User Reviews

Mrs. Shullivan and I have been fans of the Law and Order TV series from its original series starting in 1990 through to the current re- creation of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) now in its 18th season. It is no wonder that this new 8 part mini series covering the high profile trial in 1994 of Lyle (aged 21) and Erik (aged 19) Menéndez for the 1989 murder by shotgun of their wealthy parents, José and his wife, Mary ("Kitty") in their Beverly Hills home would be released some 30 years after the murders first occurred.

José Enrique and Kitty Menéndez spoiled their only two sons, and so when the murders were first made public there was no end of rumors who could be responsible for these two cold blooded execution style murders.

Unless you are under the age of 30, you may not be familiar with just how high profile these murders were at the time (1984) and the eventual trial by tabloid newspapers of the two sons Erik and Lyle Menéndez. I have seen the two earlier made for TV movies of the Menéndez murders both of which starred A-lister film stars.

In the 1994 TV movie "Honor Thy Father and Mother: The True Story of the Menendez Murders" it starred A-list actors James Farentino, and Jill Clayburgh, John Beck and Susan Blakely. In the second made for TV movie "Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills" starred Edward James Olmos, Beverly D'Angelo, and Damian Chapa.

This new 8 episode mini-series also has some A-list TV stars such as Edie Falco (Carmela Soprano of The Sopranos) and Chris Bauer (The Wire and also Third Watch). I am going to go out on a limb based on just watching the first episode that this mini series will be based on factual evidence and the court transcripts. Edie Falco plays a defense attorney named Leslie Abramson who seems to be very opinionated although in the opening episode she is not yet familiar with any of the case evidence, nor yet introduced to the two Menéndez brothers, Erik and Lyle.

A good benchmark in assessing if a mini-series is worth watching or not is if the episode(s) seem to end much quicker than you expected, or wanted it to. Such is the case with the opening episode of Law & Order: True Crime, it ended almost as quickly as the lives of José Enrique and Kitty Menéndez did. I give the opening episode a 7/10 rating and I will update my review after this mini-series has concluded.

I think the first episode came out nice and strong. Edie Falco is such an amazing actress and does a great job in this role. I am pleased with the cast everyone seems right for the roles in which they were placed. Seems the series is doing a good job going off of facts in the case (which this crime happened in 1989) which I love. I remember the story when it was in the headlines,but I was only 17 at the time and so I am excited to see how the case came together against the brothers and finally made it to trial. I am curious if they will be betrayed as victims or villains.. Anyway..great start to this 8 episode mini-series. Actually really excited for next episode. Happy watching.

Although I was interested in this series based on a general enjoyment of true crime and knowing that Edie Falco was the lead, I put it off for a while because I didn't think I would enjoy a story that was so high-profile at the time. I felt that I already knew the story and the ending, so it just wouldn't keep my attention as much as watching a story that could keep me guessing. Luckily, I was wrong! The Law and Order Series, from what I remember when I watched it way back when, shines because of its ability to take the viewer, introduce tough subject matter, and let them see what it is like in the shoes of someone much different than them. Many times, you end the episode with an ambiguity about a subject that you didn't have before, simply because it lets you see the circumstances and emotions behind the people involved, where as before you began, it was more of a black or white subject. It can only do this with good writing, acting and directing, of course, and L&O: True Crime has it all. i had to take a deep breath every time they rolled the credits on the end of another episode. It's one of those shows where you start to feel so much for the characters that you want to step into the screen and give them a hug or shout at them. I loved it and I hope the next one is just as good.

I was so affected by the series. I can't say anything good about cinematography but story line is main point. It's just great. Edie Falco god, what an actress! She literally lived her role. I'm really impressed. And I pitied The Menendez Brothers. I wanted them to be free on my couch by yelling, "Release them!" This show made me do that. And I began to research The Menendez Brothers. This show needs to get 2nd season approval. And another crime needs to be showed.

I can tell research is rigorously executed. The director focuses on the story of what happened in the courtroom rather than hocus-pocus information that the media bombarded with. His effort to find out truer version of the crime is commendable. The narrative is well-organized in chronological order with appropriate amount of flashback.

On the other hand, Edie Falco's performance is disappointing. Her particular pronunciation (somewhat sounding like lisp) and facial expression (such as opening her eyes extremely big with too much white exposed) stop me from getting into the show every time and are repeated too many times. I will be harsh but honest. She lacks many qualities to be a leading actress.

