News

With 11 Emmy nominations, including one for outstanding limited or anthology series, and viewership in the all-time U.S. top 10, Baby Reindeer has proved a massive success for Netflix.

Richard Gadd’s dramatic thriller — about a woman named Martha (Jessica Gunning) who stalks Gadd’s bartender character, Donny — claims in a title card to be “a true story” based on Gadd’s experience.

But a defamation lawsuit filed in June by the real-life Martha, Fiona Harvey, alleges that Baby Reindeer is not as true as it claims. Unlike Martha, Harvey never went to jail for stalking Gadd and has never been convicted of a crime. “[Gadd is] making money out of my misery,” she told Piers Morgan. “He’s the ultimate misogynist.”

The case has led to a splashy legal back-and-forth in which Gadd has admitted in filings that the show “is fictionalized and is not intended to portray actual facts” and Netflix...

Ariana Grande has been a leading name in the music industry. With her iconic use of whistle register and unique vocal range, she has amassed a widespread fanbase and numerous accolades. But the 7 Rings singer presently finds herself amidst a massive controversy after recalling an old story from her early career, involving Jeffrey Dahmer.

Ariana Grande (@arianagrande | Instagram)

Jeffrey Dahmer symbolizes a dark phase in America’s past. The Wisconsin-born late individual was a notorious serial killer who killed and dismembered at least 17 males between 1978 to 1991. In the wake of Ariana Grande’s comments, the family of the late Tony Hughes, a deaf and mute victim of Jeffrey Dahmer, slammed the Grammy winner for her insensitive attitude.

Ariana Grande’s fascination with Jeffrey Dahmer leads her into trouble

Jeffrey Dahmer in Conversations With A Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes | Netflix

Ariana Grande‘s revelation came recently after she visited Penn Badgley’s Podcrushed podcast.

Netflix is cashing in on the monumental success of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s limited series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Despite receiving backlash for the apparent mishandling of communications with the families of the killer’s victims, the streaming giant has ordered two more installments of the anthology series torturously platforming “other monstrous figures who have impacted society.”

“Audiences can’t take their eyes off Monster and The Watcher,” Bela Bajaria, Head of Global TV, Netflix, said in a statement, noting Murphy and Brennan’s other series created with Eric Newman,...

Creator and executive producer Ryan Murphy has finally spoken out regarding the growing criticism of his Netflix biographical crime drama Dahmer– Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.

The series tells the story of Jeffrey Dahmer, a serial killer who horrifically murdered 17 men between the years of 1978 and 1991. Despite the show’s stated goal of “exposing these unconscionable crimes, centered around the underserved victims and their communities impacted by the systemic racism and institutional failures of the police,” the series took heat for its focus on the killer’s gruesome behavior and the specific framing of his victims’ stories.

More from TVLineRyan...

A Milwaukee attorney who says he once represented eight of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims’ families is calling on Ryan Murphy to share the profits from his Netflix mini-series Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story with his former clients.

Thomas M Jacobson also called Murphy’s suggestion of a memorial contribution for Dahmer’s victims “an aftertought”.

“The memorial contribution for the Dahmer victims by Ryan Murphy seems likes an afterthought,” Jacobson told US publication TheWrap via email. “Milwaukee wanted Dahmer memory to disappear so not wanting any remembrance of his mayhem in the community is a given.”

Jacobson also suggested what he considers the proper remedy: “The only meaningful Dahmer victim family action on Murphy’s part would be a monetary consideration from the Netflix profits for their exploitation and continuing trauma.”

Jacobson’s remarks come amid increased scrutiny on Murphy, whose based-on-a-true-story television series has been accused of exploitation.

Thomas M. Jacobson, the former Milwaukee attorney who represented eight of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims’ families and fought to prevent the serial killer from profiting from his murders, feels Ryan Murphy’s statements regarding funding a memorial is not only too little, too late for the emotional damage his Netflix series cost the families, but absolutely the wrong move.

“The memorial contribution for the Dahmer victims by Ryan Murphy seems likes an afterthought,” Jacobson told TheWrap. “Milwaukee wanted Dahmer memory to disappear so not wanting any remembrance of his mayhem in the community is a given.”

He offered the following alternative: “The only meaningful Dahmer victim family action on Murphy’s part would be a monetary consideration from the Netflix profits for their exploitation and continuing trauma.”

Also Read:

Ryan Murphy Insists He Contacted Jeffrey Dahmer Victims’ Families Ahead of Netflix Show – and Got No Response

Murphy on Thursday claimed the production,...

