Netflix’s new crime anthology series, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, pulled in 12.2 million views in its first three days, landing second on the English-language TV chart for the week of September 29 to October 5. The series trails only Mae Martin’s Wayward, which recorded 14.1 million views, while House of Guinness took third place with 6.4 million. Other top shows included Season 9 of Love Is Blind, Black Rabbit, Wednesday, Dark Winds, Raw: 2025, Doc, and Ms. Rachel.
Created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, the series delves into the life of Wisconsin serial killer and grave robber Ed Gein, played by Charlie Hunnam. The show examines whether monsters are born or made, portraying Gein’s abusive upbringing, isolation, fascination with Nazi war criminals, and violent crimes against the women of Plainfield. Characters like Alfred Hitchcock are included to show how media influenced Gein’s deadly impulses.
Hunnam and Brennan describe the series as reflecting both Gein and society, asking viewers to consider the impact of sensationalising real-life crimes. The story explores Ed’s mental health, culminating in a diagnosis of schizophrenia while in a mental hospital. Hunnam notes that understanding Ed’s condition sheds light on his crimes and his reality during manic episodes.
The series also tackles misconceptions about transgender identity, showing Ed’s confusion between being transgender and his gynephilic desires, clarified through interactions with Christine Jorgensen. Murphy and Brennan say this distinction was important to avoid perpetuating misinformation about transgender people and violence.
Throughout the series, Ed’s fantasies and delusions are central, including imagining himself aiding FBI agents in catching Ted Bundy. The finale portrays him confronting the killers he inspired and revisiting his mother in a vision, reflecting his complex legacy and cultural influence on American crime lore.
Murphy and Brennan incorporated Ed’s real-life ham radio while institutionalised to dramatise his imagined conversations with women from his past, illustrating how his experiences and obsessions shaped his actions. The series spans the entirety of Gein’s life, from abuse and crime to incarceration, treatment, and final reflections, presenting a detailed and multifaceted portrait of one of America’s most notorious killers.
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