Season 1

## *MONSTER*

The **first season** of ***Monster*** was announced on October 2, 2020. It premiered on September 21, 2022 on Netflix.

On November 7, 2022, Netflix announced it had renewed *Monster* for a second and third season, as an anthology series to be based on the lives of "other monstrous figures".

## Premise

Across more than a decade, 17 teen boys and young men were murdered by convicted killer Jeffrey Dahmer. How did he evade arrest for so long?

## Cast

### Main Cast

* Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer - 10/10
* Richard Jenkins as Lionel Dahmer - 9/10
* Molly Ringwald as Shari Dahmer - 8/10
* Niecy Nash as Glenda Cleveland - 7/10
* Michael Learned as Catherine Dahmer - 5/10

### Recurring Cast

* Colby French as Patrick Kennedy - 6/10
* Karen Malina White as Shirley Hughes - 5/10
* Khetphet Phagnasay as Southone Sinthasomphone - 5/10
* Phet Mahathongdy as Somdy Sinthasomphone - 5/10
* Scott Paophavihanh as Anouke Sinthasomphone - 5/10
* Somlit Inthalangsy as Sayamone Sinthasomphone - 4/10
* Dyllón Burnside as Ronald Flowers - 4/10
* Nikea Gamby-Turner as Mildred Lindsey - 4/10

## Production

### Development

On October 2, 2020, it was announced that *Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,* a limited series co-created by longtime collaborators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, had been green-lit by Netflix, with Richard Jenkins co-starring, Carl Franklin directing and Janet Mock writing and directing. The two executive produce with Murphy and Brennan. Rounding out the writers room with Brennan and Mock will be David McMillan, who will serve as supervising producer for the 10-episode limited series that spans the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s and ends with Dahmer’s arrest in the early ’90s. Rashad Johnson of Color of Change, a racial justice project, also will serve as supervising producer. Also executive producing are Ryan Murphy Prods.’ Alexis Martin Woodall and Eric Kovtun; Scott Robertson (Halston) is a co-producer.

### Casting

In October 2020, Richard Jenkins joined the cast. In March 2021, Evan Peters, Neicy Nash, Penelope Ann Miller, Shaun J. Brown, Colin Ford and Michael Learned joined that cast.

### Filming

Filming took place in California from March 24, 2021 until July 31, 2021.

## Trivia

* The official script for "Silenced" is available to read here.
* The season was filmed entirely in California, specifically in Los Angeles County. Principal photography reportedly commenced in March 2021 and wrapped up in September. The production team set up camp in Los Angeles while filming several important scenes. In May 2021, cast and crew members were spotted recording scenes throughout Pomona, a city in Pomona Valley.
* The 10-episode season had, within a week in September 2022, risen to the #1 spot. By its second week, it had cracked the top spot for all-time Netflix viewership as the most-watched series for 21 consecutive days. While it received mixed reviews from critics, audiences have propelled it to the second-most viewed Netflix series of all time as of October 2022.
* Evan Peters, who portrayed Jeffrey Dahmer, said they had one rule, from Ryan Murphy to follow going into the season: that it would never be told from Dahmer's point of view. "As an audience, you're not really sympathizing with him. You're not really getting into his plight. You're more sort of watching it, you know, from the outside."
* The season was originally titled simply "Dahmer," but was changed to Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, so as not to be confused with the film Dahmer (2002), in which Jeremy Renner portrayed the eponymous serial killer.
* In reality, Glenda Cleveland, portrayed by Niecy Nash was not Dahmer's next-door neighbor as she lived in an adjacent building. The woman who actually lived next door was Pamela Bass, and she was the tenant who was first offered the 'sandwich' by Dahmer.
* Real-life mother and daughter Niecy Nash and Dia Nash play mother and daughter Glenda and Sandra Smith. It was Sandra (18) and her cousin Nicole Childress (18) who first discovered the Laotian boy Konerak Sinthasomphone naked and staggering outside the Oxford Apartment building where Dahmer lived.
* It it shown throughout the season that the police officers that released 14-year-old Konerak Sinthasomphone back into the care of Dahmer at his apartment, and were suspended, and subsequently re-instated. But it doesn't cover that John Balcerzak, one of the officers in question, wasn't just supported by his union, but would be elected as the Union President of the Milwaukee Police Association in 2005.
* Dahmer was known to play *The Exorcist III* (1990) for his victims before killing them. Ken Lerner portrayed the real estate developer Joe Zilber, who purchased/destroyed Dahmer's personal items, was cast as Dr. Freedman in *The Exorcist III* (1990).
* Ryan Murphy previously directed Richard Jenkins in *Eat Pray Love* (2010).
* Club 219 was a real, popular gay bar in Milwaukee, which got its start in January 1981, cementing itself as the gay club to be at in Milwaukee until it was eventually eclipsed by another gay bar, La Cage Aux Folles, in 1984. Club 219 became known as the second-best gay bar after La Cage. However, the club was still lively and loved by patrons. Unfortunately, Club 219 became infamous after Dahmer became a regular in 1991.
* The sandwich scene is based on true events. Dahmer's neighbors believe they had been offered human meat by the serial killer before.

## Gallery

### Images

* Promotional
* Character portraits

An Official Image from Episode 3An Official Image from Episode 1An Official Image from Episode 1An Official Image from Episode 5An Official Image from Episode 7An Official Image from Episode 8An Official Image from Episode 4

Evan Peters as Jeffrey DahmerRichard Jenkins as Lionel DahmerMolly Ringwald as Shari DahmerNeicy Nash as Glenda ClevelandMichael Learned as Catherine DahmerDyllón Burnside as Ronald Flowers
### Videos

DAHMER - Monster- The Jeffrey Dahmer Story - Official Trailer (Trailer 1) - NetflixDAHMER - Monster- The Jeffrey Dahmer Story - Official Trailer (Trailer 2) - NetflixDAHMER - Monster- The Jeffrey Dahmer Story - Evan Peters On The Complexity Of Playing DahmerDAHMER - Monster- The Jeffrey Dahmer Story - Niecy Nash On The Untold Story Of Glenda Cleveland
## References

Template:Monster Navigation

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Netflix Greenlights ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ Limited Series From Ryan Murphy & Ian Brennan; Richard Jenkins Co-Stars, Carl Franklin & Janet Mock EP
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 ‘Monster’ Trailer: First Look At Evan Peters As Jeffrey Dahmer In Ryan Murphy’s Netflix Series
3. ↑ Netflix Expands Ryan Murphy’s ‘Monster’ Franchise With Two More Installments Following ‘Dahmer’ Success & Renews ‘The Watcher’ For Season 2
4. ↑ ‘Monster’: Evan Peters, Niecy Nash, Penelope Ann Miller & More Join Netflix Series From Ryan Murphy & Ian Brennan
5. ↑ Michael Learned Joins Cast Of Netflix’s ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ From Ryan Murphy And Ian Brennan
6. ↑ DAHMER - “BAD MEAT”
7. ↑ DAHMER - “PLEASE DON'T GO”
8. ↑ DAHMER - “DOIN' A DAHMER”
9. ↑ DAHMER - “THE GOOD BOY BOX”
10. ↑ DAHMER - “BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS”
11. ↑ DAHMER - “SILENCED”
12. ↑ DAHMER - “CASSANDRA”
13. ↑ DAHMER - “LIONEL”
14. ↑ DAHMER - “THE BOGEYMAN”
15. ↑ DAHMER - “GOD OF FORGIVENESS, GOD OF VENGEANCE”
16. ↑ It Starts On The Page: Read A Script From Netflix’s Ryan Murphy Serial Killer Anthology ‘Dahmer’