10 TV Shows Like Monster: The Ed Gein Story You Need To Watch Next

This article contains discussions of sexual assault.

The Ryan Murphy machine has been producing shows based on the stories of infamous serial killers for a while now over at Netflix, and in 2025, Murphy's frequent collaborator Ian Brennan broke out with his own product — specifically, "Monster: The Ed Gein Story." With a completely transformed Charlie Hunnam (whom you might know from "Sons of Anarchy") as Gein himself, viewers can explore the "real life" story of one of America's most gruesome murderers, even though the series does take some significant liberties here and there.

For the uninitiated, Gein is the basis for several fictional murders, including but not limited to Norman Bates (the mama's boy killer played by Anthony Perkins in Alfred Hitchcock's horror masterpiece "Psycho"), Leatherface (the masked baddie in "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" originally played by Gunnar Hansen), and Buffalo Bill (the sadistic killer played by Ted Levine in Jonathan Demme's Oscar-winning film "The Silence of the Lambs"). If you just finished watching "Monster: The Ed Gein Story," you can — and should — check out all three of those films, but what about TV shows that would appeal to "Monster" fans?

From similar Murphy projects to other shows focused on the darkest crimes imaginable, here are 10 shows you should binge after "Monster: The Ed Gein Story." A necessary warning, though: the subject matter of these shows is dark, so proceed with caution.

Created by David Fincher exclusively for Netflix, "Mindhunter" sadly ended after its second season and seems unlikely to ever return ... but you should definitely check it out, because it's one of the best shows on the streamer. The show, which is based on "Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit" by by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker, focuses on the creation of the Behavioral Science Unit within the FBI, which dedicated itself to understanding why serial killers committed their heinous crimes. Through the eyes of FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench (a phenomenally cast Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany) and their colleague, psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), we watch the BSU investigate real-life killers like Ed Kemper (a terrifying and brilliant Cameron Britton) as other real murderers like Dennis Rader, also known as "BTK" (bind, torture, kill), creep around in the darkness. (Sonny Valicenti portrays Rader whenever he's on screen.)

Thanks to Fincher's deft touch as a showrunner and director and truly pitch-perfect lead performances from Groff, McCallany, and Torv, "Mindhunter" remains a modern classic, even if it did end rather abruptly after Season 2. So how does it connect to "Monster: The Ed Gein Story" besides the focus on murder? Without getting into any direct, major spoilers for "Monster: The Ed Gein Story," a late-breaking twist seems to try and link the Ed Gein series to "Mindhunter," even though the connective tissue involved in this turn is somewhat tenuous.

After working on much more palatable and family-friendly TV content like "Glee," Ryan Murphy turned his attention to the horror landscape in 2011 with "American Horror Story" and its first season, which retroactively earned the name "Murder House." After that inaugural outing, which featured performances from Connie Britton, Dylan McDermott, Taissa Farmiga, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, and Jessica Lange, Murphy kept right on going with the anthology's second season, "Asylum," which seriously brought the scares and returned Peters, Paulson, and Lange to the fray as different characters alongside newcomers Zachary Quinto, Joseph Fiennes, and Lily Rabe. Seasons of the show include fixations like "Cult," "Apocalypse," and even "Roanoke," based on legends about the abandoned early American colony.

Throughout "American Horror Story," actors have popped in and out over time; Lange left after the show's fourth season, "Freak Show," but the following entry, "Hotel," brought Lady Gaga on board in her stead. There's no question that "American Horror Story" is quite campy and that returns on the series have significantly diminished over time — "Asylum" is still probably the show's most engaging season behind "Murder House" and the third season, the flawed but deeply fun "Coven," and Lange even agrees — but if you prefer your horror stories to be fictional, give this Murphy show a shot.

Like Ryan Murphy's "Monster" shows — including "Monster: The Ed Gein Story" — the anthology "American Crime Story" is based on very real events and takes some liberties along the way, but it puts slightly less focus on the monstrous killers directly and gives the viewer the entire context of the given event. In 2016, Murphy made a splash on the small screen with its first installment, "The People v. O.J. Simpson," which tells the story of famous football player and actor O.J. Simpson (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and his acquittal after being accused of murdering his wife Nicole Brown Simpson (Kelly Dowdle) and her friend Ron Goldman (Jake Koeppl). With a cast that included Sterling K. Brown, Courtney B. Vance, David Schwimmer, and regular collaborator Sarah Paulson, the show became an immediate hit ... and Murphy turned his attention to other massive true crime stories.

