Actress Ella Beatty has revealed the career advice her parents Annette Bening and Warren Beatty gave her as she prepares for her breakout television role in Netflix's upcoming series Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.
Speaking exclusively to E! News interviewer Will Marfuggi, the 26-year-old actress said that listening was the single most valuable lesson passed down by her iconic mother and father.
"Listening," Beatty told E! News. "As an actor in a scene, always being more curious about what the other person is doing."
She added that Bening and Beatty advised her to "get interested rather than be interesting, but also to listen and observe and watch more generally," noting: "You never want to be the smartest person in the room. Just really listening is what I learned most from them."
Beatty said she felt fortunate to learn from two legendary artists who have built distinct Hollywood careers. Bening, 68, and Warren Beatty, 89, are veteran screen actors with decades of acclaim. Ella Beatty praised them as "such incredible artists, and also so different from one another," noting that they "have such different careers from each other."
She also expressed a desire to share the screen with her mother in the future. "What a dream! She's my favorite actress in the world and my hero and my best friend," Beatty said. "We kind of dream about it all the time. That would be a dream come true."
Beatty plays the title role of acquitted killer Lizzie Borden in Ryan Murphy's Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, which premieres Sept. 17 on Netflix. The production marks the first time the true-crime anthology series has featured a female lead. The drama recounts the 1892 murders of Borden's father, played by Charlie Hunnam, and stepmother, played by Rebecca Hall, after Borden escapes a cruel household into a fantasy of sex, power, and revenge.
"Even by nature of her being the first female monster, I felt the difference there," Beatty said. "I was so excited by that opportunity to interrogate that theme."
Coming from a background in theater, Beatty described the move to television as a surreal transition. She revealed that she connected immediately with the script during her audition. "I read the audition sides and had a very instinctive connection to them, which doesn't happen all the time," she explained. "Sometimes you get auditions and you think, 'I don't know how to connect to this.' I felt so connected to it right away."
"The whole thing has been really surreal, and I've just tried to meet every moment," Beatty added. "I come from a really collaborative environment in theater so this was a super different experience for me. I hope I can meet it."
True Crime Documentaries and Investigation Series
Beatty's series arrives alongside a wide slate of fall 2026 television premieres. Oxygen will release The Hooters Murders: Deadly Shift on Sept. 7. The two-hour documentary uncovers a series of murders between 2001 and 2010 involving young women associated with the restaurant chain.
On the same night, Investigation Discovery debuts O.J. Unseen: Exploitation of Evil. The four-part documentary examines unreleased footage from Juiced, an ill-fated hidden-camera prank show featuring O.J. Simpson that was derailed by an internal saboteur before broadcast.
Investigation Discovery also brings back Toxic on Sept. 15. Host Elizabeth Chambers interviews survivors and family members to explore how domestic abuse and intimate partner violence develop in relationships across the country.
On MGM+, the 1970s psychological thriller American Hostage debuts Sept. 20. Based on the audio drama podcast, the series follows Indianapolis radio reporter Fred Heckman after hostage-taker Tony Kiritsis demands to be interviewed live on his news program.
New Drama Premieres and Literary Adaptations
Apple TV releases police drama Last Seen on Sept. 9. Patrick Brammall stars as Ian Ridley, a former police detective working as a dispatcher who receives an emergency call 11 years after his daughter Maggie disappeared.
TNT premieres High Value Target: The Hunt for Saddam on Sept. 13. Joel Kinnaman stars as CIA officer John Nixon, who conducted the first interrogations of captured Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, played by Waleed Zuaiter, following the December 2003 U.S. invasion.
BritBox debuts Agatha Christie's Tommy & Tuppence on Sept. 15. The production is the first contemporary English-language television adaptation of Christie's stories featuring the crime-solving couple.
NBC launches new drama series Line of Fire on Sept. 21. Peter Krause stars as a family of law enforcement officers becomes targeted by a mysterious assassin after a U.S. Marshal dies in the line of duty.
Returning Scripted Dramas and Spy Thrillers
FX premieres The Drop: A Snowfall Saga on Sept. 8. The spin-off follows Snowfall characters Wanda Bell, played by Gail Bean, and Leon Simmons, played by Isaiah John, in 1990s Los Angeles amid the rise of West Coast rap.
