Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story trailer plays with what really happened

New imagery and footage featuring the larger cast digs up the past.

Following the first look at actors Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez as the infamous Menendez Brothers, as well as Chloë Sevigny and Javier Bardem as their parents, Netflix released the first full trailer for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, revealing fresh looks at how the anthology crime drama will tackle this subject.

Similar to the first season, which focused on Evan Peters' serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, season 2 plays with what really happened in the lead-up to the tragic moment on Aug. 20, 1989, when Lyle (Chavez) and Erik (Koch) walked into the den of their family's Beverly Hills mansion and fatally shot José (Bardem) and Mary Louise (Sevigny).

The real legal team for the brothers argued in court that José sexually and physically abused Lyle and Erik for years, and that they committed the murders out of fear that their father would kill them after they threatened to expose his behavior. The Menendez Brothers were first tried separately, resulting in a deadlocked jury for each case. They were then tried together and prevented from mentioning the abuse defense. A single jury for the second trial found them both guilty, and each was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The first-look teaser for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story featured the voice of Sevigny's Mary Louise telling her husband, "I need to know what's going on with you and the boys... I don't want there to be anymore lies between us. I won't tell anyone." The full-length trailer alsop alludes to the defense.

"I thought that getting rid of them was gonna make me feel better, but I'm having these nightmares," Koch's Erik tells his brother as he breaks down crying.

"Our life was one thing, and we decided we weren't gonna take that anymore," Chavez's Lyle says amid footage of Bardem's José throwing a dinner plate against the wall and slapping his son across the face. "Starting right now, we're gonna demand more out of life — and we are never gonna f---ing go back."

Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story. (L to R) Brad Culver as Gerald Chaleff, Nicholas Chavez as Lyle Menendez, Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez in episode 207
Nicholas Chavez as Lyle Menendez and Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez in 'Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story'.

Miles Crist/Netflix

Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story. (L to R) Nicholas Chavez as Lyle Menendez, Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez, Javier Bardem as Jose Menendez in episode 206
Nicholas Chavez as Lyle Menendez, Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez, Javier Bardem as Jose Menendez in 'Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story'.

Miles Crist/Netflix

Playing other crucial characters on the show are Nathan Lane as Dominick Dunne, the Vanity Fair investigative journalist who covered the trial; Ari Graynor as Leslie Abramson, the brothers' lawyer; Dallas Roberts as Dr. Jerome Oziel, Erik's psychologist to whom the brother confessed; and Leslie Grossman as Judalon Smyth, Dr. Oziel's mistress whom he told about Erik's confession that then led to the brothers' arrests.

The cast is rounded out by Paul Adelstein as David Conn, Jason Butler Harner as Det. Les Zoeller, Enrique Murciano as Carlos Baralt, Michael Gladis as Tim Rutten, Drew Powell as Det. Tom Linehan, Charlie Hall as Craig Cignarelli, Gil Ozeri as Dr. William Vicary, Jeff Perry as Peter Hoffman, Tessa Auberjonois as Dr. Laurel Oziel, Tanner Stine as Perry Berman, Larry Clarke as Brian Andersen, Jade Pettyjohn as Jamie Pisarcik, Marlene Forte as Marta Cano, and Vicki Lawrence as Leigh.

Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan created and executive produced Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, and they also wrote the episodes with David McMillan, Todd Kubrak, and Reilly Smith. Brennan directs this season with Max Winkler, Paris Barclay, Michael Uppendahl, and Carl Franklin.

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Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story will premiere all episodes this Sept. 19 on Netflix. Check out the trailer above.

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