Saagar Kote
Created by Ian Brennan, Netflix’s ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’ is the fourth season of the crime drama anthology series ‘Monster.’ Set in Fall River, Massachusetts, the season explores the mysterious 1892 murders of Andrew Borden (Charlie Hunnam) and Abby Borden (Rebecca Hall), who are found dead in their home after being killed with a hatchet. Their daughter, Lizzie Borden (Ella Beatty), quickly becomes the main suspect, placing her troubled life and complicated state of mind at the center of the investigation. Lizzie struggles under the restrictions of her family life and longs for freedom, while sharing a complex relationship with the Borden family’s househelp, Bridget Sullivan (Vicky Krieps).
While disturbing events unfold, the story examines Lizzie’s thoughts, motivations, and possible connection to the murders. The series also shifts to the character study of serial killer Aileen Wuornos (Sarah Paulson) in the late 1980s and early 1990s, whose perspective on violence offers another angle on Lizzie’s case. Through these intertwined stories, the narrative explores the uncertainty surrounding the Borden murders and the psychological layers at the heart of Lizzie’s story. These shows, similar to ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story,’ explore puzzling characters, the psychological depths of violence, the consequences of crime, and the complexity of human nature.
12. The Girl from Plainville (2022)
Based on Jesse Barron’s eponymous article, ‘The Girl from Plainville’ examines a relationship that becomes the focus of a criminal case after Conrad Roy III (Colton Ryan) dies by suicide in Massachusetts in 2014. At the center is Michelle Carter (Elle Fanning), Conrad’s girlfriend, whose relationship with him begins after they meet in Florida in 2012. Their romantic connection is analyzed through text messages, which later become crucial to the questions surrounding Conrad’s death.
The biographical crime drama series moves back and forth between their relationship and the aftermath of Conrad’s passing, gradually revealing the circumstances that led to Michelle being charged. The show from the creative minds of Liz Hannah and Patrick Macmanus places significant emphasis on understanding the mysterious circumstances surrounding a death, similar to ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.’ Michelle Carter’s complex relationship with Conrad reflects Lizzie Borden’s emotional crisis, spiritually connecting the two characters.
11. The Long Shadow (2023)
In ‘The Long Shadow,’ a serial killer named Peter Sutcliffe terrorizes communities across Yorkshire and Manchester between 1975 and 1980, while detectives struggle to bring the killings to an end. DCS Dennis Hoban (Toby Jones) is among the officers drawn into one of Britain’s largest murder investigations, which eventually involves more than a thousand police personnel. The narrative also turns its attention toward the people left behind, following the victims’ families and survivors as the investigation stretches on, and so does the harrowing uncertainty.
With Lewis Arnold serving as director, the British crime drama series is based on real events and Michael Bilton’s book ‘Wicked Beyond Belief: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper.’ Both ‘The Long Shadow’ and ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’ are intense shows based on real cases that focus on the motives behind crime. The narratives also intricately explore the human cost of violence in unexpected ways.
10. The Serpent (2021)
The disappearance of tourists draws increasing attention in ‘The Serpent’, as Charles Sobhraj (Tahar Rahim) moves through the 1970s targeting unsuspecting travelers around Bangkok. He drugs his victims, steals their possessions, and exploits their identities to create false profiles that help him move internationally. Marie-Andrée Leclerc (Jenna Coleman) remains by his side as these activities continue, while Sobhraj’s ability to operate without immediate detection earns him the name “The Serpent.”
His growing trail of disappearances eventually attracts the attention of Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg (Billy Howle), who begins investigating what has happened to the missing travelers. As Knippenberg pursues the case, the British crime drama series grows more unsettling with every turn. Developed by Mammoth Screen, the narrative, along the lines of ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story,’ combines character study with an investigation while also serving as a brutal dramatization of reality.
9. Des (2020)
‘Des’ centers on a seemingly bizarre discovery that opens the door to a horrifying case in 1983. Scotland Yard is called in after human remains are found obstructing the drainage system of a London residence. What initially appears to be an isolated mystery soon points investigators toward Dennis Nilsen (David Tennant), raising the possibility that the discovery is connected to multiple killings. The investigation takes an especially disturbing turn when Nilsen does not attempt to conceal what he has done but instead openly confesses to his crimes.
