearance as serial killer Aileen Wuornos. The season reportedly takes a feminist, darkly comedic angle on the story, leaning heavily into a romantic relationship between Lizzie and her maid as a driving motivation behind the crimes.

‘Monster’ has never been short on controversy, and the Lizzie Borden installment is no exception, having already drawn criticism over its sensationalized promotional materials. That pattern has followed the anthology since its earliest days, with previous seasons covering Jeffrey Dahmer, the Menendez brothers, and Ed Gein each sparking their own rounds of public debate about how much dramatization is appropriate when depicting real victims and perpetrators.

Despite that recurring friction, the series has continued pulling in significant viewership for Netflix, seemingly validating Murphy and Brennan’s decision to keep expanding rather than wind the format down. A 10-season commitment suggests the creative team sees plenty of runway left in the true crime anthology format, controversy included.

Hell hath no fury like Lizzie 🪓

Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story premieres September 17. pic.twitter.com/gxpy9mnjcQ

— Netflix (@netflix) August 20, 2026

Committing to 10 total seasons is a notable vote of confidence from both creators, especially given how difficult Brennan admits it can be to find subjects with enough narrative substance. With three or four potential seasons reportedly always in development simultaneously, fans can likely expect the franchise’s rapid release pace to continue for the foreseeable future.

Whether audiences will sustain their appetite for true crime dramatizations across a full decade of new installments remains an open question, but Netflix’s continued investment suggests the streamer isn’t worried yet. For now, ‘Monster’ shows no signs of slowing down, with plenty more cases reportedly still in that development hopper.

Part of what has kept ‘Monster’ viable for this kind of long-term expansion is the flexibility built into its anthology structure, allowing each season to stand entirely on its own with a new cast and creative approach. That format sidesteps the fatigue that can come with serialized storytelling, giving Murphy and Brennan room to experiment tonally from one installment to the next.

The Lizzie Borden season’s darkly comedic, feminist framing stands in noticeable contrast to the more somber tones of earlier seasons, suggesting the creators are willing to take real creative risks with how each case gets told. If that willingness to reinvent the format season to season continues, it could be exactly what keeps a 10-season run from feeling repetitive.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments.