News

Netflix just dropped its Engagement Report for the second half of 2024, revealing how people spent their time watching movies and shows. From July to December, members watched over 94 billion hours, marking a 5% increase from the previous year. This shows a solid rise in interest, and it’s clear that the more people enjoy what’s on the platform, the more they keep coming back.

One standout is Squid Game Season 2, which premiered just six days before the year ended. Despite the short time frame, it became the most-watched series, with 87 million views. But, it’s important to note that even big hits like this make up only a tiny fraction—less than 1%—of total viewing time.

Another trend we’re seeing is the growing popularity of animated films. A full 10 of the top 25 films were animated, including favorites like Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch (67M views), Trolls Band Together (61M), and...

Netflix has been digging heavily into true-crime over the last few years and it’s seemingly paying off.

In the streamer’s latest data dump – its What We Watched engagement report – there are a slew of true-crime series including American Murder: Laci Peterson, Worst Ex Ever, Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey and This Is the Zodiac Speaking entering its top ten with The Menendez Brothers doc leading the list.

The Menendez Brothers, the Alejandro Hartmann-directed doc, premiered after Ryan Murphy’s buzzy Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story series and scored 39.2M views.

American Murder: Laci Peterson topped the series list with 37.4M views. That series, which told the story of the murder of the American woman murdered by her husband while she was eight months pregnant. It is part of Netflix’s American Murder strand, which was just responsible for the Gabby Petito three-series that launched this month.

Pictures: Netflix

For data nerds – it’s our favorite time of the year – the second half of 2024 viewing data has just been released! We’ve got a lot more to come, but what are the most-watched movies and series of the second half of the year? Let’s dive straight in.

What are the key points that Netflix has cited as being the most important for this data drop? Netflix reiterated that Engagement (time spent watching) is the best metric to gauge member satisfaction and that this data drop covers ~99% of all video watch time on Netflix and that no single title accounts for more than 1% of total Netflix viewing.

Squid Game S2 had the most hours viewed (0.7% of total viewing), and their total watch time for this period of July to December 2024 was 94B hours (5% increase YoY). Their most-viewed series was Squid Game S2 (87M views) despite premiering only 6 days before year-end.

Netflix subscribers streamed more content than ever in the back half of 2024 — and the second season of Korean hit drama “Squid Game” was the biggest TV show on the service.

The streamer’s customers watched more than 94 billion hours on Netflix in the second half of last year, a 5% increase year over year, according to its latest Engagement Report sharing data on what people watched on from July-December 2024.

“Squid Game” Season 2, despite premiering on Dec. 26 with only six days left in the year, dominated the period as Netflix’s most-viewed series with nearly 87 million views. That said, no single title accounts for more than 1% of total viewing on Netflix. For example, “Squid Game 2” represented only 0.7% of global viewing for the time period. That’s “why we invest in a wide variety of quality shows and films and why we need to make them great, so that every time a member...

When headlines blared that businessman José Menendez had been shot 15 times along with his wife Kitty while watching TV in their Beverly Hills home on the evening of August 20, 1989, it registered as just another murder victim for most people, but those in the record industry instantly recognized the name.

Not long before, José Menendez had held a top post at RCA Records — home to Diana Ross, Kenny Rogers and Hall & Oates, among other artists, at the time — where he was tasked with turning around the label’s sagging revenue. He also signed Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, featuring a young Ricky Martin, while there and oversaw hit records by Mr. Mister, Starship and Eurythmics.

Indeed, he was such a known entity in the biz, and the story of his murder at 45, and subsequent arrests of sons Lyle and Erik Menendez (21 and 18 at the time), fascinated so many, that even irreverent...

Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street is a seminal piece of filmmaking, accentuated in its influence by exceptional acting performances. Now, a documentary is being made about Stratton Oakmont, the real-life brokerage firm that inspired the film, and Jordan Belfort, the man portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio on the big screen.

Per Deadline, the documentary film will chronicle the founding of Stratton Oakmont, its fraudulent pump-and-dump schemes, and the eventual indictment of its founders, Jordan Belfort and Danny Porush. The project is being produced by Campfire Studios, who were also behind Netflix’s The Menendez Brothers and Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders docs. The feature documentary is being made by the same team as Hulu’s WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn documentary. Director Jed Rothstein, who also directed the WeWork doc, will spearhead the project.

Related 'I'm Going to Get Arrested': Margot Robbie Recalls Slapping A-List...

Exclusive: Jordan Belfort, the real-life Wolf of Wall Street, who was portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s movie, set up Stratton Oakmont in the late ‘80s with Danny Porush.

This brokerage, which participated in pump-and-dump schemes as it defrauded shareholders, is set to be the subject of a new feature documentary from the team behind Hulu’s WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn doc.

