Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders Is Now Streaming On Peacock — What to Know
Award-winning actress Edie Falco, while discussing her starring role as defense attorney Leslie Abramson, once said there were "quite a few more details to the story than we were made aware of.”
The case of Lyle and Erik Menendez has long captivated the nation, so much so that it gained its own Dick Wolf series, Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders, which is now available to watch on Peacock.
The Law & Order spinoff, comprising eight star-studded episodes, came to life in 2017, covering the sensational trial of the two Beverly Hills brothers accused of their parents’ shocking 1989 murders.
Starring Emmy Award and Golden Globe winner Edie Falco (The Sopranos, Nurse Jackie) as real-life defense attorney Leslie Abramson, the true crime series follows those involved with the high-profile case, while “detailing the day-to-day battles of the trial and unveiling the shocking truth of what really went down when the cameras stopped rolling,” according to the show’s official page.
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Keep reading to learn more.
Where to Watch Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders
All eight episodes of Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders are available to stream now on Peacock.
The miniseries, starring Miles Gaston Villanueva and Gus Halper the Menendez brothers, boasts a superb lineup of award-winning actors. Harry Hamlin (Clash of the Titans, Mad Men), Anthony Edwards (ER, Top Gun), and Julianne Nicholson (Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Mare of Eastown) are just a few of many to grace the screen.
Falco’s standout performance also snapped a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.
Why Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders Is So Relevant Now
Lyle and Erik Menendez, who were 21 and 18 when they shot and killed parents Kitty and José Menendez, are currently serving life in prison for the 1989 double homicide. The case has never strayed far from the spotlight, and in recent years, their convictions have drawn a mountain of criticism — primarily over how evidence pointing to the parents’ alleged physical and sexual abuse was omitted from their final trial.
Edie Falco touched on this when discussing her Law & Order performance with People in 2017: “There’s quite a few more details to the story than we were made aware of,” Falco said. “It makes me sad that they weren’t included in the trial and that people feel the way they do about this situation with knowing actually so little about it.”
In recent weeks, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has called for a review of the case — citing shifting attitudes on how society views murders committed by sex abuse victims. The D.A. has since appealed to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, recommending the men’s release.
A hearing has been scheduled for later this year.
Most Memorable Scenes from Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders
Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders features a handful of unforgettable scenes, several of which were curated in a blog post published by Wolf Entertainment, the production company headed by Law & Order powerhouse producer Dick Wolf. One scene, detailing how the real-life events unfolded in the public eye before the brothers’ arrests, sees Falco’s character as Leslie Abramson watching the news, emphatically telling her Los Angeles Times reporter husband, “Those boys did it.”
Another scene with the married couple shows Abramson's growing interest in the case, where she states her reservations about the brothers being portrayed in the news as “rich, greedy brats.”
“Good athletes, good students, polite, well behaved,” Abramson told her husband. “People like that don’t just wake up and turn into Charlie Manson.”
In a clip surrounding the brothers’ actions, the young men sit tensely in a jeep, trying to figure out their next move. Another shows Erik Menendez experiencing an emotional flashback of his parents’ gruesome deaths.
One of the more shocking scenes in the show’s first few episodes captures Abramson’s now-famous press conference, in which she accused authorities of invading Erik and Lyle Menendez’s privacy — hence violating their Sixth Amendment rights — by seizing notes by Erik Menendez’s psychologist, evidence she asserted should have been protected under physician-client privilege.
It's a real-life story you don’t want to miss.
Watch Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders, streaming now on Peacock.