Season 2, "The Assassination of Gianni Versace," casts Édgar Ramirez as fashion designer Gianni Versace and Darren Criss as his sociopathic murderer Andrew Cunanan, earning Criss an Emmy in the process. Then came Season 3, which was produced by Monica Lewinsky; subtitled "Impeachment," it chronicles Lewinsky's affair with then-president Bill Clinton with Beanie Feldstein as Lewinsky, Clive Owen as Clinton, and Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp, the woman who orchestrated the takedown of the United States president and the intern he seduced. Mileage may vary throughout seasons of "American Crime Story," but it's definitely still worth adding to your queue.

You absolutely cannot talk about dark and disturbing crime dramas, whether they're based on true stories or not, without bringing up "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." Arguably one of the most successful spin-offs in television history, this series, famously spearheaded and executive produced by Dick Wolf, has featured Mariska Hargitay in the lead role of special victims unit detective (and eventual captain) Olivia Benson, with phenomenal actors like Christopher Meloni, Danny Pino, Kelli Giddish, and the late, great Richard Belzer flitting in and out as detectives alongside luminaries like Stephanie March and Judith Light representing the "law" side of the title as district attorneys and judges. Beyond that, the series typically referred to as "SVU" has also played host to a number of incredible guest stars, including but not limited to Carol Burnett, Cynthia Nixon, and Robin Williams.

"Special Victims Unit" focuses on crimes of a sexually violent nature, and whether it's pulling real and devastating assaults from the headlines or concocting seriously dark stories out of whole cloth, it's always unsettling and fascinating. You've probably watched at least one episode of "SVU" before, but there's truly never a bad time for a binge-watch with Olivia Benson.

The first entry in Ryan Murphy's "Monster" era remains the absolute darkest, thanks in very large part to Evan Peters' horrifying (and award-winning) performance as real-life serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Just to refresh your memory, Dahmer operated in and around Milwaukee and is believed to have murdered 17 people, specifically men and boys, whom he would either seduce at first or outright sexually assault in his quest to take their lives ... and to add a gut-wrenching layer to his dark deeds, the real Dahmer also made a habit of keeping body parts of victims in his house as strange trophies before dabbling in cannibalism. (It seems as if the real Dahmer may have taken a cue, such as it is, from Ed Gein.)

With Peters as Dahmer himself, the rest of the cast of "Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" is extraordinary, from his neighbor Glenda (Niecy Nash, who won a well-deserved Emmy for her role as a woman suspicious of Dahmer's true nature) to his stepmother Shari (Brat Pack legend Molly Ringwald) to his absent father Lionel (Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins). Though Murphy got some frankly deserved feedback for his representation of Dahmer and the way he tweaked the real murderer's story — especially from the families of Dahmer's many victims — if you liked Ed Gein's version "Monster," you should probably watch the first one.

Though the Bryan Fuller series (and cult classic) "Hannibal" is technically based on Thomas Harris' novels of the same name — which all center around fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter — isn't based on "Silence of the Lambs," which ties directly to Ed Gein, you should still definitely check out this fantastical, bloody, and disturbing spectacle, which originally ran on NBC for just three short seasons. This take on the story of Hannibal Lecter casts the always brilliant Mads Mikkelsen as Lecter himself alongside his only confidante, forensic psychologist Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), the only person who truly understands the vicious killer.

The constant cat-and-mouse game between Hannibal and Will is utterly captivating, mostly because of Fuller's excellent and steady hand at the show's helm and two stunning performances from Mikkelsen and Dancy, and even though "Hannibal" ended too soon, it's an incredibly special show that, yes, features one of pop culture's most devious killers at its center. "Hannibal" is a perfect blend of fiction and "true" crime, so give it a try if you loved "Monster: The Ed Gein Story."

