Cooper Koch shuts down possibility of returning for additional Monsters episodes

When the second season of Ryan Murphy's Monster anthology series premiered on Netflix in September 2024, the show once again became a pop culture phenomenon. However, this time around, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story just might have eclipsed the show's first run with Dahmer in popularity. Everyone is talking about the series and the case at its center.

Following the controversial release of Monsters, the conversation surrounding the Menendez brothers reached a fever pitch. Over the past few years, the case had a heightened level of attention thanks to people advocating for Lyle and Erik online. While Monsters had a mixed bag of reception, not long after it dropped, the brothers received their first new hearing in 30 years.

On the heels of the news about the hearing, Monsters creator Ryan Murphy mused that he would be open to writing and filming a couple new episodes to cover the latest developments. He would do so as long as series stars Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch were willing to step back into their demanding roles. Well, it sounds like one of the stars isn't looking to return.

Variety caught up with Koch at the Academy Museum Gala and asked whether he would want to film Murphy's potential bonus episodes. Here's what the actor said:

"I think we told the story. We did it. I think I’m ready to go onto the next thing. I’ve loved talking about it and I’ve loved advocating for them and I’m really excited for them to get out hopefully, but in terms of being Erik again, I think I’m ready to let that go."

- Cooper Koch

Koch has been an outspoken advocate for Lyle and Erik in the media in the wake of the show's release, even visiting the brothers in prison with Kim Kardashian. His answer isn't particularly surprising seeing as he's likely wary of exploiting Lyle and Erik's story for further entertainment as well as overstaying his welcome as an advocate. After tackling Monsters, he's clearly looking ahead to what's next in his career.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story was a huge breakthrough moment for Koch and he's garnering Emmy buzz for his performance. But additional episodes of the series as an epilogue probably aren't necessary. After all, Murphy was likely thinking out loud. There has been no official, public word from Netflix about extending the season to include the new hearing.

Regardless, the creation of these potential bonus episodes would be a long way off. Production on the upcoming third season of Monster, which stars Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein, will begin filming on Oct. 31, 2024. On top of that series, Murphy continues to work on a vast number of new, returning, and upcoming television series for broadcast and streaming.

Even though Koch doesn't seem too keen on stepping back into his star-making role as Erik Menendez, he did share with Variety that he's interested in going in for the role of Patrick Bateman in Luca Guadagnino's forthcoming American Psycho remake. Considering he's one of the biggest breakout stars of the moment, there's a solid chance he could be in the running, and he should be.

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