Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story's solid ratings debut paves the way for season 5

When Netflix debuted DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story in 2022, the series from Ryan Murphy became an unexpected viewership sensation and went on to win multiple awards. Because of the show's success, the streaming service renewed the show and turned it into an anthology that has explored Lyle and Erik Menendez, Ed Gein, and now Lizzie Borden.

The fourth season of the Monster anthology series dropped on Sep. 17, 2026, and after the new installment's first four days of availability, The Lizzie Borden Story debuted in the No. 1 position on the Global Top 10 English-Language TV Shows ranking with 12.1 million views and 80.1 million hours viewed. While that's a slower start than the past two seasons, it's still right on par.

Monster season 5 gets positive early sign

Monster season 2 (The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story) debuted in 2024 to 12.3 million views, and the following year, Monster season 3 (The Ed Gein Story) arrived with 12.2 million views. Being so, there's not a significant drop in viewership between the three seasons. In fact, all three seasons began with eerily similar figures and faced minor drops in succession. But it's all pointing toward season 5.

Unlike with the past two cycles, which were renewed ahead of the next season's release, Netflix has not officially renewed Monster season 5 before the fourth season premiered. As of Sept. 22, the streaming service hasn't announced formal plans for a fifth season, though based on the continued popularity and awards attention, it's unfathomable that Murphy's hit would be canceled.

There are already rumors swirling around fan spaces that Netflix has revealed that a fifth cycle would center on John Wayne Gacy, though neither the streaming service nor the series' bosses Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan have confirmed anything concrete about the show's immediate future. It's still interesting that Monster didn't get renewal news ahead of schedule this time.

Because Murphy has been busy working on American Horror Story season 13 and All's Fair season 2, and Brennan could have been writing The Watcher season 2, the true crime anthology series could possibly be placed on a brief pause that fans weren't expecting. After getting three new seasons three years in a row without long hiatuses, we've grown accustomed to annual drops.

Unless Monster season 5 gets renewed in the next few weeks and is able to start filming before the end of 2026, it's unlikely that a new season would be able to premiere in fall 2027 as fans might have anticipated. There's still a chance for a fifth season to arrive in 2027, but that again depends on how quickly Netflix announces a renewal and whether the creative team will be ready for production.

Murphy's most recent output of television has relied less on a particular timeline, with certain anthology series debuting new seasons when they are ready rather than adhering to an annual schedule. Monster could be changing course with season 5, but we will certainly know what to expect once Netflix reveals the show's fate. Keep your fingers crossed for some good news!

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