Campfire Studios, which was also behind Netflix’s The Menendez Brothers doc and Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, has teamed up with director Jed Rothstein for the untitled doc.

It will chart the real story of the notorious brokerage firm, which closed in 1996 before its founders were indicted for securities fraud and money laundering. It will feature first-hand accounts from the people who made the firm tick and highlight Stratton Oakmont’s suspiciously successful and calamitous seven years in operation, and the lasting effect on its employees,...

Fire and ash have permeated every aspect of Los Angeles life since the eruption of the Palisades Fire, which sparked just a little more than a week ago, though it has felt like much longer for many. While the smoke of the L.A. fires has yet to reach them in San Diego County, the lives of two former Angelenos, Erik and Lyle Menendez, will also be affected by the tragedies in their hometown.

Judge Michael Jesic has opted to once again postpone the brothers’ widely publicized sentencing until March 20-21, according to a release by the D.A.’s office.

Originally set for Dec. 11, Judge Jesic had already pushed the hearing to Jan. 30, with an extra day of Jan. 31 if needed, to allow time for the newly elected Los Angeles D.A. Nathan Hochman to reacquaint himself with the case. “The continuance is due to the impact of recent...

Brooke Shields is returning to the small screen. The actor, who first rose to fame as a child star in 1978's Pretty Baby and 1980's Blue Lagoon, will appear alongside Kim Kardashian in Hulu's new legal drama, All's Fair.

Per TV Line, Shields will also share the screen with three-time Emmy Award winner and eight-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close. All's Fair is described as a "high-end, glossy and sexy adult procedural set at an all-female law firm." Created by Ryna Murphy, the series will also feature Sarah Paulson, Niecy Nash-Betts, Matthew Noszka, Teyana Taylor, and two-time Oscar nominee Naomi Watts. While character details are scarce, Kardashian has been cast as a successful divorce lawyer.

Related This Acclaimed True Crime Story Is Still Ryan Murphy's Best TV Show

Producer and director Ryan Murphy has had plenty of hits and misses in his career, but The People v. O.J.

The year 2024 has been one of the most unforgettable years in original content that has audiences in awe including a blast from the past. Prominent talents like Lisa Kudrow, Ray Romano, Eddie Murphy, Nicole Kidman, and Javier Bardem have shown their performance at the highest level.

It is worth nothing that some shows and documentaries have been of interest, but controversial.

Action, drama, and murder mystery have set the tone for the original Netflix content with interesting storylines. Prominent talent still brings their authenticity to the film to set the stage for interest along with a well-rounded cast.

The top five pieces of original content on Netflix in 2024Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

A blast from the past as Murphy reprised his role as Axel Foley from the Beverly Hills Cop series. He teams up again with his old pals Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, and Bronson Pinchot where they are...

Jenn and I have spent the first part of the month dissecting fictionalized adaptations of cults, including Jim Jones and Jonestown (listen), as well as Ti West’s The Sacrament (listen). Then we spent the last few weeks looking at David Koresh and the Branch Davidians (listen), which led to an infamous 51-day stand-off and accompanying siege on Waco.

The Paramount+ series was always going to be biased because it is based on two books written by men involved in the siege: cult survivor David Thibodeau’s A Place Called Waco, as well as Gary Noesner’s Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator.

What frustrates, though, is how their stories wind up being given priority. In our discussion of the first half of the series (listen), Jenn and I hoped that the female “characters” – played by actors like Andrea Riseborough, Julia Garner, and Melissa Benoist – would...

The Netflix documentary Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey has been released, and many queries have been rising regarding the incident and the investigation. The tragic murder took place in 1996 when JonBenét was only six years old while her brother Burke Ramsey was nine. Her death changed the lives of her family forever, and with the new docuseries out in the public, curiosity among the viewers about Burke’s whereabouts is growing.

A snippet from Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey | Credits: Netflix

JonBenét was a child beauty queen during that time. Her dead body was found in the basement of the family’s Boulder, Colorado home. It was discovered after the Ramseys got a ransom note of $118,000 for her safe return. However, the murder investigation stirred up the whole nation, and even though it got huge media coverage, the case is still unsolved. Amid all of these, JonBenét’s...

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic on Monday postponed Erik and Lyle Menendez’s resentencing hearing, originally scheduled for Dec. 11, to Jan. 30, 2025.

The move, reported by Los Angeles’ Fox 11, The Associated Press and other outlets, comes after a Monday court proceeding in which attorneys for the brothers asked the judge to reconsider their life-sentence convictions without parole for the 1989 murders of their parents.

