Netflix’s Monster Season 4 Debuts Lizzie Borden Story on September 17

Netflix launched Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story on September 17, 2026, marking the streaming giant’s first female-focused season of its true-crime anthology. The eight-episode series stars Ella Beatty as Lizzie Borden, the Massachusetts woman accused and acquitted of murdering her father and stepmother with an axe in August 1892. Creators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan frame the case as an exploration of female rage and repression in the 1890s, departing from previous seasons that focused on male killers.

What happened in the Borden murders

On August 4, 1892, Andrew Borden and his second wife Abby were found brutally killed inside their Fall River, Massachusetts home. Andrew was struck 11 times with a hatchet. Lizzie, Andrew’s 32-year-old daughter, was arrested and tried for the murders but was acquitted in June 1893. The case remains unsolved and has embedded itself in American culture through a folk rhyme that schoolchildren still recite today.

How Netflix dramatizes the story

The series opens with the murders but then rewinds to April 1892, four months earlier, to explore Lizzie’s life within her restrictive wealthy family. The show centers on Lizzie’s relationship with the family’s new maid Bridget Sullivan, portraying an intoxicating connection that unfolds against Victorian social constraints. Director Max Winkler uses the unanswered questions surrounding the crime to examine the limitations placed on women in the 1890s, where marriage and motherhood were the only acceptable roles.

Cast and production details

Ella Beatty, daughter of Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, leads the cast after an extensive search by Murphy and Brennan. Charlie Hunnam plays Andrew Borden, Rebecca Hall plays Abby, and Vicky Krieps plays Bridget Sullivan. All eight episodes arrived at once on September 17, 2026, with Australian viewers able to stream from approximately 5pm AEST. Sarah Paulson appears in the season as Aileen Wuornos in fantasy flashbacks.

Why this marks a turning point for Monster

Previous Monster seasons focused on Jeffrey Dahmer, the Menendez brothers, and Ed Gein. This is the first season to center on a female subject. Beatty told Netflix that creators Murphy and Brennan were passionate about exploring why women kill, moving beyond the crime itself to examine the psychological and social forces that drive violence. The show frames the question: are monsters made or born?

What investors should know

Netflix stock fell 2.86% to AUD $75.67 on September 18, 2026, with the broader market pressuring streaming stocks. Meyka rates NFLX at B+ with a neutral recommendation, citing a PE ratio of 24.65 against analyst consensus of Buy (15 Buy ratings, 2 Hold, 3 Sell). The stock trades near its 50-day average of AUD $75.79 but remains down 36.4% over the past year. Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story represents Netflix’s strategy of leveraging true-crime content to retain subscribers in a competitive market.

Final Thoughts

Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story arrives as Netflix’s most ambitious true-crime season yet, betting on female-centered storytelling to drive engagement. With Meyka grading NFLX at B+ and analysts holding a Buy consensus, the stock’s near-term direction depends on subscriber growth and content reception rather than any single release.

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The content shared by Meyka AI PTY LTD is solely for research and informational purposes.  Meyka is not a financial advisory service, and the information provided should not be considered investment or trading advice.