Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story: Netflix released the fourth season of Ryan Murphy's anthology series "Monster" on Sept. 17, 2026.
This installment shifts focus to Lizzie Borden, one of America's most notorious murder suspects. Ella Beatty leads the cast in the title role.
Murphy created the series with longtime collaborator Ian Brennan. "Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story" centers on the 1892 killings of Andrew and Abby Borden.
Both were found bludgeoned to death inside their Fall River, Massachusetts, home. Lizzie, their daughter and stepdaughter, became the prime suspect. A jury acquitted her at trial.
Like earlier seasons, this 8-episode chapter dramatizes real events. The show takes creative liberties with its characters and their storylines. Here's a full breakdown of the cast.
Ella Beatty as Lizzie Borden
Beatty plays Lizzie, a 32-year-old woman tried for the murders of her father and stepmother. It marks her first leading television role.
Beatty is the daughter of actors Warren Beatty and Annette Bening. She made her acting debut in 2024 on Murphy's "Feud: Capote vs. The Swans," playing Kerry O'Shea.
To prepare for "Monster," Beatty told Netflix in August 2026 that she immersed herself in true-crime podcasts to research the case before shaping her character with Murphy and Brennan.
Charlie Hunnam as Andrew Borden
Hunnam plays Andrew Borden, Lizzie's father and a wealthy Massachusetts businessman.
He previously appeared in the show's prior season as serial killer Ed Gein, a role that earned him a 2026 Emmy nomination for outstanding lead actor in a limited or anthology series.
Hunnam is best known for playing Jax Teller on FX's "Sons of Anarchy" from 2008 to 2014. He has been in a relationship with jewelry designer Morgana McNelis for nearly 20 years.
Rebecca Hall as Abby Borden
Hall plays Abby Borden, who married Andrew in 1865. Historical accounts of Abby's relationship with her stepdaughters are mixed.
According to the 2016 book "The Borden Murders," Lizzie later described the relationship as cordial.
Hall's film credits include "The Prestige" (2006), "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (2008) and "The Town" (2010).
She also starred as journalist Christine Chubbuck in the 2016 biopic "Christine."
Hall married actor Morgan Spector in 2015. The couple has one daughter, Ida, born in 2018.
Vicky Krieps as Bridget "Maggie" Sullivan
Krieps plays Bridget Sullivan, the Borden family's maid, known by the nickname Maggie.
In the series, her bond with Lizzie develops into a romance, and the two share a kiss in the second episode.
Speaking with Vanity Fair in August 2026, Krieps said Murphy pitched the character as bold and unapologetic, with a feminist, queer undercurrent.
Krieps previously starred opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in "Phantom Thread" (2017) and appeared in "Old" (2021).
She married Greek production assistant Lazaros Gounaridis in 2025 and has two children with former partner Jonas Laux.
Billie Lourd as Emma Borden
Lourd, the daughter of the late "Star Wars" actress Carrie Fisher, plays Lizzie's older sister, Emma.
She made her acting debut in Murphy's "Scream Queens" and later appeared in "American Horror Story" from 2017 to 2024.
Lourd shares two children with husband Austen Rydell. The couple married in Mexico in 2022.
Jessica Barden as Nance O'Neil
Barden plays Nance O'Neil, a stage actress and one of Lizzie's closest confidantes.
She's widely recognized for playing Alyssa in the British comedy series "The End of the F***ing World."
Barden also earned a British Independent Film Award nomination for her role in "Scarborough" in 2018.
She's married to director and screenwriter Max Winkler. The couple has two children.
Joey Pollari as John Morse
Pollari returns to the "Monster" franchise as John Morse, Lizzie's maternal uncle, who was staying at the Borden home at the time of the killings and was also considered a suspect.
He previously portrayed "Psycho" star Anthony Perkins in "Monster: The Ed Gein Story."
Pollari also appears in Season 13 of "American Horror Story," set to premiere Sept. 24.
Sarah Paulson as Aileen Wuornos
Paulson, a frequent collaborator of Murphy's, plays Aileen Wuornos, a real-life serial killer convicted of six murders committed between 1989 and 1990.
Her storyline jumps nearly a century ahead of the Borden case, broadening the season's scope to other women historically labeled as monsters, Murphy told Variety in September 2025.
Paulson has been in a relationship with actress Holland Taylor since 2015. The two first met in the early 2000s.
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