Ryan Murphy has another anthology after Netflix ordered two additional installments of his Monster franchise following the success of Dahmer.
The streamer has also ordered a second season of his drama series The Watcher.
Neither move is a surprise given the ratings success of both shows, particularly the outsized ratings of Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which is on course to reach 1B hours viewed in the coming weeks.
Both Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and The Watcher come from American Horror Story co-creator Murphy and Glee co-creator Ian Brennan.
Netflix didn’t disclose what the two additional installments of the Monster anthology franchise will cover but said that they will “tell the stories of other monstrous figures who have impacted society”.
Murphy is behind an incredible number of franchises including American Horror Story, American Horror Stories, American Crime Story, American Love Story, Feud and 9-1-1.
The streamer has been keen to extend the franchise since it became clear that Dahmer would be a huge success – becoming Netflix’s second biggest English-language series after Stranger Things.
The success of both shows has silenced those that believed Murphy failed to deliver hits for the streamer after signing a $300M deal in 2018. Murphy’s deal is up in the coming months and there’ll be intense scrutiny as to whether he extends his pact with Netflix, moves to a rival, or teams back up with his close friend Dana Walden, who is now Chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content.
But he recently told the New York Times, “I might not do anything,” he said. “I might retire and launch a line of beeswax products. I would not be surprised if I moved to the East Coast and changed my life completely. I just bought a farm and I’ve always wanted to be a farmer. I grew up in Indiana. My backyard was a cornfield.”
Bela Bajaria, Head of Global TV, Netflix, said, “Audiences can’t take their eyes off Monster and The Watcher. The creative team of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan on Monster along with Eric Newman on The Watcher are masterful storytellers who captivated audiences all over the world. The back-to-back force of these two series is due to Ryan’s distinct original voice which created cultural sensations and we are thrilled to continue telling stories in the Monster and Watcher universes.”
Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story stars Evan Peters stars as the notorious serial killer. The ten-part series is largely told from the point of view of Dahmer’s victims, and dives deeply into the police incompetence and apathy that allowed the Wisconsin native to go on a multiyear killing spree. The series dramatizes at least 10 instances where Dahmer was almost apprehended but ultimately let go.
Niecy Nash also stars in the series, along with Richard Jenkins, Molly Ringwald and Michael Learned.
The series comes from Murphy and Ian Brennan, who created it and exec produce alongside Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Evan Peters, Janet Mock, and Carl Franklin.
The Watcher, which launched October 13, has now been viewed for 125M hours in its first five days on the service. The Naomi Watts- and Bobby Cannavale-fronted series made it into the top 10 in 90 countries.
The series follows the Brannock family when they move into what is supposed to be their suburban dream home but quickly becomes a living hell. Ominous letters from someone calling themself “The Watcher” are just the beginning as the neighborhood’s sinister secrets come spilling out.
Inspired by the true story of the infamous “Watcher” house in New Jersey, the series also stars Mia Farrow, Terry Kinney, Jennifer Coolidge, Richard Kind, Margo Martindale, Joe Mantello, Noma Dumezweni, Christopher McDonald, Michael Nouri, Isabel Gravitt, Henry Hunter Hall and Luke David Blumm.
Created by Murphy and Ian Brennan, the pair also exec produce alongside Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Bryan Unkeless, Eric Newman, Paris Barclay, Watts, Ariel Schulman, Henry Joost and Scoop Wasserstein.