During Monday’s proceeding, defense attorney Mark Geragos asked the judge to resentence the brothers on a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, Fox 11 reported. The older sisters of the brothers’ late parents, Kitty and José Menendez, also testified.

Geragos and fellow defense attorney Clifford Gardner filed a habeas petition asking the court to reconsider the conviction and sentences in the wake of new evidence that has received widespread attention both due to the case returning to the cultural zeitgeist via TV shows focused on the brothers’ story,...

With any true crime story adapted for film or TV, we expect a certain amount of narrative license. Creators may sand off a few here and condense a timeline there to present a coherent and digestible timeline. But what gets lost in this translation? And can we still trust the story we see?

In the newest episode of Bloody FM’s Murder Made Fiction podcast, Joe and Jenn encounter this issue in the 2018 series Waco.

Created by Drew and John Erick Dowdle, this limited series begins with a sympathetic David Koresh (Taylor Kitsch) begging for mercy while a group of soldiers point guns in his face. Early episodes take us back to a burgeoning cult leader building his flock while a government agency struggles to rehabilitate its image.

But what details have been softened in this less-than-faithful retelling and are the story’s real victims getting lost in the shuffle?...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has decided to allow the incoming Los Angeles district attorney to weigh in on the clemency requests for Erik and Lyle Menendez, further delaying the potential release of the brothers who shot their parents dead and were tried in the 1990s and have been serving life in prison.

On Monday, Newsom announced the decision to allow incoming D.A. Nathan Hochman, a former federal prosecutor, time to look at the clemency case that has captured major public attention following the success of Netflix’s Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story amid a TikTok movement that renewed interest in the decades-old case. The Ryan Murphy-produced series brought a tsunami of controversy over some decisions about the writing and dramatic elements included in the show, particularly with its depiction of the brothers’ relationship. But it also surged interest around the push to resentence Erik and Lyle Menendez,...

A combination of Hulu, Netflix, Peacock and The Roku Channel will allow you to stream a huge amount of true crime for $25 per month.

There’s just something about true crime, isn’t there? Something that shoots that corkscrew sensation up your spine like nothing else can, a window into the darkest parts of humanity that you can look through from the comfort of your couch. If true crime is your favorite genre and you’re looking to stream without busting your budget, I’ve created a bundle of four streaming services for less than $30 per month that will help you do it!

Which true crime streaming services should you grab?

Peacock

Hulu

Netflix

The Roku Channel

Peacock

The bundle starts with Peacock, which carries a fantastic amount of true crime in its library. The streamer offers titles like “Dateline,” “Prosecuting Evil with Kelly Siegler,” “Dr. Death: Cutthroat Conman,” “TikTok Star Murders,...

The third season premiere of The Lincoln Lawyer moved the show to the top of the streaming docket.

The Netflix drama based on Michael Connelly’s novels recorded 1.64 billion viewing minutes for the week of Oct. 14-20 (season three premiered Oct. 17), according to Nielsen’s streaming ratings. That’s the third best weekly tally in the show’s history, behind season one’s second week in May 2022 and the debut of the back half of season two in August 2023.

The Lincoln Lawyer pushed the previous week’s No. 1 show, Love Is Blind, down one spot to second overall. The Netflix dating show had 1.21 billion minutes of viewing for the week. Outer Banks (1.1 billion) was the only other title to reach a billion minutes in the United States, though Bob’s Burgers (945 million) came close.

Lost, which made its streaming chart debut in July after rejoining Netflix (it also streams on Hulu...

The Menendez Brothers may have had an unlikely ally in Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón, but his successor doesn’t necessarily seem as likely to be as motivated by public opinion.

L.A. D.A.-elect Nathan Hochman will take over the role on Dec. 2, and he further explained that if Lyle and Erik Menendez’s case lands on his desk, it will require a lot more work than just watching a television show.

“You’ve really got to get beyond the Netflix documentary,” Hochman told “Good Morning America” on Thursday. “If you decide this case based on just viewing a Netflix documentary, you are doing a disservice to the Menendez brothers, to the victims’ family members, to the public.”

Gascón had previously recommended resentencing and even clemency for the Menendez Bros. following the success of Netflix’s “Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story” and other similar docuseries. However, he...

Jenn and Joe began November by unpacking the horrific Jonestown massacre of 1978 and Ti West’s mumblegore recreation The Sacrament. Now we’re headed to Waco, TX for a similarly upsetting story. On February 28, 1993, the US Atf raided Mount Carmel, home of David Koresh and his group of bible students who would come to be known as the Branch Davidians.

Attempting to serve a search warrant for illegal firearms, the doomed raid led to a 51 day standoff that would eventually take the lives of 82 people—28 of them children. Many of us remember watching the compound burn on national TV and the resulting backlash against the government agency responsible for the doomed mission. But what about the years leading up to this violent event? How did we go from a small group of dedicated believers to stalled negotiations and families trapped inside a blazing building?