If you're a huge fan of Gillian Anderson, Jamie Dornan, or both of them and you're not aware of "The Fall," we have great news for you; the leading lady of "The X-Files" and star of "Fifty Shades of Grey" worked on a serial killer drama that initially aired in Ireland. As Stella Gibson, an officer with the Metropolitan Police in London who's sent to northern Ireland to investigate a string of murders committed against young women, Anderson is predictably magnetic — truly, the woman couldn't be bad in a project if she tried — and incredibly, both Anderson and Stella meet their match in Dornan's killer Paul Spector, a vicious killer who makes a habit of attacking women outside of Belfast but otherwise pretends to be a normal family man. All the while, Paul's young daughter starts having nightmares and drawing unsettling pictures, indicating that she might be more aware than he'd like.

Like in "Hannibal," watching Anderson and Dornan's Stella and Paul chase each other throughout three seasons of "The Fall" is genuinely phenomenal, particularly because the two actors play so well against each other. "The Fall" is a total hidden gem, especially if you love dramas centered around serial killers (but, again, prefer that they're fictional).

"Dexter" might just be one of the most famous shows about a serial killer in TV history, and without it, we might not even have true crime dramas like "Monster: The Ed Gein Story" — even though, like several other killers on the list, the titular Dexter Morgan is entirely fictional. Played perfectly by Michael C. Hall (after he gained acclaim and notoriety on "Six Feet Under"), Dexter works as a forensic technician (specifically a blood spatter analyst) solving crimes in Miami, which gives him the perfect cover to commit murders; still, he does it for the "right reasons," seeking out horrible people who evaded justice thanks to bad trials or other factors. Whenever we see flashbacks to Dexter's childhood with his adoptive father Harry (James Remar), we see that Harry instilled a strict moral code into his surrogate son, meaning that Dexter's vile actions are technically in service of the greater good.

"Dexter" has some truly great season-long mysteries in its original run, including the "Ice Truck Killer" mystery (the identity of said killer turns out to be Dexter's biological brother Rudy, played by Christian Camargo) and the identity of the "Trinity Killer" (John Lithgow's upstanding family man Arthur Mitchell), everyone who's ever watched "Dexter" knows it produces diminishing returns as it goes on. After a genuinely awful series finale, the show returned in 2021 with "Dexter: New Blood," a prequel about Dexter called "Dexter: Original Sin," and the 2025 series "Dexter: Resurrection," which brings Hall back into the fray. If you need a new, dark show to binge, there's plenty of "Dexter" available for you to watch.

Just a few years after winning an Oscar for her incredible leading performance in "The Favourite," Olivia Colman, who is genuinely one of the most audacious and versatile actresses of our time, took on a particularly dark role in "Landscapers," a British series about a couple with a very old, very disturbing secret that suddenly comes to light. Inspired by real-life murders that took place in Manfield, England in 1988, "Landscapers" focuses on Susan and Christopher Edwards, played by Colman and "Harry Potter" veteran David Thewlis, who, years before the narrative begins, killed Susan's parents William and Patricia Wycherley (David Hayman and Felicity Montagu) and committed fraud in their names for well over a decade. When their crimes are uncovered in 2012, Susan and Christopher are forced to reckon with their evil deeds and decide whether or not they can bear to betray one another. 

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Colman and Thewlis, both of whom are unbelievably accomplished performers, are excellent in their roles, and it's fascinating to watch their lies unravel, even though you learn about Susan and Christopher's horrible crime quite early on. Seek out "Landscapers" for an underrated gem once you finish "Monster: The Ed Gein Story."

If you're still looking for a dramatized version of a real crime, you actually have two options when it comes to Texas housewife turned murderer Candy Montgomery and her alleged murder of her best friend Betty Gore. With the utmost due respect to Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Candy Montgomery in the HBO series "Love & Death," the better version of this story comes courtesy of the Hulu miniseries simply titled "Candy," which casts Jessica Biel as real figure Montgomery alongside "Veep" standout Timothy Simons as Candy's husband Pat, Melanie Lynskey as the aforementioned Betty, and Pablo Schreiber as Betty's shady husband Allan ... with whom Candy is carrying on a secret affair.

The details of Betty's assumed murder at Candy's hands are so gruesome — in real life and on both shows, Gore was hacked to death with an axe — and the way that "Candy" lets the story unfold is frankly fascinating, despite how unbelievably dark it is. It's also worth it to watch "Love & Death," but consider starting with "Candy."

As for "Monster: The Ed Gein Story," it's streaming on Netflix now.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).