6 Wild Netflix Tweaks To The Lizzie Borden Story That Will Totally Surprise You

So, right from the jump, Netflix drops the mic and shows Lizzie whacking her parents with a hatchet in their opening logo. Bold move! But here’s the thing: Lizzie was never actually found guilty. Her trial in 1893 ended with an all-male jury saying, “Nah, you’re good.” People have been debating whether she did it ever since. Netflix, though? They’re like, “She totally did it!” and just roll with it.

The show even admits they’re not about the whole "Did Lizzie do it?" mystery. Instead, they’re all about the mental drama behind those wild events. So if you’re expecting a boring documentary, think again - this is “What if Lizzie was a total psycho?” vibe.

Fans and critics have shouted at Netflix for this one, but hey, it’s their version!

Meet Bridget “Maggie” Sullivan - the maid who, on Netflix, is suddenly Lizzie’s secret lover and partner-in-crime. Whaaaat? Yeah, the show turned her into this romantic sidekick pushing Lizzie into full-on rebellion and murder mode.

But the real Bridget was just the family maid and a crucial eyewitness at the trial. She testified she didn’t see any blood on Lizzie and had a totally different role than the Netflix love story suggests.

Netflix even made Bridget’s window cleaning on the murder morning a sneaky alibi plan, but nope, in real life she was just doing her job.

After the drama, Bridget moved on with her life far away from all the mayhem.

Netflix portrays Andrew and Abby Borden as super nasty, making the home feel like a torture chamber. Sisterly drama! But in real life? The biggest fights were about money and property - not terror.

Andrew was known to pinch pennies - like, a LOT - but the creepy rumors about him chopping off body parts for cheap coffins? Total gossip, and Netflix made that a hardcore fact.

Abby’s the classic mean stepmom in the show, but there’s no proof she was the nightmare mom-in-law depicted. The family maid’s trial testimony didn’t back up all that “evil” stuff either.

The real deal: A messy, tense family with way less gore and more grumbling about who gets what.

Who’s Nance O’Neil? On Netflix, she’s Lizzie’s backstage BFF who coaches her for the big trial showdown. Sounds cool, right? But in the real world, Nance and Lizzie didn’t even meet until more than a decade after the trial.

Their actual friendship was all about theater vibes and social hangouts much later, not courtroom drama.

Netflix just decided, "Let’s toss her right into the m**der timeline for extra flair and a dash of dramatic pizzazz." So, those trial coaching scenes? Total fiction.

Turns out, Lizzie’s lawyers were the real masterminds behind her innocent, delicate look on the stand.

Here’s a wild one. Netflix invents an earlier murder of neighbor Bertha Manchester as a practice run for Lizzie and Bridget’s big crime spree.

On the show, Bertha hires Bridget and catches wind of that secret spark between her and Lizzie. When she gives Bridget a raw deal, it triggers their revenge plot - and boom, axe swings.

The real Bertha? Tragically murdered almost a year AFTER the Bordens’ deaths, when Lizzie was already behind bars.

She wasn’t friends with the Bordens, didn’t employ Bridget, and was killed at her own family home - not a neighborly spot.

So Netflix just mashed up timelines and facts to cook up some killer drama.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get weirder, Netflix drops Aileen Wuornos into Lizzie’s story. Yep, the notorious serial killer from the late 1900s suddenly shows up in Fall River’s Borden house.

Played by Sarah Paulson, Aileen is portrayed as a ghostly fan of Lizzie, looking for inspiration in her violent legacy.

Reality check: The two women lived decades apart with zero real-world connection.

Netflix admits this ghostly friendship is pure fiction - a metaphor for exploring what drives women to violence across generations.

They even have Aileen check into the Borden house when it’s a B&B (which didn’t exist until long after her death). Talk about bending time and space!

Critics weren’t fans of this supernatural twist, calling it the show’s most ridiculous moment. But hey, it’s definitely a spooky highlight.