In the newest episode of Bloody FM...

Are True Crime TV Shows Helping or Harming the Justice System? Exploring Its Impact on Society - Main Image

Is true crime TV helping or harming the justice system? Does the genre cause more harm than good? This article explores the both the negative and positive impacts of true crime TV on society and the justice system they live with.

Are True Crime TV Shows Helping or Harming the Justice System? Its Impact on Society

True Crime TV shows may have documented some of the most heinous crimes in history, but does it actually do more harm than good to the existing criminal justice system?

From unclosed cases on podcasts to streamable shows, how far have True Crime TV shows impacted how our society functions?

Well, apart from the obsession with satisfying the viewers' curiosities, True Crime TV helped people become more vigilant and proactive in risky situations.

Witnessing how...

The season four premiere of Outer Banks brought the Netflix show back onto the streaming charts — but with only half a season released this time, it fell well short of its last premiere.

The YA drama delivered 1.19 billion minutes of viewing for the week of Oct. 7-13 (season four debuted Oct. 10), good for second place overall in Nielsen’s streaming rankings. By comparison, season three’s opening week in February 2023 — which featured the entire season released at once — drew 3.15 billion minutes of watch time.

The half-season release (part two premiered Thursday) for Outer Banks undoubtedly played a part in the lower viewing time total. Season four of Emily in Paris similarly had a sizable decline with a half-season premiere in August (but season three of Bridgerton in May did not).

Netflix’s dating show Love Is Blind led the Oct. 7-13 charts with 1.23 billion minutes of viewing; no other show crossed the 1 billion mark.

Faux Documentary.

After spending the month of October discussing Ed Gein and the various cinematic adaptations of his crimes, including The Silence of the Lambs, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (listen here) and House of 1000 Corpses (listen here), Jenn and I are now deep into cult territory in November.

After opening with a primer on preacher Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple last week (listen here), we’re shifting into a fictional adaptation of the real life events with Ti West‘s The Sacrament (2013).

In the film, Sam (Aj Bowen) a reporter from Vice news, brings two colleagues – Jake (Joe Swanberg) and photographer Patrick (Kentucker Audler) – to meet with his sister, Caroline (Amy Seimetz). Sam fears that Caroline has fallen in with a cult and their journey to a remote jungle encampment reveals a collection of scared people under the control of a charismatic figure,...

Netflix has been going full steam ahead this year with true-crime projects about some of the most infamous cases of the last few decades. In September and October, the streamer shoved Erik and Lyle Menendezs names and case back into the public eye with the dramatized Ryan Murphy series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story followed by The Menendez Brothers documentary and now, another attention-capturing case of the 90s is getting its time to shine. Today, the streamer has released the trailer for the upcoming production, Cold Case: Who Killed JonBent Ramsey. The latest title to come from critically acclaimed documentarian Joe Berlinger (the Paradise Lost trilogy), the movie will dig into the truth about what happened to the young beauty queen on the day after Christmas in 1996.

Ryan Murphy, co-creator and director of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, a dramatized retelling of the murder of José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez at their Beverly Hills home in 1989 shares how Kim Kardashian gained interest in the case. Keep reading to find out more about what happened.

The Netflix limited series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story offers nine episodes for viewers to watch. They can then form their opinion on whether the circumstances were justified and if the brothers deserve to be released. An unaffiliated documentary, The Menendez Brothers aired on Netflix on October 7.

Kim Works with Murphy on the Set

Before the release of the show, Kardashian reached out to Monsters creator Murphy. Kim starred in Murphy’s American Horror Story: Delicate alongside Emma Roberts which premiered in September of 2023 and resumed in April earlier this year after the 2023 Hollywood strikes. Murphy explained during...

On Oct. 28, Erik and Lyle Menendez’s defense team submitted a request for clemency for the brothers, who in 1996 were convicted of first-degree murder in the 1989 killings of their parents José and Kitty Menendez. Public sympathy for the brothers and general reinterest in the case was sparked by Ryan Murphy’s scripted series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and the subsequent Netflix documentary The Menendez Brothers which both shed light on the physical, emotional and sexual abuse the siblings endured at the hands of their father. And though freeing the brothers, who could be released from prison as early as Dec. 11 following a review of their case, wasn’t Murphy’s outright intention in telling their story, the response of public advocacy, he says, was somewhat expected.

“I can’t say I was unsurprised, because when we finished shooting it and I saw the episodes, I thought they...

