Controversial Netflix Series Wins Best International BAFTA TV Award

One of Netflix's most controversial programs has won another sizable award. Sunday evening, the Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story won Best International program at the BAFTA TV Awards. The Evan Peters-starring limited series debuted last year to critical acclaim, recounting the story of serial killer Dahmer, someone who terrorized the streets of Milwaukee for 13 years.

The Netflix hit won a category against stiff competition, including fellow Netflix entry Wednesday, HBO's The White Lotus, Apple TV+'s Pachinko, and Oussekine and The Bear from Disney+ and Hulu, respectively.

What is Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story controversial?

The limited series recalls the events that made Dahmer a household name. Those events include the killing and dismemberment of at least 17 males between 1978 and 1991. Shortly after Peters won a Golden Globe for portraying the "Milwaukee Monster," the families of Dahmer's victims released a statement criticizing the actor, streamer, and creators of the show.

"Evan should have used his acceptance speech to mention the families who are still suffering from Dahmer's crimes, or to say Hollywood should put an end to telling stories about killers and glorifying them," Shirley Hughes, the mother of Dahmer victim Tony Hughes, said in an interview with TMZ earlier this year. "There's a lot of sick people around the world, and people winning acting roles from playing killers keeps the obsession going and this makes sick people thrive on the fame… It's a shame that people can take our tragedy and make money. The victims never saw a cent. We go through these emotions every day." 

Despite the controversy surrounding the show, Netflix is continuing to move forward with more shows from Monster creator Ryan Murphy.

 "Audiences can't take their eyes off Monster and The Watcher. The creative team of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan on Monster along with Eric Newman on The Watcher are masterful storytellers who captivated audiences all over the world," Bela Bajaria, Head of Global TV, Netflix said. "The back-to-back force of these two series is due to Ryan's distinct original voice which created cultural sensations and we are thrilled to continue telling stories in the Monster and Watcher universes."

Dahmer— Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.