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Ben Stiller's parody of the Menendez Brothers offered an early critique of the obsession with true crime

Ryan Murphy’s latest attempt to turn real crime into television gold is Monster: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez which, although they denounced on social media for some pretty blatant inaccuracieshas attracted a lot of attention. Why? Because people love gruesome murders – as long as they are on TV, in podcasts or in a series of Trading Cards.

It's pretty crazy that we live in a time where the phrase “Based on horrific true events” is a major selling point in trailers.

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But this is not the first time that the Menendez brothers, who were convicted of murdering their parents in 1996, have served as inspiration for a work of fiction. One of the first narrative references to the case came in a film released just two weeks before the Menendez brothers were convicted: The cable typeWhen you think about it, the Ben Stiller-directed Jim Carrey film may even offer a more thoughtful take on the cultural significance of the case than the Netflix drama.

Although this is by no means the focus of the film, which is about a random sad sack who ends up being pursued by a TV-obsessed loner, there is an ever-present subplot in The cable type It is a high-profile criminal trial that is being followed closely by absolutely everyone. The case concerns former child star Sam Sweet, who is accused of murdering his twin brother Stan (both played by Stiller).

The case plays out in the background of several scenes before finally becoming the film's climax. While the entire country perversely watches its televisions awaiting the jury's verdict (including a family of five watching the murder trial over dinner), Carrey's character Chip falls onto a satellite dish and interrupts the broadcast.

The film's message may not have been subtle, but it was undoubtedly necessary. The trial of Sam Sweet was clearly inspired by the Menendez case, with a dash of OJ Simpson thrown in the mix, but the satirical target was clearly not the Menendez brothers, but us.

People have always been fascinated by true crime, but the 1990s took that obsession to the next level thanks to Court TV. Live coverage of the Menendez trial, which began in 1993, was still a novelty for viewers and led to “in a nationwide media frenzy.” It laid Court TV is “on the map” and has “changed the way true crime is consumed.” The 1995 Simpson trial only added to our cultural saturation with true crime by virtually bringing the public into the courtroom itself and turning a bitter tragedy into a veritable soap opera.

Producer and uncredited screenwriter Judd Apatow noted that The cable type was prepared while the Simpson trial was still underway, and he himself was “obsessed” with the Menendez case. “I didn't miss a second of the Menendez trial,” Apatow revealsand quickly added: “I didn’t work much back then.”

The cable type was a pretty strong condemnation of the commercialization of tragedies and even suggested that a TV movie about the case could be released before a verdict was even reached. That seems pretty hard to believe –

No, wait, she actually did that with OJ Simpson And the Menendez brothers.

The cable typeThe criticism has only become more relevant over time. Except, of course, for the part that people need cable TV.

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