“Beauty in Black,” Tyler Perry’s newest Netflix project, was the second-most-watched streaming original in the U.S. during the week of Oct. 25-31, per Luminate’s weekly viewership rankings. The series hit 1.2 billion minutes watched in its first full week of availability, landing only behind “The Lincoln Lawyer” Season 3, which took first place for the second week in a row with 1.4 billion minutes watched.

“Territory,” another Netflix title, debuted in third place with 890.1 million minutes watched in its first week of availability. It was followed by Season 2 of “Tulsa King,” which has been on the chart for weeks, this time boosted by the release of its seventh episode to achieve 555.8 million minutes watched on Paramount+. Like in previous weeks, the rollout of “Tulsa King” Season 2 continued to bring viewers to Season 1, which was the No. 10 title with 264.9 million minutes watched Oct. 25-31.

"This Is the Zodaic" debuted with 482.3 million minutes watched,...

Peoples Without The Apostrophe

After spending the month of October discussing Ed Gein and the various cinematic adaptations of his crimes, including The Silence of the Lambs, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (listen here) and House of 1000 Corpses (listen here), Jenn and I are broadening our perspectives for November.

On the Main Feed, we’re focusing on cults and cult leaders with a look at two different, but complementary examples.

First up: we’re zeroing in on Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple and the notorious Jonestown massacre that killed more than 900 people. It’s a fascinating case that prompts us to consider how people can begin a cause with altruistic motives and the intent to do good, but eventually, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Jones is a prime example of this.

Over time, the horrific mass suicide that occurred in the jungles of Guyana have been...

The third season of “The Lincoln Lawyer” was the top title on Luminate’s weekly measurement of streaming originals for the Oct. 18-24 viewing window, hitting a strong 2.4 billion minutes watched in its first full week of availability. Season 3 has also brought renewed attention to Seasons 1 and 2, which charted at No. 8 with 317.9 million minutes watched and No. 10 with 266.2 million minutes watched, respectively.

The legal drama approximately tripled the viewership of the next-most-watched streaming original series in the U.S., which was “Love Is Blind” Season 7. The unscripted dating show was watched for 805.3 million minutes from Oct. 18 to Oct. 24, which marked the third full week of availability for the first six episodes, the second full week of availability for Episodes 7-9 and the first full week of availability for Episodes 10 and 11, while also including two days of availability for Episode 12.

With 647.9 million minutes watched, "Tulsa King" Season 2 was the third place TV series for the week,...

A $549 million Kung Fu Panda movie has landed on Netflix's global chart. The animated martial arts franchise began in 2008 with the release of Kung Fu Panda, centering on the journey of Po Ping (voiced by Jack Black), a giant panda who is unexpectedly chosen as the foretold Dragon Warrior and trains to become a kung fu master. Po's journey is one of proving his worth and embracing his destiny, despite his initial self-doubt and the skepticism of others. The franchise is set in a wuxia-inspired fantasy version of ancient China filled with anthropomorphic animals.

The Kung Fu Panda franchise consists mainly of four animated films Kung Fu Panda (2008), Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011), Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016), and Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024). All four films have achieved critical and commercial success, collectively earning over $2 billion and ranking as the seventh highest-grossing animated film franchise. The franchise also includes three TV...

Sam Raimi is known for his work as the director of the original Spider-Man trilogy, but his credits also include producing. His latest project, a horror thriller for Netflix, is now the streamer's top movie.

Don't Move topped the global charts for movies on Netflix between Oct. 20 and Oct. 27. The horror bested Anna Kendrick's Woman of the Hour for number one, with a total of 20.2 million views or 31 million hours viewed. The numbers alone are impressive and almost Woman of the Hour's entire run of 23.1 million in two weeks, but Don't Move did it in only two days, considering it hit Netflix on Oct. 25, two days before the streamer stopped counting.

Related Netflix Drops Intense Trailer for New Horror Movie From Sam Raimi

Don't Move, a Netflix horror movie produced by Sam Rami, has a new teaser trailer.

Don't Move follows a woman's struggle after a seasoned killer...

Netflix's new survival thriller with a 75% Rotten Tomatoes score has become a global hit just days after its release. Since 2015, the popular streaming service has been producing original movies that fall into a wide range of genres from action, horror, thriller, romantic comedy, and science-fiction. Within this wide range, thrillers are particularly popular, with many of Netflix's 2024 movies falling into the genre, including Rebel Ridge, Trigger Warning, The Union, and many more.

Among Netflix's original movies, survival thrillers seem to hold an extra special appeal, focusing on characters fighting against extreme odds and often blending elements from various genres, mainly horror. In 2018, Sandra Bullock's Bird Box became one of Netflix's most-watched movies in its history. Additionally, the Spanish-language The Platform, packed with social commentary, and the French-language Under Paris are among Netflix's most-watched non-English movies. The former was followed by a sequel, The Platform 2, in 2024, which briefly became the No.