Ryan Murphy tried to get those affected on board with “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”.

Speaking at an event Thursday at the DGA Theater in L.A., the TV creator revealed that he reached out to the loved ones of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims before writing the series.

Read More: Families Of Jeffrey Dahmer’s Victims Slam New Netflix Series: ‘It Didn’t Happen Like That’

“It’s something that we researched for a very long time,” he said of the show, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“Over the course of the three, three and a half years when we were really writing it, working on it, we reached out to 20, around 20 of the victims’ families and friends trying to get input, trying to talk to people and not a single person responded to us in that process,” Murphy added.

Because they didn’t have the families’ input, the writers “relied very,...

After backlash from angry families of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims who said that they never heard from Ryan Murphy’s series about his Netflix series “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” Murphy claims that he did reach out to “around 20” relatives and friends, but “not a single person responded to us.”

“Over the course of the three, three-and-a-half years when we were really writing it, working on it, we reached out to 20, around 20, of the victims’ families and friends trying to get input, trying to talk to people,” said Murphy, speaking at an event at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “And not a single person responded to us in that process.”

This contradicts statements made by family members including Rita Isbell, the sister of Dahmer victim Errol Lindsey, whose emotional real-life court scenes were recreated for the series.

In a September article for Insider,...

Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story creator Ryan Murphy has hit back at claims that he did not reach out to victims’ families prior to the show’s release on Netflix, which resulted in what one victim’s family member called a “retraumatizing” of the events.

Following Monster’s release in Sept., several victims’ family members turned to social media to criticize the show for not only turning their tragedy into entertainment — but not even warning them ahead of time.

However, speaking at an event Thursday in Los Angeles, Murphy insisted...

Ryan Murphy’s “Dahmer” is one of Netflix’s most watched series of all time, but it’s also one of the streamer’s most controversial. The show has been lambasted online for glorifying real-life serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, and some family members of his victims have spoken out, claiming the series is “retraumatizing” and capitalizes on others’ tragedy without involving them in the project.

Murphy alluded to the controversy surrounding the hit Netflix show at an event at Los Angeles’ DGA Theatre on Thursday, saying the subject matter “is something that we researched for a very long time.”

“Over the course of the three, three and a half years when we were really writing it, working on it, we reached out to 20, around 20 of the victims’ families and friends, trying to get input, trying to talk to people, and not a single person responded to us in that process,...

Click here to read the full article.

Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story creator Ryan Murphy said he and his team reached out to 20 victims’ families and friends during the three and a half years it took to research and prepare for the Netflix series about the serial killer.

“It’s something that we researched for a very long time,” Murphy said at an event for the show at the DGA Theatre in Los Angeles on Thursday. “And we — over the course of the three, three and a half years when we were really writing it, working on it — we reached out to 20, around 20, of the victims’ families and friends trying to get input, trying to talk to people. And not a single person responded to us in that process. So we relied very, very heavily on our incredible group of researchers who… I don’t even know how they...

The daughter of one of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims has shared her regret after watching the Netflix show Monster about the serial killer.

Errol Lindsey was 19 years old when he was killed by Dahmer on 7 April 1991.

He was survived by five siblings and a partner who was pregnant at the time of his death.

The daughter of Mr Lindsey, 31-year-old Tatiana Banks, told Insider that “honestly ever since that show’s been on I haven’t been able to sleep”.

“I see Jeffrey Dahmer in my sleep,” she said of her nightmares that have lasted weeks.

Ms Banks, of Arizona, was born six months after the death of her father. She said she watched one episode of the show, which she called “heartbreaking”.

The episode she watched included her aunt Rita Isbell giving a victim impact statement during the sentencing hearing for Dahmer.

Netflix Jeffrey Dahmer’s victim’s sister...

The daughter of one of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims has shared her regret after watching the Netflix show Monster about the serial killer.

Errol Lindsey was 19 years old when he was killed by Dahmer on 7 April 1991.

He was survived by five siblings and a partner who was pregnant at the time of his death.

The daughter of Mr Lindsey, 31-year-old Tatiana Banks, told Insider that “honestly ever since that show’s been on I haven’t been able to sleep”.

“I see Jeffrey Dahmer in my sleep,” she said of her nightmares that have lasted weeks.

Ms Banks, of Arizona, was born six months after the death of her father. She said she watched one episode of the show, which she called “heartbreaking”.

