Co-creators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan have spoken to PEOPLE about possible subjects for a fifth season of ‘Monster’
Credit: Courtesy of Netflix (3); Miles Crist/Netflix
NEED TO KNOW
- Monster has not been officially renewed for season 5 as of September 2026
- The crime anthology series, which began in 2022, has dramatized the cases of real-life killers Jeffrey Dahmer, Lyle and Erik Menendez and Ed Gein
- Season 4, which hit Netflix in September 2026, featured the first female subject, Lizzie Borden
Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan have created a hit with their anthology series Monster.
The co-creators and showrunners haven’t confirmed that a fifth season of Monster is in the works, but the four seasons have all charted on Netflix across the world. Monster was initially thought of as a limited series ahead of its first season, but the series was reworked into an anthology series after the success of season 1.
The first season, titled The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, premiered in 2022 and starred Evan Peters as the titular serial killer. The two following seasons continued dramatizing real-life killers Lyle and Erik Menendez and Ed Gein. Most recently, season 4 centered around Lizzie Borden, who was accused and acquitted of killing her stepmother and father.
Each season, Murphy and Brennan work together to find the right subject and prioritize the larger societal questions relating to each case. Brennan previously told PEOPLE they decided to focus on Borden, their first female subject, to “look squarely at the idea of female rage.”
“She’s so enigmatic as a historical figure,” he shared at the time. “I didn’t even know that much about her. I don’t think most people do. When we began to dig into the research, I was just immediately taken with how much I felt for her and how much I got why she did what she did.”
Here’s everything to know about a potential Monster season 5.
Has Monster been renewed for season 5?
Credit: Suzanne Tenner/Netflix
As of September 2026, Monster has not been officially renewed for a fifth season.
The series was renewed for a second season nearly two months after the first premiere, while seasons 3 and 4 were renewed ahead of their predecessor’s premiere. In addition to their renewal confirmations, the subjects of seasons 3 and 4 were also announced at the same time.
What could Monster season 5 be about?
Credit: Dia Dipasupil/WireImage
Since Netflix hasn’t officially renewed Monster for season 5, a potential plot has also not been revealed.
Brennan previously told PEOPLE, though, that he has a few ideas of who they could potentially cover.
“God, there’s so many,” he told PEOPLE in September 2026. “We’ve talked about BTK (Dennis Rader). [He] is a fascinating one. They’re hard because somebody like him, Dennis Rader, he’s really not that interesting. He’s fascinating because he’s a devil. But the circumstances around a family man who had this horrific secret and the chase around him, I think would make a great season of the show.”
Brennan was referring to the “Bind, Torture, Kill” murderer who pleaded guilty to killing at least 10 people in Kansas from 1974 to 1991.
“Ted Bundy, Green River Killer. It’s tricky. There’s a million,” Brennan continued.
Bundy was a serial killer, rapist and kidnapper who murdered dozens of women and girls in the 1970s before he was convicted and executed in 1989. Meanwhile, the Green River Killer is Gary Ridgway, who pleaded guilty to murdering 49 women and girls near the Green River in King County, Wash.
Brennan teased that they’ve also “toyed with Luigi Mangione, who is fascinating.” Mangione has been accused of stalking and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024 and pleaded guilty to two stalking charges in federal court in August 2026.
How do Murphy and Brennan choose their subjects?
Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty
Murphy and Brennan have previously defended their series while explaining they have only chosen stories and subjects whom they believe shed light on larger societal topics — including social justice, familial relationships, mental health, gender and class.
“We’ve always felt wildly misunderstood about this show, from day one,” Murphy told Variety in September 2025.
For that reason, Murphy and Brennan have ruled out several prolific killers, including John Wayne Gacy and the Golden State Killer.
“But it’s all tricky because most murderers just aren’t that interesting,” Brennan explained to PEOPLE. “It’s horrific and you don’t want to watch it. That’s what’s so tricky about the show is finding a subject matter that you can spend 10 hours with.”
He continued, “So it’s really about finding people and events that make you lean in. It’s really just about taste. That’s the most curious part of this process is trying to land on something that Ryan and I both find worth the effort and worth the time. And it’s so interesting how few stories really fit this anthology. I continue to be fascinated by that fact. It’s really, really tricky to find something that you want to explore deeper.”
When could Monster season 5 be released?
There is not yet a release date for a potential fifth season of Monster.
The third season, The Ed Gein Story, was announced in September 2024 and began filming the following month before its August 2025 premiere.
Meanwhile, season 4, The Lizzie Borden Story, was confirmed in July 2025, began production in September 2025 and came to Netflix the following September.
Where can I watch Monster?
Credit: Courtesy Of Netflix
All four seasons of Monster —Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, Monster: The Ed Gein Story and Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story — are available to stream on Netflix.
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