Don’t Move had a monster premiere weekend on Netflix, raking in 20.2M views in the just few days following its October 25 debut.

That put it at the top of the English-language films list for the week of October 21 to 27. Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut Woman of the Hour remained in second place for another week, though viewership rose to 13.2M views (up from just under 10M the week prior).

True crime has been eating up most of Netflix’s Top 10 as of late, with Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story holding onto seventh place on the English TV list with another 3.3M views. The streamer’s documentary The Menendez Brothers, which features new interviews with the brothers, took eighth place, also with 3.3M views.

Meanwhile, This is the Zodiac Speaking, the latest docuseries about the Zodiac Killer, debuted in second place among TV with 7.5M views.

The Lincoln Lawyer...

The Zodiac Killer remains a haunting figure in American crime history, infamous for his chilling murders and cryptic ciphers that captivated the public. His story, which began in the late 1960s with the deaths of at least five known victims, has inspired countless media portrayals. Netflix's new docuseries, This is the Zodiac Speaking, quickly rose to the top of the platforms charts, demonstrating the ongoing fascination with the unsolved Zodiac Killer case.

Directed by Phil Lott and Ari Mark, this three-part series focuses on prime suspect Arthur Leigh Allen, echoing themes from David Finchers acclaimed film Zodiac. This renewed interest in the Zodiac murders opens the door for viewers to explore more compelling documentaries that delve into chilling details and psychological insights from other cases, providing a richer understanding of the 20th centurys most notorious criminals.

The Menendez Brothers The Two Brothers Who Killed Their Abusive Parents

The Menendez Brothers

Lyle and Erik Menendez,...

This article contains mentions of sexual abuse.

Law & Order True Crime portrayed Lyle and Erik Menendez's story far better than Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story seven years prior. Since Ryan Murphy's explosive portrayal of the Menendez brothers in season 2 of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, the show has been widely debated on the accuracy and creative liberties Murphy has taken. There are several details that Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story gets wrong about what really happened, suggesting that Ryan Murphy was not interested in portraying an accurate depiction.

Furthermore, the Monsters season 2 controversy was so significant that the real Menendez brothers voiced their disapproval of Ryan Murphy's portrayal of the story. The show is filled with inaccuracies, sensationalized theories, and the sexualization of abuse victims. However, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is not the only TV show to cover the tragedy.

The why behind Simran Bhogal's Sweet Bobby Catfishing scheme is almost as shocking as what. 

Sweet Bobby: My Catfishing Nightmare joins hits like The Menendez Brothers and Mr. McMahon as yet another mind-bending true-to-life documentary story that has fans talking. 

Sweet Bobby follows the shocking true story of radio presenter Kirat Assi who was catfished (the act of someone impersonating another online) by her cousin for over a decade, where she was convinced to have found love in the form of an online suitor named Bobbi. 

Read full article on The Direct.

The nation was taken aback when the Menendez brothers’ case surfaced in 1990. Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series Monsters reignited the public interest yet again, diving into the case in a more dramatic light. This has created a divide in opinion with some advocating for their release, while others believe they should remain imprisoned.

A file photo of the Menendez brothers used in the documentary The Menendez Brothers | Credits: Netflix

As the debate continues, the series has cultivated a following that feels a connection to the brothers and the work they’ve done to help others within the prison system, potentially convincing more people that they deserve to be free.

Lyle and Erik Menendez’s Contributions to Society from Behind Bars

During a very recent news conference, Los Angeles County Da George Gascon announced that his office would recommend a new sentence of 50 years to life for Lyle and Erik Menendez.

In the latest update to the Menendez brothers case, LA County district attorney George Gascón recommended that the brothers should be resentenced by a judge and released on parole. The brothers were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for brutally murdering their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez.

A fictional portrayal of Erik and Lyle Menendez in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story | Credits: Netflix

Erik and Lyle

admitted to the cold-blooded murders but claimed that they were abused by their father. Their case recently gained attention after Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. They have since been receiving support from various corners. The final say over their resentencing lies with a judge and a parole board will decide on their parole.

What Happened To The Menendez Brothers? A file photo of Erik and Lyle Menendez included in the...

After over three decades in prison, the Menendez brothers—Joseph Lyle and Erik Galen Menendez—are potentially on the cusp of a significant change in their circumstances. Once at the center of a gripping national narrative, they now find themselves back in the spotlight as discussions surrounding their case heat up.

