Monarch: Legacy of Monsters can be convoluted at times and can get weighed down by angsty drama, but when at its best, it does a good job of expanding on the Monsterverse franchise.
What Is It?
This series follows two siblings who uncover their family’s secret ties to the shadowy organization Monarch as they trace a decades-spanning mystery connecting human lives to the emergence of Titans like Godzilla. The series weaves together timelines from the 1950s to the post-Godzilla (2014 film) era, revealing Monarch’s role in studying—and attempting to contain—the growing number of colossal creatures.
By the end of Season 1, the characters find themselves stranded within the mysterious Hollow Earth, a dangerous realm where Titans originate, setting up Season 2 to explore survival in that environment while expanding Monarch’s reach and the global consequences of Titan activity.
Airing: Apple TV, 2 Seasons Totaling 20 Episodes (so far)
Starring: Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, Wyatt Russell, Kurt Russell
Developed By: Chris Black, Matt Fraction
Johnny Jay’s Thoughts:
After a failed attempt to create an Americanized version of Godzilla back in 1998 with a Roland Emmerich-directed film, the franchise was rebooted once again in 2014 with Gareth Edwards (Monsters) at the helm, and that one stuck. It was followed in 2017 by Kong: Skull Island (which was not a sequel to the 2005 Peter Jackson King Kong film), establishing the Monsterverse, and eventually Kong and Godzilla met up in an epic match. Five total films in the franchise have been produced so far, with a sixth on the way in 2027, and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters acts as a spin-off to those, expanding on the universe created in the films.
This Apple TV series got started in 2023, focusing on the son and daughter of scientist Hiroshi Randa, who is linked to the mysterious Monarch organization that monitors monster activity on the planet. Cate and Kentaro Randa have different mothers and do not know of each other’s existence until they come together while searching for their father. They learn that he has been leading a secret life and that he has been tracking “Titans” throughout the world.
In a separate timeline in the 1950s, scientists Keiko Miura and Bill Randa are investigating the emergence of Titans in the world, with Colonel Lee Shaw as their military escort. They help to establish what becomes Monarch, though they end up losing control as the government takes more interest in the project. The two timelines ultimately converge at the end of Season 1 in “Hollow Earth,” the place where the Titans come from, leaving one of the members stranded in that world.
If this all sounds rather confusing and convoluted, it is, and I have barely even scratched the surface. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters delivers a mishmash of storylines and plot threads, sometimes diverging into soap opera and other times giving us full-on kaiju action. It is definitely a mixed bag of a show, but at its best, it can be quite fun, and it has a heck of a good cast keeping it moving along.
Personally, I like the 1950s timeline the best, as that establishes the origins of Monarch, and Keiko, Bill, and Shaw make for a good team. That could have been turned into a series by itself, and apparently Apple TV is going in that direction with a spin-off that will focus on Colonel Shaw. The modern-day timeline has its strengths as well, but it tends to get bogged down by angsty family drama and soap opera asides more often than not. But it is still an important part of the story and adds to the overall arc.
All of the actors do a heck of a good job in their roles, never getting lost in the action or overshadowed by the monsters. But Wyatt and Kurt Russell particularly stand out, playing the younger and older Lee Shaw. He turns out to be an important character holding much of the story together, and the long-time genre veteran Kurt shines in the role while his son Wyatt holds his own quite well next to his father. I definitely look forward to the as-yet-untitled spin-off that will focus on Shaw.
I am five episodes into the second season, and it is much like the first so far, building on the Monsterverse and expanding the mythology of the Titans. It does tend to get mired in angsty drama at times, and you might wish for more kaiju action than the show delivers on a weekly basis, but it never completely derails, and I continue to enjoy watching it. Some might find it tedious at times and may only focus on the more meaty parts with the monster/sci fi elements, but if you are a fan of the movies, this series is definitely worth a watch, especially for the excellent cast.
What’s Next?
The second season of the show wrapped up last week, and there has been no word on a third year yet. It showed up for one week in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings, and word is that it has performed well for Apple TV so far. My guess is that this one will get at least one more season to wrap up its storylines, and then they will continue to explore the early years of Monarch with the Colonel Shaw series. But fans might want to make some noise on social networks just to make sure that Monarch: Legacy of Monsters does not get cut short.
Where Can You Watch It?
Both seasons are currently available for streaming on Apple TV. I have not seen anything on a DVD/Blu-ray release yet, but I expect those will be coming at some point.
Are you watching Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and do you believe the second season is doing a good job of carrying on the story? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments section below.
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