Netflix's Ed Gein Story sparks debate over true-crime drama

Netflix’s latest installment in its Monster anthology, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, premiered on October 3 and has quickly become both a streaming hit and a flashpoint for debate. The eight-episode season, created by Ian Brennan and the first in the franchise not overseen by Ryan Murphy, stars Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein and dramatizes the life of the midcentury Wisconsin killer while explicitly linking his crimes to the horror films they inspired.

The series opened to large audiences, recording double-digit millions of views in its first weekend and finishing its second week as the most-watched show on the platform globally. Viewership fell in the third week but remained high enough to keep the show near the top of Netflix’s weekly list. Industry analysts say the blend of sensational subject matter and controversy has helped drive the numbers, making its commercial performance stronger in early weeks than the preceding season about the Menendez brothers while still trailing the unprecedented reach of the series about Jeffrey Dahmer.

Critics and viewers have been sharply divided over the series’ approach. Many reviewers have condemned its explicit depictions of violence and its...