Monster (2022): Season 1

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Mixed or average reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 63 Ratings

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6.3

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6.3	Your Score
6.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 63 Ratings

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Season Details & Credits

Netflix | Season Premiere Date: September 21, 2022

Summary: The first season of the anthology series from Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan centers on Jeffrey Dahmer's (Evan Peters) life, his victims and the police who failed to capture him for over a decade.

Genre(s): Drama, Movie/Mini-Series

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Season 1 Episodes

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Critic Reviews

Kayla Cobb

Sep 22, 2022

This is a slow burn that assumes you’re somewhat familiar with this case. Most of the stress in “Episode One” worked for this critic because I knew what was coming. If I didn’t, there’s a chance this somber pacing drift into boring territory instead of being quietly terrifying. Read full review

Benjamin Rosenstock

Sep 22, 2022

Monster rarely shoots for dark humor in its depiction of the man’s heinous acts, which is for the best. But while the subject is treated with the seriousness it deserves, I found myself craving a wider range of tone. Read full review

The Playlist Kyle Turner

Sep 22, 2022

There is almost a conflict between the show’s goals and Peters’: “Dahmer” wants to make him, at times, haunting, a terrifying person whose reason is beyond our understanding, but Peters plays him, very often, as vacant and kind of oafish. This paradox would be compelling, particularly in relation to the way that police basically allowed Dahmer to continue his crimes if the show weren’t so excruciatingly boring. Read full review

Jessica Winter

Oct 28, 2022

It’s quite possible that “Dahmer”—despite brilliant performances from Nash, Peters, and the great Richard Jenkins as Dahmer’s father, Lionel—has no real justification for its own existence. If it does, it might lie in the stubborn but elusive promise underlying most true crime: that the perpetrator and his acts can be, to some extent, “explained.” ... The miniseries struggles with this relative lack of explanatory evidence for Dahmer’s depravity, and so it comes up with its own, sticking close to home. It dials up the crazy on Joyce. Read full review

The Telegraph Ed Power

Sep 22, 2022

Netflix is at pains not to glamorise Dahmer while the suffering and humanity of his victims are centre-stage throughout. This is admirable but, as drama, it translates into a carnival of horror. ... If Monster has a saving grace it is Peters in the title role. Read full review

Jen Chaney

Sep 26, 2022

Dahmer has a habit of announcing what kind of show it wants to be instead of actually being that show. ... I can only hope creators will realize there is a way to tell these kinds of stories with more sensitivity and care rather than mere gestures toward sensitivity and care. In the sixth episode, Dahmer does exactly that, but it doesn’t maintain that approach for the entirety of its season. ... It’s admirable that Dahmer wants to honor the victims’ lives and celebrate who Hughes was as a person. But that effort can’t be a complete success in a show that also insists on literally reducing Hughes to a piece of meat. Read full review

Caroline Framke

Sep 22, 2022

[The sixth episode “Silenced”] is an exception rather than the rule. Otherwise, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s new Netflix series is a grim, sepia-toned slog that rarely justifies its own existence. Read full review

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User Reviews

erolsabadosh

Sep 29, 2022

Not for the faint hearted. The subject matter is extremely disturbing, but the filmmakers did a great job with presenting this horrible true story. I actually didn't know previously how badly the police failed, it was really illuminating. The acting all around was incredible as was theNot for the faint hearted. The subject matter is extremely disturbing, but the filmmakers did a great job with presenting this horrible true story. I actually didn't know previously how badly the police failed, it was really illuminating. The acting all around was incredible as was the cinematography. If you can handle extreme content definitely check it out.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

Caste

Sep 24, 2022

Evan Peters nails it.
I have to admit that I am a fan already of this actor, but the plot and how the story of this really troubled killer is told from all angles felt quite entertaining to watch!

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

gabcray

Sep 25, 2022

The best work of Ryan Murphy for Netflix, wow. Love it. Evan Peters is amazing, Niecy Nash too.

3 of 5 users found this helpful32

T-Knut

Oct 3, 2022

Engrossingly dark series, with great acting and good directing that makes for an interesting watch.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

geewah

May 16, 2023

Despite some strong performances from it's cast, this show is overly long and cant help at times to be too focused on the grotesque nature of his crimes.
Episode 6 (Silenced) is a standout but that is an exception rather than the rule in this series.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Isteffy

Mar 7, 2023

Evan Peters is great, BUT this show manipulates and lies about actual historical events in an attempt to make the Dahmer story about 'racism' to fit to modern audiences. It also makes awkward attempts to sexualize Dahmer as this hot, muscular guy with a six pack.

Dahmer tries so hard toEvan Peters is great, BUT this show manipulates and lies about actual historical events in an attempt to make the Dahmer story about 'racism' to fit to modern audiences. It also makes awkward attempts to sexualize Dahmer as this hot, muscular guy with a six pack.

Dahmer tries so hard to push race narratives that it makes every black character one dimensional. If you choose to watch this show, notice how every black character knows what’s going on or knows something is wrong with Dahmer, and it’s trying to find justice, while every white person, cop and law-enforcement is ignoring them, and putting them down because they are black. It happens to *every* black character so much that it is comical, and considering that none of it actually happened, it makes it racist as well. Take the part where the black guy is almost killed by Dahmer and tells the police and the police tell him that Dahmer is just a poor white guy and the black guy is the criminal because he is black. This never happened in the actual story. Why lie about this?

The show tries so hard to make it seem like Jeffrey Dahmer was a racist, but manages to disprove its own narrative in this show. Dahmer was turned ON by Black people and people of color. The atrocities he committed were out of an erotic pleasure, not racist hate. There is a difference.

The neighbour, Glenda also did NOT live next-door but instead in a building nearby. She did not make multiple calls the police who ignored her because she was black and pretended to send police cars over to help her. Why lie, except to race bait?

Jeffrey Dahmer is also made to look ripped, sexy and shows ample scenes of his abs and how fit he is. The show was clearly trying to sexualize a serial killer. How perverted is that? I'm sure the soccer moms who are the main demographic for this show loved this though.

The actor who plays Jeffrey Dahmer was quite good, and I was liking the show until the end where it tried so hard to push this race narrative which was all made up. The show deserves to be review bombed for that utter failure at the end of the show.

My favorite episode would have to be about the deaf guy Tony and Dahmer's 'relationship'. Tony was so likeable and his connection with Dahmer was so real that I was rooting for him to defy history and survive.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

jzathajenius

Sep 29, 2022

I was going to anyway, but Dahmer is the final nail in the coffin of why im cancelling my Netflix subscription. Abhorrent and indefensible.

3 of 11 users found this helpful38

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Seasons & Episodes

40

Series Overview
Season 3

28
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: October 3, 2025
Season 2

47
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: September 19, 2024
Season 1

46
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: September 21, 2022
- No episode information is currently available for this season