Netflix's Monster Killer Shortlist For Season 5 & Beyond Confirmed By Showrunner

Published Sep 20, 2026, 4:51 PM EDT Matthew Thomas is a celebrity entertainment and trending news journalist. Passionate about the media. He developed a love for storytelling that he loves to share with others through his writing. Matthew has been able to cover a variety of subjects he is very passionate about, including movies, TV shows, comics, and wrestling. Experience:Matthew brings more than a decade of experience writing about pop culture, movies, TV shows, wrestling, comic books, true crime, weather conditions, safety tips, taxes, wildlife, archaeology, music, and trending news. He is also an experienced interviewer with a strong track record of speaking with high-profile talent and subject-matter experts. He has conducted interviews with major actors, including Matt Damon, Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke, Jason Sudeikis, Jon Hamm, Alan Ritchson, Rob McElhenney, Danny Trejo, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Joshua Jackson, Damon Wayans, John C. McGinley, and Julia Jones. He has also interviewed several prominent TV personalities, including Howie Mandel, Ted Lasso star Phil Dunster, Happy’s Place star Rex Linn, the cast of Stuart Saves the Universe, and acclaimed series creators Bill Lawrence and Chuck Lorre. As a versatile entertainment journalist, he has also interviewed notable musicians such as Travis Barker and Nick Jonas, as well as sports icons like Olympic gold medalist wrestler Kurt Angle and NBA champion Jayson Tatum. Additionally, Matthew has interviewed reality show contestants from hit series like Survivor, Big Brother, and The Traitors. To round out his extensive portfolio, he has interviewed subject-matter experts on taxes, public safety, and winter weather conditions. Monster's showrunner named the killers who are on the shortlist to be the Netflix crime series' next focus. Over the last several years, Netflix's library of hit crime series has continued to grow. The Ryan Murphy-created show Monster has become one of the most noteworthy additions to the streaming service's list of viewing options. Following the release of the anthology show's latest season, Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, its showrunner has teased which killers might have their lives chronicled next. While speaking to People, Monster's showrunner, Ian Brennan, addressed the notorious real-life figures that were under consideration to be featured on the show during the next season. After initially remarking that many killers could be in the running, he listed four people who are potential frontrunners. Check out Brennan's comments below: "God, there’s so many. We’ve talked about BTK (Dennis Rader). [He] is a fascinating one… Ted Bundy, Green River Killer… We’ve toyed with Luigi Mangione, who is fascinating. As he continued to discuss the subject, Brennan stated that there are a "million" killers to choose from. Despite that, he explained that finding someone to base a season of Monster around is difficult because they have to find someone who is truly fascinating. "It’s all tricky because most murderers just aren’t that interesting. 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. It’s one thing to watch a movie about something, to spend 90 minutes in the head of someone, but six or seven hours is a whole other thing." After discussing the need to find a subject who is compelling enough that they make viewers "lean in" while watching the show, Brennan pointed out another potential stumbling block. While he is now Monster's showrunner, it remains a Ryan Murphy show. As a result, they need to find a subject they can both agree is the right person to base a season around. "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. 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." During the first four seasons of Monster, the hit show focused on Jeffrey Dahmer, the Menendez brothers, Ed Gein, and Lizzie Borden. In each case, the series has chosen figures who were intriguing enough to inspire many viewers to learn more about them after watching the show. Most recently, viewers have sought out the truth about what happened to Borden in real life. Three of the four men who Brennan mentioned, Bundy, Rader, and Gary Ridgway, have all already been the subject of movies in the past. Luigi Mangione would clearly be the most out-of-the-box choice to base a season of Monster around, especially given that the aftermath of his story is continuing to unfold. If the team behind Monster decides that none of those figures is the right subject for the show's next season, there is a long history of other killers spawning successful movies in the past. Andrei Chikatilo, who inspired the film Citizen X, and the Zodiac Killer, whose crimes were depicted in David Fincher's Zodiac, are two notable examples of that. Given how many options they have to choose from, it will be fascinating to see who the crime series' next subject will be. Release Date September 17, 2026 Network Netflix Directors Max Winkler, Sarah Adina Smith Writers Ian Brennan Cast Vicky Krieps, Ella Beatty, Sarah Paulson, Charlie Hunnam, Rebecca Hall, Billie Lourd, Jessica Barden Creator(s) Ian Brennan Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story