Netflix has released the first teaser for Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, the fourth season of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan's true-crime anthology, confirming an eight-episode run led by Ella Beatty that premieres September 17 on the streamer.
TL;DR
- Netflix's teaser retells the 1892 axe murders that made Lizzie Borden infamous.
- Ella Beatty stars as Borden, alongside Charlie Hunnam, Rebecca Hall and Sarah Paulson.
- All eight episodes land on Netflix September 17.
- UK viewers need the Standard plan, now £12.99 a month, to stream in HD.
What the new teaser shows
The near one-minute clip opens on a bare stage with a piano key striking on its own before cutting to the familiar nursery rhyme: "Lizzie Borden took an ax. Gave her mother 40 whacks." A voiceover carries the rhyme while the sound of repeated axe blows plays over the scene, and the teaser ends on a blood-covered Lizzie as a second voiceover finishes the verse.
The season stars Ella Beatty as Borden and marks the first female killer at the centre of the anthology series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Borden was tried and acquitted over the axe killings of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts, in 1892.
Cast and creative team
Ryan Murphy co-created the season with Ian Brennan, who wrote it, and Sarah Adina Smith directs two episodes while Max Winkler directs the remainder. Vicky Krieps plays Bridget Sullivan, Charlie Hunnam is Andrew Borden, Rebecca Hall plays Abby Borden, Billie Lourd is Emma Borden, Jessica Barden plays Nance O'Neil, and Joey Pollari and Sarah Paulson round out the ensemble.
Ella Beatty discussed the role in an interview with Netflix's Tudum, according to Deadline. She said the season "delves into female rage and repression," calling it Monster's first female lead story.
Why this story, why now
Murphy told The Hollywood Reporter the case still resonates. He said the Borden story is "very about today" because it centres on the unresolved question of whether she committed the murders, and that the franchise's real subject is whether monsters are made or born. He added that the season effectively features three "monsters" — Borden, Aileen Wuornos (played by Paulson) and Elizabeth Báthory (played by Krieps).
The premise, per TVLine: a repressed daughter of a wealthy New England family and her maid are trapped in a household built on cruelty until the unsolved murders that follow turn Borden into an American legend.
Streaming and UK availability
| Plan | UK price |
| Standard with Ads | £5.99 |
| Standard (HD) | £12.99 |
| Premium (4K) | £18.99 |
Source: Netflix UK pricing, verified via netflix.com/gb
UK subscribers on the Standard tier or above will be able to stream Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story in HD from September 17. Two of the season's leads have British ties: Charlie Hunnam is English, and Rebecca Hall, who plays Abby Borden, is a British actress. Reportedly, an official BBFC rating had not been published at the time of writing.
For more on what's currently streaming, see our breakdown of the ending of Netflix's The Last House.
Reported from publicly available interviews and verified press sources. Last reviewed August 12, 2026.
