Despite Backlash, Dahmer Series Breaks Netflix Streaming Record

Looks like Ryan Murphy has another hit series on his hands.

DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story was released last Wednesday on streaming giant Netflix and has already racked up 196.2 million viewing hours, making it their most-watched series during the first week of its release.

The show follows the story of Jeffrey Dahmer, the American serial killer and sex offender who committed the murder and dismemberment of seventeen men and boys between 1978 and 1991, and proports to show the “victims’ perspectives.”

Ryan Murphy, the Emmy-winning writer and director who created the series, thanked fans for their viewership, sharing that both he and star Even Peters were “shocked and grateful” at the show’s success.

But with success comes controversy, and the real-life victims of Dahmer begin to speak out against the show on social media. Eric Perry is the cousin of victim Errol Lindsay and was shocked to see an uncomfortably accurate recreation of his cousin, Rita Lindsay, in a vulnerable courtroom moment. “I know true crime media is huge rn, but if you’re actually curious about the victims, my family are pissed about this show. It’s retraumatizing over and over again, and for what? How many movies/shows/documentaries do we need?” He followed up that tweet with, “recreating my cousin having an emotional breakdown in court in the face of the man who tortured and murdered her brother is WILD.”

Rita opened up about the experience toInsider over the weekend. “When I saw some of the show, it bothered me, especially when I saw myself — when I saw my name come across the screen and this lady saying verbatim exactly what I said. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought it was me. Her hair was like mine, she had on the same clothes. That's why it felt like reliving it all over again. It brought back all the emotions I was feeling back then.” Rita says she was never contacted about her likeness appearing on the show. “It's sad that they're just making money off of this tragedy. That's just greed. The episode with me was the only part I saw. I didn't watch the whole show. I don't need to watch it. I lived it. I know exactly what happened.”

This isn’t the only backlash. It seems Netflix originally listed the show in its LGBTQ+ vertical alongside titles like Heartstopper and Sex Education. “Anyone else think it’s pretty gross of Netflix to list Dahmer under LGBTQ+, especially when the True Crime tag would have worked?” one tweet reads.

Well, to thier credit it looks like Netflix listened. Them. reports the series has been removed from the tag. It’s now listed under Crime TV Shows, Social Issue TV Dramas, and TV Dramas.

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