The episode she watched included her aunt Rita Isbell giving a victim impact statement during the sentencing hearing for Dahmer.

Netflix Jeffrey Dahmer’s victim’s sister...

"Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" was originally slated to be reviewed by /Film upon its September release. However, those plans were canceled after watching the first episode. It felt wrong to analyze and pick apart something that draws out the vicious murders of real-life individuals, especially when looking at it from an objective point of view. While it is important to champion controversial art, there are simply some lines that shouldn't be crossed.

It seems, though, like many other people have no issue crossing those lines. "Monster" currently stands as the third most popular television show on Netflix after spending several weeks in the number one spot. It has inspired a disturbing TikTok challenge (via Indy100) and has even prompted eBay to ban the sale of Halloween costumes of the serial killer (via BuzzFeed News). For a show that claims to be told from the perspective of Dahmer's victims,...

The daughter of one of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims has shared her regret after watching the Netflix show Monster about the serial killer.

Errol Lindsey was 19 years old when he was killed by Dahmer on 7 April 1991.

He was survived by five siblings and a partner who was pregnant at the time of his death.

The daughter of Mr Lindsey, 31-year-old Tatiana Banks, told Insider that “honestly ever since that show’s been on I haven’t been able to sleep”.

“I see Jeffrey Dahmer in my sleep,” she said of her nightmares that have lasted weeks.

Ms Banks, of Arizona, was born six months after the death of her father. She said she watched one episode of the show, which she called “heartbreaking”.

The episode she watched included her aunt Rita Isbell giving a victim impact statement during the sentencing hearing for Dahmer.

Netflix Jeffrey Dahmer’s victim’s sister...

"Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" is the latest true-crime dramatization to feature a famously good-looking actor as an infamous murderer. Evan Peters stars as the titular real-life serial killer in the September 2022 release, following the likes of Ross Lynch as Dahmer in 2017's "My Friend Dahmer," Zac Efron as Ted Bundy in 2019's "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile," and many others. But despite its high production value, successful ratings, and supposed aim to educate its audience, the series is sparking long overdue conversations about how true-crime dramatizations tend to capitalize on shock value, exploit victims while romanticizing perpetrators, and ultimately do more harm than good.

Jeffrey Dahmer was a serial killer who murdered 17 young men and boys between 1978 and 1991. He sought out his victims - mostly Black, Latino, and Asian men - at gay bars, bus stops, and malls, luring them into his home and drugging them before strangling them to death.

With the release of the Ryan Murphy-produced true-crime series “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”, family members of some of the notorious serial killer’s victims are expressing their displeasure with the dramatization.

Shirley Hughes, the mother of Tony Hughes, who was murdered by Dahmer, told The Guardian that while she didn’t watch the entire series, she takes issue with the way events are depicted because “it didn’t happen like that.”

Hughes blasted the show, adding, “I don’t see how they can do that. I don’t see how they can use our names and put stuff out like that out there.”

Read More: Netflix Removes LGBTQ Tag From ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ After Criticism

Hughes is among the 17 victims of Dahmer, portrayed by “American Horror Story” regular Evan Peters.

She’s not the only family member of a Dahmer victim to slam the show. Rita Isbell,...

Netflix’s “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” earned a whopping 299.84 million hours viewed in its first full week of availability. That performance makes the limited series the second most-watched English-language series in one week’s time behind “Stranger Things 4,” which technically had two larger weeks (335.01 million hours from May 30-June 5 and 301.28 million hours June 27-July 3).

The “English-language” distinction is important here as “Squid Game” is still the streaming service’s overall champ in both single-week and 28-day tallies. Netflix ranks shows and movies overall by their first 28 days; on that chart, “Dahmer” is already ninth (and damn close to eighth) all-time among English-language series. There is still lots of time left for “Dahmer” to climb up this chart:

Week 2 of “Dahmer” was way ahead of Netflix’s No. 2 show from September 26-October 2, “Dynasty: Season 5,” which was runner-up with 44.61 million hours viewed. Season 2 of “Fate: The Winx Saga” was...

In Netflix’s new 10-part series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, filmmakers tried to tell the story of one of America’s most gruesome serial murdererers “as authentically as we could”, according to the show’s star Evan Peters.

“It felt important to be respectful to the victims, to the victims’ families,” said Peters in a promotional video posted to Twitter.

“You need to have certain plot points because he did do these things, but you don’t need to embellish them. You know we get it, we don’t need to see it over and over again.”