Detectives are then left to reconstruct the murders and confront the scale of what his admission reveals. Created by Lewis Arnold and Luke Neal, the British crime drama series is based on Brian Masters’ book ‘Killing for Company.’ Both ‘Des’ and ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’ dramatize real murder cases, using notorious crimes as the basis for broader commentary on the human mind and the horrors people are capable of.
8. The Alienist (2018-2020)
A series of brutal murders unsettles 1896 NYC in ‘The Alienist,’ prompting an unusual group to pursue a killer that the authorities struggle to understand. Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (Daniel Brühl), a criminal psychologist, becomes central to the effort after police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt (Brian Geraghty) secretly assembles a team. Newspaper illustrator John Moore (Luke Evans), driven secretary Sara Howard (Dakota Fanning), and detective brothers Marcus and Lucius Isaacson join the investigation, bringing different skills and perspectives to the case. Their search is not limited to finding the murderer, but an attempt to identify the pattern connecting the killings and gain deeper insight.
While the investigation progresses, people with secrets of their own create additional obstacles, forcing the team to navigate a violent urban reality. Based on Caleb Carr’s novel of the same name, the show captures the essence of ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’ through its commentary on human psychology. The crimes in the two shows serve as a way to explore the people involved, the circumstances surrounding them, and the questions left behind.
7. Rillington Place (2016)
Directed by Craig Viveiros, ‘Rillington Place’ revisits a series of murders in postwar London through the lives of the people caught inside one of Britain’s most disturbing criminal cases. John Christie (Tim Roth) and his wife, Ethel Christie (Samantha Morton), move into 10 Rillington Place after nine years apart, but their reunion coincides with growing tension as the war affects their relationship. Behind the walls of their home, John’s deceitful and violent behavior develops into a series of murders during the 1940s and early 1950s. The consequences extend far beyond the crimes themselves, leading to chaos and complication.
The British crime drama series retells the events through the varying perspectives of Ethel, Christie, and Timothy Evans (Nico Mirallegro), making it a puzzling saga. The home becomes an important setting for violence in ‘Rillington Place’ and ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.’ Christie manipulates his wife, neighbors, and officials, while Lizzie’s apparently ordinary life becomes increasingly difficult to interpret.
6. Under the Banner of Heaven (2022)
‘Under the Banner of Heaven’ is a Dustin Lance Black creation that follows police detective Jeb Pyre (Andrew Garfield). His deeply held religious beliefs become increasingly difficult to reconcile with the case before him. Pyre’s investigation begins with the brutal murders of Brenda Wright Lafferty (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her child, but the circumstances surrounding their deaths lead him toward a local religious movement. As Pyre digs deeper, disturbing secrets emerge, forcing him to question what he believes about morality and the people around him.
His search eventually brings him face to face with a horrifying sect whose hidden practices seek to reshape the existing social order. Based on Jon Krakauer’s book of the same name, the crime drama series intertwines a murder investigation with the personal struggles of the main character, much like ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.’ Pyre discovers secrets that challenge his moral convictions, while the investigation into Lizzie forces those around her to reconsider their beliefs about her possible involvement.
5. The Act (2019)
‘The Act’ is a biographical crime drama series that delves into the trials and tribulations of Gypsy Rose-Blanchard (Joey King). She grows up believing that she is seriously ill and relies on a wheelchair, with her mother, Clauddine Blanchard, AKA Dee Dee (Patricia Arquette), devoted to caring for her. As Gypsy grows older, she begins to question her mother’s strict control and to demand more freedom. Their already complicated relationship becomes increasingly toxic when Gypsy discovers that she was never actually sick.
Dee Dee has convinced not only Gypsy but also the outside world. A frustrated Gypsy eventually seeks help from her boyfriend to kill Dee Dee, turning the scenario on its head. Nick Antosca and Michelle Dean are the creative voices behind the show, which reflects the spirit of ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’ by placing familial relationships at the heart of a disturbing mystery and also examining the depths of the female psyche.