A fictional portrayal of Erik and Lyle Menendez in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story | Credits: Netflix

In August 1989, the brothers killed their parents, José and Mary Louise Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home. Following the tragic event, the brothers spun a narrative suggesting that mysterious intruders were responsible, hinting at a possible mob involvement. But as time passed, the question shifted from what happened that night to what will happen next.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney, George Gascón, announced during a recent press conference that his office would recommend a resentencing for the Menendez brothers. Their...

Netflix’s This Is the Zodiac Speaking spills some shocking facts about the case that continues to haunt America. The Zodiac killer was an unidentified serial killer who operated in Northern California in the ’60s. The killer mailed taunting messages to regional newspapers, with his last letter claiming that he had killed 37 victims. The new documentary focuses on the only suspect that authorities named publicly, Arthur Leigh Allen.

A still poster of This Is The Zodiac Speaking | Credits: Netflix

According to the documentary, people who knew Allen claimed that he had told them that he was the Zodiac killer. These people also revealed that Allen drugged them as children and may have even brought them along to his crimes. The documentary included interviews with David and Connie Seawater and several other former pupils who knew Allen.

Robert Graysmith, the journalist who wrote the book about the serial killer and was...

Russell Crowe remains one of the most recognizable names and faces in Hollywood. Crowe remains best known for several seminal performances in the late '90s and early '00s, including as a rule-breaking detective in L.A. Confidential (1997), a big tobacco whistleblower in The Insider (1999), a mathematical genius in A Beautiful Mind (2001), and a just captain in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003). It's his role as Maximus in Gladiator, however, that arguably remains his most iconic part.

The early '00s saw Crowe frequently playing more traditionally heroic characters and this would largely continue in subsequent years, but there were also some outliers. He played a violent and yet charming criminal in 3:10 to Yuma (2007) and Henry Jekyll in The Mummy (2017). Jekyll had marked one of Crowe's most outwardly villainous roles at the time, and it ended up setting the stage for an even darker...

Part 1 of the fourth season of “Outer Banks” had a strong debut on Luminate’s weekly streaming rankings, hitting 1.2 billion minutes watched in the Oct. 11-17 viewing window, its first full week of availability. That made it the No. 1 streaming original of the viewing window, followed by Season 7 of “Love Is Blind” with 1 billion minutes watched in the second week of availability of its first batch of episodes.

“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” continued its run on the chart, landing at No. 3 with 707.1 million minutes watched in its fourth week of availability, just edging out “Nobody Wants This” with 705.9 million minutes watched after three weeks. Also not far behind was Season 2 of “Tulsa King” with 690 million minutes watched Oct. 11-17, during which its fifth episode was released. As in previous weeks, Season 1 also charted, this time two spots below Season 2 in seventh place with 335.3 million minutes watched. Netflix...

Netflix's new zombie horror movie has become a global streaming hit. Netflix has been producing original movies since the mid-2010s. Although they take on a variety of genres, they began making horror projects about a year in, with 2016's I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House. Their roster has significantly expanded since then to include movies such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Perfection, Apostle, and The Cloverfield Paradox, the Stephen King adaptations Gerald's Game, Mr. Harrigan's Phone, and In the Tall Grass, as well as the Fear Street trilogy and the Babysitter and Bird Box franchises.

Netflix has also dabbled in the zombie genre before, with their most successful feature-length installment in the genre most likely being Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead, which spawned the prequel Army of Thieves. On the series side, one of their most popular efforts is the South...

Liam Hemsworth's 2024 romantic drama, Lonely Planet, has claimed the top spot on Netflix's weekly chart. Released direct to the streaming platform on October 11, Lonely Planet tells the story of a successful novelist suffering with writer's block, played by Laura Dern, who finds love in an exotic place with Hemsworth's finance manager. The movie, which was written and directed by Academy Award nominee Susannah Grant, also stars Diana Silvers, Younes Boucif, Adriano Giannini, and Rachida Brakni.

Now, in its first full week of availability, Lonely Planet is enjoying success on Netflix, with it hitting the top spot on the streaming platform's Global Top 10 Movies chart for the week of October 14 to October 20. The movie debuted at #1 on the charts, with 13.7 million views this week, edging out Woman of the Hour, Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare, The Menendez Brothers, Sing, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, The Predator, Unhinged, Jurassic World Dominion,...

Update: Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón is planning to make a decision about the fate of the Menendez brothers and their possible early release very soon

“There’s actually two different camps in my office,” Gascón told CNN (via Deadline). “I have a group of people, including some that were involved in the original trial, that are adamant that they should spend the rest of their life in prison and that they were not molested. I have other people in the office that believe actually, that they probably were molested and that they deserve to have some relief… I plan to have a decision by the end of this week.“

— Original article follows —

Earlier this month, Monsters creator Ryan Murphy predicted that Erik and Lyle Menendez could be released by Christmas, and it may actually happen. Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón is said to be mulling an early...