That lofty sentiment was skewered by Rita Isbell, the sister of Dahmer’s 11th victim Errol Lindsey, whose courtroom confrontation with her brother’s murderer in 1992 was recreated frame-by-frame from news footage for The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.

In an essay for Insider, Ms Isbell said she was not even consulted prior to the secretive project being released,...

Click here to read the full article.

Netflix has taken an “LGBTQ” tag off of its true-crime series Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story after an outcry from viewers.

The tag was one of several categories initially used to categorize the limited series about the serial killer from Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, along with labels like “dark,” “horror” and “vintage crime.” Viewers noticed and raised objections online: “Anyone else think it’s pretty gross of Netflix to list Dahmer under LGBTQ, especially when the True Crime tag would have worked?” read one representative tweet.

A well viewed TikTok video expressed a similar sentiment, noting that the show is “not the representation we’re looking for.” Netflix subsequently removed the category tag.

The Hollywood Reporter has asked Netflix for comment.

Dahmer was gay, as were a number of his victims, but Netflix typically uses the LGBTQ tag for titles...

“Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” the awkwardly titled, fictionalized true-crime series from “American Horror Story” vets Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, debuted on Netflix last week with the LGBTQ category tag. But after public outcry, Netflix quietly removed it. (It was gone two days after the series premiered.)

While “Dahmer” has broken records for the streaming service, it has also generated significant controversy, with fans unhappy that the streamer placed the LGBTQ label on the series. Netflix usually uses the tag on more positive LGBTQ content like breakout series “Heartstopper” and “Sex Education.” “Dahmer” is, of course, based on the life and crimes of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer (played in the show by Murphy regular Evan Peters), who murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991.

Also Read:

‘Dahmer’ Soundtrack: All the Songs in Netflix’s True Crime Series

The backlash began last week, picking up steam as Twitter users complained of the dubious association.

Netflix has removed the LGBTQ tag from its Ryan Murphy-created Jeffrey Dahmer limited series, “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.” The show, starring Evan Peters as the notorious serial killer, launched Sept. 21 on the streaming platform and was categorized under the LGBTQ tag for at least two days. A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to Variety the LGBTQ tag was officially removed by Friday, Sept. 23.

The decision to categorize “Dahmer” as LGBTQ content ignited controversy on social media, with many subscribers condemning Netflix for the decision (via the Los Angeles Times). The tag is normally used to spotlight shows such as “Heartstopper” and “Sex Education,” both of which include LGBTQ characters and subject matter in a positive light. “Dahmer” technically does feature an LGBTQ character since the serial killer was a gay man, but as one subscriber wrote on TikTok, “This is not the representation we’re looking for.

Click here to read the full article.

Rita Isbell, a family member of one of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims who is portrayed in the new Netflix series about the serial killer, is speaking out about Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.

Isbell’s brother, Errol Lindsey, was murdered at age 19 by Dahmer. She gave a victim impact statement during Dahmer’s 1992 sentencing, when the killer was given 15 consecutive life sentences. The emotional moment is re-created in the Ryan Murphy- and Ian Brennan-created limited series, which topped the streamer’s top 10 list the week of its Sept. 21 release.

“When I saw some of the show, it bothered me, especially when I saw myself — when I saw my name come across the screen and this lady saying verbatim exactly what I said,” wrote Isbell in an essay for Insider. “If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought it was me.

Netflix’s “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” just had the streaming service’s most-watched Week 1 for a new series on record. And yes, that includes “Squid Game.”

“Dahmer” earned a whopping 196.2 million hours viewed in its first week of availability, which was really just five days. It debuted on a Wednesday, giving the Ryan Murphy drama starring Evan Peters a two-day head start on many other Netflix shows; with some variation, the streaming service typically premieres on Fridays. The Wednesday start was a bit of a throwback for Netflix; given these results, it may be tempting to bring back the company’s former favorite launch day.

For some immediate context, Netflix’s No. 2 series last week was Season 2 of “Fate: The Winx Saga,” which hauled in 60.97 million hours viewed in its second week on the charts (and first full week of availability). “Cobra Kai” Season 5 was third with...

Jeffrey Dahmer's return to the spotlight is not sitting well with everybody. Evan Peters stars as the notorious serial killer in Netflix's Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan. The series tells the grisly story of Dahmer's killing spree from 1978 to 1991 when he murdered and dismembered nearly 20 men. The series instantly shot to the top of the streamer's charts and has dominated social media discussion since its release on Sept. 21—but not everybody is a fan. Rita Isbell, whose 19-year-old brother Errol Lindsey was murdered by Dahmer in April 1991, said she was never even made aware that Netflix was making a series...

