Netflix this week announced that Ryan Murphy's limited series biopic Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story will be expanded into second and third seasons, with the narrative evolving into an "anthology" format that will track the development and machinations of other serial killers.
The question isn't so much how could Netflix do this.
Monster had the second biggest 28-day opening ever for a Netflix English-language show last month, capturing more than 856.2 million hours of streaming on the paid global platform.
At one point in October, the buzz surrounding Monster was so hot on Netflix, that a separate complimentary limited docu-series, Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes, was the week's second most-watched Netflix TV show.
The matter of whether Netflix should make Monster a regular ongoing series is debatable. A backlash has emerged suggesting that Netflix might be erring, serving the more prurient desires of its audience in creating what Buzzfeed called a "true crime industrial complex."
It's true, Netflix has had a long, successful history with docu-series that fixate on serial killers, including Conversations With a Killer. And there have been other Netflix original shows that have focused on these diabolical evildoers, including David Fincher's Mindhunter.
But while these programs tend to narrate through the lens of those investigating the crimes, Monster told its story more directly through the Milwaukee killer himself, played by Evan Peters, alongside a supporting cast that included Richard Jenkins and Molly Ringwald.
Touting the renewal, along with the expansion of another one of Ryan's very recent limited series, The Watcher, Netflix global TV chief Bela Bejaria chose language that was seized upon by social media.
"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,” Bejaria said.
"Universes?"
On Forbes, contributor Paul Tassi accused Netflix of making a "serial killer cinematic universe," a move made questionable after Murphy was accused of not doing enough to contact -- and avoid exploiting -- family members of Dahmer's victims, as well as other survivors, witnesses and investigators associated with his infamous killing spree.
On social media, the backlash was even harsher.