Woman of the Hour has become a Netflix hit. Inspired by the show The Dating Game, this crime-thriller is a story about a woman named Sheryl Bradshaw who searches for a new love on a 1970s reality TV show, only to find out that the man she chose is not who he appears to be. The Netflix film is directed by actor Anna Kendrick, who also stars in the film. In addition to Kendrick, Woman of the Hour features a leading cast including Tony Hale, Daniel Zovatto, Nicolette Robinson, Pete Holmes, and Autumn Best.

Now, Woman of the Hour has managed to make it onto the Netflix charts. The film made it to no. 2 on the Netflix Global Top 10 for the week of October 14 to October 20. In this time period, Woman of the Hour amassed 9.9 million views. It came in right behind Lonely Planet, which made it onto the top...

Lonely Planet. (L-r) Laura Dern as Katherine Loewe and Liam Hemsworth as Owen Brophy in Lonely Planet. Cr. Anne Marie Fox/Netflix © 2024 It was a week of high-seas adventures, heart-fluttering romances, and chilling true crime on Netflix! Let’s dive into the streaming giant’s Top 10 list for the week of October 14th and see what had viewers glued to their screens. The Pogues are back and better than ever! Outer Banks Season 4, Part 1, rode the wave to the top spot for the second week in a row, proving that the treasure hunt never gets old. Fans even revisited Season 1, sending it back into the Top 10. With Part 2 dropping November 7th, excitement is running high! Speaking of excitement, Poguelandia is returning to Santa Monica on November 2nd, offering fans a chance to immerse themselves in the world of Obx with live music, themed food, and iconic set pieces. Age-gap romances are having a moment,...

You are reading an exclusive WrapPRO article for free. Want to level up your entertainment career? Go here for more information.

“Outer Banks” Season 4 held onto its title as Netflix’s most-watched TV show of the week for the second week in a row.

After the first half of Season 4 debuted atop the list following its Oct. 10 premiere with 15.5 million views, “Outer Banks” Season 4 maintained its dominance on the English TV list with 8.8 million views during the week of Oct. 14, despite its viewership nearly being cut in half. Viewing also spiked for “Outer Banks” Season 1, which rose to the No. 8 spot on the list with 2.2 million views.

Viewership for “Outer Banks” Season 4 narrowly outpaced the newest season of “The Lincoln Lawyer,” which debuted its third season on Oct. 17 and scored 7 million views to land in second place on the English TV list.

Netflix hits “Nobody Wants This” and “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story...

Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth are stealing audiences’ hearts on Netflix with their new romance flick Lonely Planet.

In its first full week on the streamer, from October 14 to 20, the film captured 13.7M views. That put it at the top of the English films list and made it the most-watched title of the week, up nearly 3M from the viewership in its debut weekend.

Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut came in second place among English films with 9.9M views, putting it on the list for the first time. As usual, true crime stole the show, with The Menendez Brothers documentary, which features new interviews with the brothers, remained on the list, albeit dropping a few spots to fourth place with 6.9M views.

Rounding out the top five in film was Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare in third with 7M views, and Sing in fifth place.

On the TV side of things,...

District Attorney George Gascón could announce as soon as this week that he is seeking to have the Menendez brothers released from prison.

Lyle and Erik Menendez are serving sentences of life without parole for the August 1989 murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty. The Netflix series “Monsters” and the documentary “The Menendez Brothers” have brought renewed attention to their case and to the defense that they were both victims of their father’s sexual abuse.

Gascón, a reform-minded prosecutor, has indicated some sympathy for their cause, and he might go along with a defense request to reduce their sentences.

But if he does, that does not mean that the brothers would walk free right away. A judge still has to approve the request. And things could get complicated if — as expected — Gascón loses the Nov. 5 election, now just two weeks away.

So how might it play out?

Here’s...

Contains themes of sexual abuse

The Menendez story has dominated the news since Netflix's twin releases, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menedez Story and The Menendez Brothers. The latter documentary firmly landed on the view that the sibling's murder of their parents in 1989 was brought about as a result of years of sexual, physical, and mental abuse by Jose Menendez, their father. The Menendez Brothers Netflix documentary further suggested that after an initial mistrial and hung jury, Judge Stanley Weisberg, stung by the failure to reach a verdict, suppressed much of the abuse evidence at the retrial, directly leading to the boys' murder conviction.

Recently surfaced new evidence appears to support the Menendez brothers, and may well force current L.A. District Attorney George Gascon's hand in reviewing their life sentences, a process he'd already set in motion after other fresh evidence emerged as a result of Netflix's dramatic intervention.