Anything related to the infamous Menendez case is usually riveting because of the nature of patricide and this NBC production was not disappointing.

It shows the whole drama from the prosecutor's side to the defendant's side. Like all shows connected to the Menendez case it leaves you wondering if the two boys were indeed ever molested. I for one do not believe they were ever molested but some disturbing things were going on in the family like photographing the two boy's genitals. That in itself is strange but does not necessarily indicate child molestation.

The drama does leave you wondering about that other issues such as if the family members could be believed in their testimony.

Lyle and Erik Menendez are brothers in wealthy Beverly Hills. In 1989, their controlling Cuban father and their mother are killed in a presumed home invasion. Eventually, the brothers are arrested. Leslie Abramson (Edie Falco) takes on the case uncovering a tale of sexual abuse in the troubled upper class home.

With OJ on their minds, the Law & Order people decides to do their own true crimes series. The Menendez brothers case certainly hits on a couple of the same concepts. The Law & Order "Dun Dun" does distract from its realism. It keeps reminding the viewer of its brand. I love Edie even with her crazy hair. The actors are good. This follows only one side of the case. The prosecution and the police are portrayed only as opponents. It's nowhere near O.J.: Made in America but it's good enough for network TV.

I've read and watched everything related to the Menendez brothers' case and this movie was one of the bests I have ever watched. I've never felt this attached to or felt so much for any characters.. EVER! and that is because these 2 brothers are not criminals but victims. The things that happened to them are absolutely inhumane and they were done to them BY THEIR "PARENTS". They must reopen this case ASAP these brothers should not be suffering any more than they already have! Society and the "Justice" system have let them down beyond words can explain I honestly cannot stop crying...

This mini-series held my attention throughout with great acting and a solid story untill the final episode. Why the 2 boys lawyers did not simply put all their effort into an appeal that they would obviously get because of the numerous errors made by the judge goes beyond any rational thinking.

Just nothing else to say....the errors by the Judge are blatant!

Just finished the series, and wow, I'm surprised at the number of positive reviews. First, anyone who has done a lot of reading and research about this case across sources will be shocked at its bias. Extremely relevant information was left out and vital facts were significantly altered. According to Variety (9/21/17), even show creator Dick Wolf admits to an agenda.

Regardless, simply in terms of series entertainment, I found it slow and unexpectedly boring given the intriguing, disturbing nature of this high-profile family and case. It felt super contrived, which made it difficult to connect with the tragic, real-life characters and to their allegedly horrific story as it unfolded on the screen. The "boys", who were actually adults at 21 and 18 when they murdered their parents, shift between snooze-fest flat and over-the-top annoying as they try to play their emotionally complex characters. Writing? Acting? In my opinion, both. And, although Edie Falco probably did an excellent job portraying the aggressive, "always pushing the envelope" Leslie Abramson, the mini-series felt like its primary purpose was to ensure she attains sainthood, stat, rather than portray her as the passionate but very human, possibly deeply flawed real-life self as described in other accounts.

I'm a sucker for L&O and true crime dramas, but between the misrepresentation of and missing key facts about the "boys", the crime, and the trial, the "meh" pace and "meh" Menedez character portrayals, the fact that there were so many drawn out scenes focused on Leslie Abramson and her "flawless" passion and devotion to "her boys", I think the L&O franchise is capable of much better work.

This courtroom drama sheds light on the Menendez bothers and how California's corrupted justice system was biased against them from day one even though Lyle and Erik's testimonies on being sexually abused by their parents were proven to be true. Edie Falco was incredible as the charismatic defense lawyer Leslie Abramson and gave an outstanding performance throughout the series, and both Gus Halper and Miles Gaston Villaneuva were terrific in their portrayal of the brothers in terms of their psychological suffering which ultimately caused them to shoot their abusive parents in self-defense. It's a shame that the Menendez brothers are still incarcerated despite their appeals, but hopefully they'll be free now that the public is aware of child molestation and all forms of sexual abuse.

