The third installment of Ryan Murphy’s chilling anthology series on Netflix, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story,” stormed to the top of streaming charts the moment it dropped. In the week following its October 3 premiere, the show claimed the No. 1 spot on the Nielsen charts with a staggering 1.53 billion minutes viewed. This triumph isn’t just a win for horror—it’s proof of our insatiable appetite for morally complex biographical tales.
Psychology, Media, and True Crime
Centering on the infamous Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein (played by Charlie Hunnam)—whose crimes inspired classics like Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre—the series goes beyond mere murder reenactments. “Monster” delves into the killer’s psyche and the making of his media myth, continuing the trend of transforming true crime into high-caliber psychological drama. While it trails the previous season’s Menendez Brothers story (1.72 billion minutes), Charlie Hunnam’s career-best performance cements this as one of Netflix’s most reliable and binge-watched anthology series.
A Paradox in Streaming and the End of an Era
“Monster’s” victory highlights a fascinating shift in the streaming landscape. Netflix remains the undisputed king of limited-series event programming in true crime and psychological thrillers. Yet this dominance is sounding the death knell for old-school “comfort TV” giants. After an unbroken 120-week run, “Grey’s Anatomy” fell out of the Nielsen Top 10 for the first time since June 2023—marking the end of an era. It signals that audiences now crave sharp, short bursts of event-driven hits that hijack attention cycles, rather than long-running dramas.
With its icy visuals, meticulous pacing, and moral ambiguity, the “Monster” series forces us to ask why we keep watching. This isn’t just entertainment—it’s a collective reckoning of conscience through fear.
Series Information Summary
- Title: Monster: The Ed Gein Story (Season 3)
- Release Date: October 3, 2025
- Viewership: 1.53 billion minutes in the first week
- Platform: Netflix (No. 1 in Top 10 with 6/10 ranking dominance)
- Note: “Grey’s Anatomy” dropped out of the list for the first time after 120 weeks.
