Charlie Hunnam’s Returning Netflix Crime Series Officially Hits New Record-Low In Ratings

Published Oct 28, 2026, 11:02 AM EDT

Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2022. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2022, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, Frayed Branches, Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on Amazon. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.

Charlie Hunnam's returning Netflix crime series has officially hit a record-breaking new low.

Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story has managed to hit rock bottom for the killer-focused series, following reports of dwindling ratings. The latest season of Monster sees Ella Beatty take on the role of Lizzie Borden, a young woman accused of allegedly killing her parents with a hatchet in the late 19th century. The show acts as a fictionalized rendition of the murders, which were never officially solved, highlighting the idea of Lizzie's involvement through a feminist lens. It's season 4 of the Monster franchise, which highlights a new, real-world killer each season.

Now, a new report from Variety seems to indicate Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story has the lowest opening numbers in the series' history. Based on numbers reported by Nielsen, Monster season 4 ranked at Number 5 for viewership for original streaming series in September 2026. This is based on the show earning 3.1 billion minutes watched following its arrival on Netflix on September 17, 2026. However, when compared to past data for other seasons of the show, it has the lowest opening numbers of the entire series.

Previous data signals other seasons of Mosnter were performing better than Lizzie Borden's outing. The debut season, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, earned a whopping 10 billion minutes watched upon debut on September 21, 2022. Two years later, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story was released on September 19, 2024, garnering 4.16 billion minutes watched. This increased with Monster: The Ed Gein Story, also starring Hunnam, after its October 3, 2025 release, earning 4.81 billion minutes.

Suzanne Tenner/Netflix © 2026

This puts the newest season about Borden at the bottom, making it the lowest opening for the entire series in the process. It's not too surprising, though, given the series has grown notorious for a dwindling quality that even audiences are starting to point out through their reviews. Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story has the lowest audience score of the series on Rotten Tomatoes, coming in at 33% based on over 500 ratings. It's not faring well with critics, either, who've scored it a 34% based on 32 reviews, the second-lowest behind Ed Gein.

However, these factors haven't stopped the series from succeeding, even if it appears viewership is lower for season 4 than previous installments. Lizzie Borden debuted at Number 1 worldwide on Netflix, gaining viewership into its second week on the platform. While it may not have performed as well as its predecessors, the show is still popular enough to have earned its place amongst the rest of the series. And it may not be the end, either, with plans for multiple seasons of Monster in the planning stages despite no official renewal yet.

Question 1 of 3

The show's poorer performance in contrast to other seasons indicates there just wasn't as much interest in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story as other installments. Whether this dwindling viewership carries into other seasons remains to be seen. Since the show hasn't been a straight line in terms of viewership, it could just be a single-season fluke. If season 5 gets announced, its viewership can confirm what this could mean for the future of the killer-focused series as a whole.

Cast

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  Vicky Krieps

  Bridget Sullivan

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  Ella Beatty

  Lizzie Borden

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  Sarah Paulson

  Aileen Wuornos

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  Charlie Hunnam

  Andrew Borden