Hulu brings back Made in Korea for season two on Sept. 9. Deputy Director of the KCIA Baek Kitae expands his regional drug operations while former prosecutor Jang Geonyoung seeks revenge nine years after being framed.
ABC returns with season two of R.J. Decker on Sept. 15, starring Scott Speedman as a private investigator taking on new mysteries.
Apple TV premieres season six of Slow Horses on Sept. 16. Gary Oldman returns as Slough House leader Jackson Lamb, as Diana Taverner embroils the disgraced MI5 team in a high-stakes game of retaliation.
Prime Video debuts Neagley on Sept. 16. Maria Sten stars as Chicago private investigator Frances Neagley, a former protege of Jack Reacher, played by Alan Ritchson, who investigates the suspicious death of a close friend.
Starz debuts season two of Outlander: Blood of My Blood on Sept. 18. Julia, played by Hermione Corfield, is left alone with baby Claire while Henry, played by Jeremy Irvine, struggles after their separation at Craigh na Dun. Meanwhile, Brian Fraser, played by Jamie Roy, and Ellen MacKenzie, played by Harriet Slater, face the onset of the 1715 Jacobite Rising.
Paramount+ returns with season two of MobLand on Sept. 18. The Harrigan family struggles to maintain their criminal empire as street-smart fixer Harry Da Souza navigates internal betrayals and rising rivals.
Reality Franchises and Unscripted Premieres
Bravo premieres The Real Housewives of New York City on Sept. 8, tracking the cast from Manhattan to a private island destination.
Hulu debuts season two of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Sept. 10. The episodes follow Taylor returning from The Bachelorette and Whitney opening on Broadway while tension threatens the #MomTok group in Utah.
Bravo launches season seven of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City on Sept. 16. Returning cast members Lisa Barlow, Mary Cosby, Heather Gay, Angie Katsanevas, Meredith Marks, Bronwyn Newport, and Whitney Rose are joined by Britani Bateman and newcomer Ashley Quai for trips to San Francisco and Hawaii.
NBC and Peacock premiere The Traitors: New Blood on Sept. 17. Host Alan Cumming welcomes 22 non-celebrity contestants, chosen from 80,000 applicants, to his castle in the Scottish Highlands.
ABC launches season 35 of Dancing With the Stars on Sept. 15, with Ciara Miller and Maura Higgins among the contestants vying for the Mirrorball Trophy.
NBC returns with season 30 of The Voice on Sept. 21. Veteran coaches Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson are joined by new coaches Riley Green and Queen Latifah.
Comedies, Daytime Talk, and Spinoff Shows
Peacock releases season two of The Paper on Sept. 9. Ned, Mare, and Esmeralda navigate workplace romance and journalistic rivalries after winning at the Ohio Journalism Awards.
Netflix premieres Crew Girl on Sept. 10. Miku Martineau stars as 16-year-old Teagan Tao, who moves with her mother, played by Jessica Paré, to Easton Prep and becomes coxswain for the dysfunctional boys' varsity rowing crew alongside teammates Josh Regis, played by Sam Braun, and Cam Dillinger, played by Kyle Clark.
Paramount+ debuts season three of Colin From Accounts on Sept. 10, following Gordon and Ashley as they navigate their relationship and their dog Colin after a failed proposal.
Warner Bros. Television Group premieres season five of The Jennifer Hudson Show in syndication on Sept. 14, featuring guest appearances by Tom Cruise, Doja Cat, and Jamie Foxx.
Paramount+ launches animated series Golden Axe on Sept. 16. Inspired by Sega's 1989 arcade video game, warriors Ax Battler, Tyris Flare, and Gilius Thunderhead team up with novice adventurer Hampton Squib to battle Death Adder.
HBO debuts eight-part documentary Jay-Z in 8 on Sept. 18. Marking 30 years since his debut album Reasonable Doubt, Jay-Z sits down with producer Rick Rubin to discuss iconic tracks including 99 Problems, Brooklyn's Finest, and 4:44.
HGTV releases a new season of Scariest House in America on Sept. 18, hosted by comedian Retta as she tours 20 unusual and allegedly haunted homes.
Netflix debuts sports comedy interview series Kevin Hart's Cold as Balls on Sept. 20, featuring host Kevin Hart interviewing prominent athletes from ice tubs.