4. The Staircase (2022)
A death inside a family home turns Michael Peterson’s (Colin Firth) life into a fight to establish what really happened in ‘The Staircase’. Michael is a crime novelist who appears to share a loving relationship with his wife, Kathleen (Toni Collette), and their children. That image is shattered when Kathleen is found dead at the bottom of the staircase in their home. What initially seems like a devastating family tragedy soon places Michael under suspicion, leading to his indictment and murder charges. When he faces the possibility of being held responsible for his wife’s death, the circumstances surrounding the incident become increasingly difficult to untangle.
The closer the case gets to the question of what truly happened, the harder it becomes to distinguish fact from deception. With Antonio Campos lending the creative vision, the crime drama series is based on true events and Jean-Xavier de Lestrade’s eponymous docuseries. Both ‘The Staircase’ and ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’ focus on a shocking death inside a private home that quickly becomes a criminal investigation. In the two shows, the domestic setting makes the cases particularly intimate, the people closest to the victims come under suspicion, and secrets lurk in the shadows.
3. Candy (2022)
Creators Nick Antosca and Robin Veith’s ‘Candy’ explores the collapse of an apparently ordinary suburban life when friendship, secrecy, and violence collide. In 1980, Wylie, Texas, Candy Montgomery (Jessica Biel) is a housewife and mother who appears to have built the conventional life expected of her, complete with a husband and two children. Beneath that carefully maintained image, however, she feels increasingly constrained by the pressure to conform to social structures and begins to seek a sense of freedom. Her choices lead to an affair with Allan Gore, the husband of her friend and neighbor, Betty Gore (Melanie Lynskey).
When Betty is discovered dead in her home on June 13, 1980, the community initially imagines a stranger must be responsible. Suspicion eventually turns toward Candy, upending the whole situation. The biographical crime drama series and ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’ dramatize notorious real-life murder cases with women at the center of the story. Rather than treating the killings as isolated crimes, both shows explore the personal circumstances surrounding the women accused of them.
2. Love & Death (2023)
‘Love & Death’ turns an apparently idyllic Texas community into the setting for a shocking murder. In Wylie, Candy Montgomery (Elizabeth Olsen) and Betty Gore (Lily Rabe) seem to share comfortable lives. They sing together at church, their daughters are best friends, and their husbands have successful careers. But both Candy and Betty carry frustrations and desires that remain largely unspoken. Candy’s dissatisfaction eventually leads her into an affair with Betty’s husband, Allan Gore (Jesse Plemons), setting off a chain of events that permanently changes both families. Their peace ultimately ends in violence when Betty is murdered with an axe, and Candy becomes the accused.
David E. Kelley is the creative voice behind this biographical crime drama series, which is based on Joe Bob Briggs and Jim Atkinson’s book ‘Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs.’ Both ‘Love & Death’ and ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’ show how horrific violence can emerge from seemingly ordinary domestic environments and fractured bonds between people. Candy’s suburban life initially appears peaceful, while Lizzie’s story is one where the Borden household becomes the unexpected scene of a brutal double murder.
1. Alias Grace (2017)
‘Alias Grace’ is a Mary Harron directorial that turns a notorious murder case into a mystery about memory, guilt, and the possibility of innocence. Grace Marks (Sarah Gadon), an Irish immigrant working as a domestic help in Canada, is serving a life sentence for the 1843 murders of her employer, Thomas Kinnear, and his housekeeper. Stablehand James McDermott (Paul Gross) is convicted alongside Grace and is hanged, leaving her alone to live with the consequences of the crime. More than a decade later, Dr. Simon Jordan (Edward Holcroft) begins meeting with Grace, hoping to uncover the truth by helping her recover her past memories.
Grace insists that she cannot remember the murders, even as the evidence against her remains difficult to dismiss. Based on Margaret Atwood’s eponymous novel and actual events, the crime drama series is a deep meditation on the female psyche and violence, akin to ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.’ Grace Marks and Lizzie Borden are both at the center of murder mysteries in which their possible guilt becomes inseparable from questions about who they are.
Read More: Shows Like The Monster of Florence
