Monarch is an American musical drama television series about a country music family. Created by Melissa London Hilfers, the series is the first production of Fox Entertainment Studios.
Susan Sarandon stars as Dottie Cantrell, with Trace Adkins, Anna Friel, Beth Ditto, Martha Higareda, and Joshua Sasse forming the main cast. The series premiered on September 11, 2022, and ended on December 6, 2022, on Fox. In December 2022, Fox canceled the series after one season.
Premise Dottie and Albie Roman lead a country music dynasty at the center of a multigenerational family drama. Daughter Nicky Roman does all she can to protect the dynasty's reign in country music while ensuring her own stardom.
Cast and characters Main Anna Friel as Nicolette "Nicky" Roman: Dottie and Albie's daughter who struggles to live up to her family's legacy. Taegan Burns as young Nicky Trace Adkins as Albie Roman: Dottie's husband and a legendary singer-songwriter known as the "Texas Truthteller". Joshua Sasse as Luke Roman: Dottie and Albie's son and the CEO of Monarch Records. Gavin Bedell as young Luke Beth Ditto as Georgina "Gigi" Taylor-Roman: Dottie and Albie's younger daughter who shunned the spotlight. Elena Murray as young Gigi Meagan Holder as Kayla Taylor-Roman: Gigi's wife. Susan Sarandon as Dottie Cantrell Roman: the "Queen of Country Music". Mandy Barnett as the singing voice of Dottie Eva Amurri as young Dottie, as seen in flashbacks. Amurri is the real-life daughter of Sarandon. Emma Milani as Ana Phoenix: an up-and-coming artist hoping to sign with Monarch. Martha Higareda as Catt Phoenix: Ana's mother, who has a link to the Roman family's past.
Recurring Adam Croasdell as Clive Grayson: Nicky's adulterous husband who works in the film industry. Ava Grace as Tatum Grayson: Nicky and Clive's adopted daughter. Faith Prince as Nellie Cantrell: Dottie's sister. Callum Kerr as Wade Stellings: a hot new artist signed to Monarch Records. Libby Blake as Marybeth Oldenburg: a medical examiner. Kevin Cahoon as Earl Clark: Dottie's faithful personal assistant. D. W. Moffett as Tripp DeWitt: the district attorney of the Roman family. Damon Dayoub as Jamie Burke: a music producer who begins working with Albie and later becomes Nicky's love interest.
Guest stars Martina McBride as herself Shania Twain as herself Little Big Town as themselves Caitlyn Smith as herself Tanya Tucker as herself Devan Katherine as Imogen Lowe Gabriela Hernandez as Rosa Flores
Episodes
Truthteller 1839 Tying into the first season's 7th episode ("About Last Night"), Fox Entertainment partnered with ReserveBar and Next Century Spirits to create a "new double-barreled straight bourbon whiskey" named Truthteller 1839. The whiskey took its name from Albie Roman's legendary moniker – The Texas Truthteller – and the product was featured in show as part of the Monarch empire's latest business venture.
Production Development The series was announced in May 2021. It is created and executive produced by Melissa London Hilfers. Michael Rauch was the original showrunner and one of the executive producers but he was replaced by Jon Feldman in November 2021. Other executive producers are Hend Baghdady, Gail Berman and Jason Owen. The episodes will be hour-long. Jason Ensler has been tapped to direct and executive produce the two-part pilot. Principal photography for the series began on September 13, 2021, and concluded on March 31, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia. On December 7, 2022, it was announced that the series was cancelled after one season by Fox.
Casting In September 2021 Susan Sarandon, Trace Adkins, Beth Ditto, Josh Sasse, Megan Holder, Inigo Dominic Pascual, Martha Higareda and Emma Milani were announced to join the series in leading roles along with the recurring cast: Eva Amurri, Adam Croasdell and Faith Prince. In November 2021, Callum Kerr, Kevin Cahoon, Reshma Shetty, Damon Dayoub and D.W. Moffett were announced to join the series' recurring cast. On August 17, 2022, a trailer for the series revealed that several country stars would appear in the show as themselves, including Shania Twain, Martina McBride, Tanya Tucker and Little Big Town.
Release The series was originally scheduled to premiere on January 30, 2022. On January 12, 2022, Fox announced that due to COVID-19-related issues and the change in showrunner impacting production, and to allow for reshoots and a more thorough promotional campaign, the premiere of Monarch had been delayed to fall 2022. The series premiered on September 11, 2022, as a lead out of Fox's NFL coverage, with the pilot airing four times in a timespan of four days.
Music The title track of the series "The Card You Gamble", which was written by Nashville songwriters Liz Rose, Lori McKenna and Hillary Lindsey and performed by singer-songwriter Caitlyn Smith, was released on January 14, 2022. On August 3, 2022, "American Cowgirl", a song written by Casey Brown, Heather Morgan and Monarch music supervisor Adam Anders which is performed by Friel's character Nicky in the show, was released. The series features a mixture of original and cover songs and is released through Arista Records.