There are some really good docs-dramas out there. The People vs OJ (2016) is one, and Manhunt: Unibomber (2017) is another. The British also make these types of programs, Appropriate Adult (2011) comes to mind. I've seen other movies that cast doubt on the ultimate trial outcomes, and it is these that this production resembles. A recent example of this type of filmmaking would be the brilliant Escape At Dannemora (2018), which questioned the sentence of one of the two escapees, and his further punishment after capture. In style Law & Order True Crime resembles The People vs OJ, yet the bias is definitely on the side of the defendants, enough so that after writing this review I'll look up what happened to the case in recent years. Law & Order shows were always highly charged and topical, and executed with high standards. This is a brilliant addition to their legacy, with full marks to the writers. It's full of suspense and worthy performances, great casting and good camera direction. At eight episodes it was possibly a tad too long, although one could argue the defence was such a burning issue it could perhaps have been longer. I'm full of questions. Great television from America.

A lot of these I never realized happen. I was very young when the case was going on. Not going to put any spoilers in here, but who doesn't like true crime and of all things the famous, DUN DUN! Is included. Will there be anymore true crime cases in the future?

This was such a great show and all the actors and actresses did an amazing job with their roles, I don't think they could have chosen better!! It really shows what happened to the Menéndez brothers and why they did what they did. After I watched this show I thought the topic was so interesting I had to buy a book about it! This is by far one on my favorite shows.

This is a very well acted, directed and produced mini-series, however the writing is an absolute horror show totally lacking in social responsibility. What I expected was something similar to 'The People vs O.J. Simpson', where you are given the facts and have both sides, prosecution and defense presented equally.

This does NOT do that at all. It was as if the Menendez brothers themselves wrote the script. We have an overwhelmingly sympathetic portrayal of the brothers, with a dewy eyed Eric looking all handsome and tragic while we get a sickening amount of detail of ALLEGED assault presented as if it were bible truth.

The facts are quite different from what was presented in the series. Yes, Jose Menendez was a strict father and he may have subjected the boys to some abuse but he also might've been a deeply disappointed father who had realized early on he had given birth to two sociopaths. We can never know because the Menendez brothers brutally, premeditatedly and callously murdered both parents.

It presents the judge of the case as if he was biased when in truth he never should've allowed ANY of the allegations of abuse into the trial. They should've been left for the sentencing. What we get from the L&O series is a public damning the Menendez parents and the deification of Leslie Abramson. There are a number things factually wrong with this series. You can find those online.

I am really just short of saying 'shame on you' L&O for spending so much effort, money and time glorifying two men who committed such a monstrous crime. Hell with that, shame on you Law and Order. There, I said it.

I hadn't heard anything about this series because there's very little programming on NBC by 2017 that is worth watching anymore, in my opinion. NBC has trying to form public opinion on social matters for more than 15 years. And this mini-series is just another example of this. NBC and Hollywood have been engaged in the war on law enforcement for a long time. And this is just another example of that. I lost interest in Law & Order after Lenny (Jerry Orbach) died and Mike Logan (Chris Noth) left the show. After they were gone. The show moved far to the left with the underlying message in the show. But when I heard Anthony Edwards was playing a roll I decided to give it a try. This is an event that actually happened. You'd like to think they would give us just the facts. Apparently NOT. For some reason, they decided to assassinate the character of the parents. Which was part of the defense for these two sick men who decided that the only way they could deal with the life they were living at home, was to slaughter their parents. It's very difficult watching the story as these evil men are portrayed helpless young men whose only alternative was to murder their parents. Listening to much of the dialogue had me wanting to throw things at my television. The only thing I believe to be true are the things said in the epilogue. Where we find out the lawyer who tried to spring these two very dangerous young quit the law for a while after this trial. It's hard to know who is crazier. The defendants or the lawyer. Lastly, eight episodes in way too much. This story could have been told in two maybe three episodes.

The same story with another actors. Again time and money spent for telling something that hasn't solution.

The series is based on real crimes but forgot it. The two men were shown as victims only, which was not the case at all. Yes, they did not have great parents but there were many other options than shooting their parents then going on a shopping spree. I did not research if that detail was true or not. I am interested in reviewing the series and found it to be too long and repeating a lot of the same things for no reason. I did not think some actors did a good job. Lyle's character is between two extremes:a psychopath that only cares about himself or a superprotective brother who tried to save his brother. The lawyer too was a bit on the extreme. I stopped watching the series many times to have a break from her.