The new series about one of America’s more notorious serial killers has stoked plenty of criticism.

Netflix premiered “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”, starring Evan Peters, on Sept. 21, and almost immediately people began to find fault in the rollout.

Read More: Evan Peters Is Jeffrey Dahmer In Chilling New ‘Monster’ Trailer

As some on Twitter noted, Netflix had put an “LGBTQ” tag on the series, which struck many as the wrong move.

No way they put an LGBTQ tag on the new Dahmer series like Please pic.twitter.com/BN2XV9ThXb

— vaquero triste (@CrumbsOnYoPlate) September 22, 2022

Dahmer, who brutally killed 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991, had come out as gay after a conviction for sexual assault in 1989, and again two years later.

It has been asserted that Dahmer used his homosexuality to secure a shorter sentence on the sexual assault conviction, and later used it to hoodwink police after a 14-year-old victim,...

The sister and cousin of one of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims are blasting Ryan Murphy’s “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” which stars Evan Peters as the serial killer, for “retraumatizing” them and never even notifying them that the Netflix series was in the works.

Eric Perry, a cousin of Dahmer victim Errol Lindsey, tweeted last week, “I’m not telling anyone what to watch, I know true crime media is huge [right now], but if you’re actually curious about the victims, my family (the Isbell’s) are pissed about this show. It’s retraumatizing over and over again, and for what? How many movies/shows/documentaries do we need?,” asked. He quote tweeted side-by-side videos of Errol’s sister Rita Isbell in court in 1992 next to the actress who plays her in “Monster.”

“Like recreating my cousin having an emotional breakdown in court in the face of the man who...

Major media conglomerate Netflix has once again dipped its toes into the profit well that is true crime content. Its newest Ryan Murphy offering, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, aims to give famed serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer a dramatized origin story, but family members of Dahmer’s victims say the series capitalized on their trauma without telling them.

Rita Isbell, sister of Dahmer victim Errol Lindsey, told Insider that none of her family were contacted by the show’s creators and it bothered her to see herself depicted on screen.

The new Netflix limited series Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story arrived last week and its harshest critics aren’t professionals. Families of one particular victim are speaking out against the show, bringing attention to an often overlooked aspect of true crime dramas.

A Twitter user who goes by @ericthulhu has lashed out at the producers of Dahmer for further exploiting victims, particularly in his own family. The user is the cousin of Rita Isbell, the older sister of Jeffrey Dahmer victim Erroll Lindsey. The 19-year-old Lindsey was killed in 1991 in a way we are absolutely not going to describe here–not because of a Twitter blow-up but because that is not how we were taught to use power tools.

I’m not telling anyone what to watch, I know true crime media is huge rn, but if you’re actually curious about the victims, my family (the Isbell’s) are pissed about this show.

The blood was in the water for Netflix's "Dahmer" well before the series hit the streaming platform on September 21, 2022. The awkward full title aside ("Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story"), the series should have been Netflix gold: it combined the streamer's knack for dramatic true-crime storytelling with the star power of Evan Peters and Ryan Murphy. Certainly, there's been no shortage of content about or inspired by serial-killers in recent years, especially on Netflix.

So why did "Dahmer" drop with such a quietly squishy plop?

"Dahmer" did not received the traditional Netflix treatment, which is never a good sign. As Stuart Heritage notes in The Guardian, the lack of marketing and manufactured buzz for the series screams of low-faith from the streamer:

"Dahmer" just arrived. There was no premiere. No media were granted preview access, none of the show's stars were made available for interview. Unless you caught...

A relative of one of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims has spoken out against Netflix’s new thriller, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, for “retraumatising” their family.

The show – based on serial killer Dahmer’s real crimes – stars Mare of Easttown actor Evan Peters as the man also known as the “Milwaukee Cannibal” and the “Milwaukee Monster”, who committed the murders and dismemberments of 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991.

Since its arrival on the platform on 22 September, some have found the show’s gruesome scenes nauseating, with many angered viewers believing it romanticises and glorifies the tragic murders.

One courtroom scene has gone viral using a side-by-side comparison to the actual 1992 trial. In it, Rita Isbell (portrayed by DaShawn Barnes), the older sister of 19-year-old victim Errol Lindsey, is seen yelling in agony during her trial statement.

Lindsey was strangled to death after Dahmer’s alleged experiment to keep him in a permanent zombie-like state,...