Episode Song Writer(s) Performer(s) 1.1: Stop at Nothing "American Cowgirl" Adam Anders Casey Brown, Heather Morgan Anna Friel as Nicky Roman "The Brambles" Adam Anders, Tom Douglas, Jordan Shellhart Trace Adkins as Albie Roman and Anna Friel as Nicky Roman "Family Tradition" Hank Williams Jr. Joshua Sasse as Luke Roman, Anna Friel as Nicky Roman, Beth Ditto as Gigi Roman and Iñigo Pascual as Ace Grayson "Good Hearted Woman" Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson Trace Adkins as Albie Roman "How Do I Live" Diane Warren Anna Friel as Nicky Roman and Beth Ditto as Gigi Roman 1.2: There Can Only Be One Queen "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" Robert John "Mutt" Lange, Shania Twain Mandy Barnett as Dottie Cantrell Roman and Anna Friel as Nicky Roman "Ain't No Sunshine" Bill Withers Callum Kerr as Wade Stellings "The Card You Gamble" Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose Anna Friel as Nicky Roman and Beth Ditto as Gigi Roman "Love Can Build a Bridge" Naomi Judd Faith Prince as Nellie Cantrell and Mandy Barnett as Dottie Cantrell Roman "Photograph" Johnny McDaid, Ed Sheeran Iñigo Pascual as Ace Grayson and Trace Adkins as Albie Roman 1.3: Show Them Who You Are, Baby "Juice" Eric Frederic, Melissa Jefferson, Sean Small, Sam Sumser, Theron Thomas Beth Ditto as Gigi Roman "Breathe" Stephanie Bentley, Holly Lamar Anna Friel as Nicky Roman "God Knows" Adam Anders, Peer Åström, Tom Douglas Mandy Barnett as Dottie Cantrell Roman, Beth Ditto as Gigi Roman "Kerosene" Steve Earle, Miranda Lambert Anna Friel as Nicky Roman "Always on My Mind" Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, Mark James Beth Ditto as Gigi Roman and Trace Adkins as Albie Roman 1.4: Not Our First Rodeo "Watermelon Sugar" Thomas Hull, Tyler Johnson, Mitch Rowland, Harry Styles Emma Milani as Ana Phoenix and Iñigo Pascual as Ace Grayson "High" Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Decilveo, Caitlyn Smith Caitlyn Smith as herself "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" Ed Bruce, Patsy Bruce Trace Adkins as Albie Roman "God Knows" Adam Anders, Peer Åström, Tom Douglas Anna Friel as Nicky Roman 1.5: Death and Christmas "Need You Now" Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott Anna Friel as Nicky Roman and Callum Kerr as Wade Stellings "Born This Way" Lady Gaga, Jeppe Laursen Beth Ditto as Gigi Roman "Silent Night" Franz Xaver Gruber Anna Friel as Nicky Roman, Beth Ditto as Gigi Roman, Joshua Sasse as Luke Roman and Iñigo Pascual as Ace Grayson 1.6: The Night Of... "Somethin' Bad" Chuck Ainlay, Frank Liddell, Glenn Worf Anna Friel as Nicky Roman and Beth Ditto as Gigi Roman "Friends in Low Places" Dewayne Blackwell, Earl Bud Lee Trace Adkins as Albie Roman 1.7: About Last Night "Waiting Around to Die" Townes Van Zandt Trace Adkins as Albie Roman "Half of My Hometown" Jimmy Robbins, Shane McAnally, Ross Copperman, Nicolle Galyon & Kelsea Ballerini Emma Milani as Ana Phoenix and Trace Adkins as Albie Roman "I Love a Rainy Night" Even Stevens, David Malloy & Eddie Rabbitt Anna Friel as Nicky Roman and Callum Kerr as Wade Stellings 1.8: The Crown "Strawberry Wine" Matraca Berg & Gary Harrison Anna Friel as Nicky Roman "Something to Talk About" Shirley Eikhard Emma Milani as Ana Phoenix "This One's for the Girls" Hillary Lindsey, Chris Lindsey & Aimee Mayo Iñigo Pascual as Ace Grayson 1.9: Confessions "Country Boy (Shake It for Me)" Dallas Davidson & Luke Bryan Anna Friel as Nicky Roman "Gates of Hell" Tom Douglas & Adam Anders Trace Adkins as Albie Roman "Before He Cheats" Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins Beth Ditto as Gigi Roman "Fresh Eyes" Andy Grammer, Ross Golan & Ian Kirkpatrick Emma Milani as Ana Phoenix and Iñigo Pascual as Ace Grayson
Reception Critical response The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 33% approval rating with an average rating of 5.8/10, based on 12 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Heavy on the clichés while disappointingly light on Susan Sarandon, this Monarch is a so-so successor to a lineage of soaps about families warring over their business empire." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 43 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
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