Netflix hit Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez The awards season has started. The limited series received a total of three nominations at the 2025 Golden Globes, announced Monday in Los Angeles, as the fate of the real-life Menendez brothers remains in the hands of the city’s new top law enforcement officer.

Monster is nominated for one of the biggest television awards of the year – best limited series, anthology series or motion picture made for television. And two of the series’ stars, both of whom received consistent praise for their performances, received acting nominations: newcomer Cooper Koch, who plays Erik Menendez on the series, nominated for Best Performance by a Male Actor in the limited series category and for His impressive performance as patriarch José Menendez saw veteran actor Javier Bardem nominated for Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role for an Anthology Limited Series or Television Movie.

Koch, whose role in Monster has catapulted him to stardom, competing against strong competition in his category: Colin Farrell (The penguin), Richard Gadd (Baby reindeer), Kevin Kline (Disclaimer), Ewan McGregor (A gentleman in Moscow) and Andrew Scott (Ripley). He received general acclaim for his performance in the breakout role and particularly for the pivotal Bottle episode “The Hurt Man”, which stars Ari Graynor as defense attorney Leslie Abramson. The 33-minute episode is a slow, single shot that zooms in on Koch’s face as Erik describes the 12 years of sexual, physical and mental abuse that he says led him to parricide.

Kich told The Hollywood ReportsHe said in an interview that he carried the script for the episode with him everywhere while preparing to film.

“I read it every day and sometimes before bed. And really, my approach was to take all the stories he tells and all the memories he shares and really imagine what it would look like from his perspective,” he said.

Bardem, whose category spans across television, including drama and comedy, may also have to do some campaigning as he is paired with Tadanobu Asano (Shogun), Harrison Ford (shrinkage) Jack Lowden (Slow horses), Diego Luna (La Máquina) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The bear), all vying for the award. As José Menendez, he is both frightening as a stern disciplinarian towards his sons and vulnerable as the generational trauma believed to permeate the Menendez family is expressed on screen.

The trio of top nominations for its cast is a coup for Ryan Murphy’s mega-hit yet polarizing series. The Menendez brothers, their extended family and fans complained that the show’s portrayal of the young men was exaggerated and inaccurate and that they had become “victims of this grotesque shock drama” that was “filled with falsehoods.” Murphy quickly responded to the criticism, concluding that the brothers “should send me flowers” because “they haven’t received this much attention in 30 years.”

Monster was released as the Menendez brothers seek freedom after 34 years in prison; The brothers were found guilty of killing their parents in their second joint trial and received life sentences without the possibility of parole. However, new evidence that they were victims of sexual violence at the hands of their father sparked a grassroots movement for their release, inspiring both Murphy’s series, the subsequent Netflix documentary and former Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón to call for their release to demand.

Whether Monster It remains to be seen whether it will ultimately help the Menendez brothers’ attempts to gain freedom after 34 years in prison. In the California justice system, multiple legal avenues are being pursued by both her attorneys and the city, and her hopes for her release have now taken an unpredictable turn as the decision over one of the legal avenues rests in the hands of new LA District Attorney Nathan Hochman; The city’s new top law enforcement official said he will decide on his recommendation in January.

See the full list of 2025 Golden Globe nominations.