'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters' - Season 1 Episode Release Dates, Cast, Trailer

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Official Synopsis

Season 1 starts Friday 17th November 2023 // Network: Apple TV+

"Following the epic battle between Godzilla and the MUTOs that levelled San Francisco and the shocking revelation that monsters are real, two siblings, following in their father's footsteps, uncover their family's connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch. Clues lead them into the world of monsters and ultimately down the rabbit hole to Army officer Lee Shaw, taking place in the 1950s and half a century later where Monarch is threatened by what Shaw knows. The dramatic saga - spanning three generations - reveals buried secrets and the ways that epic, earth-shattering events can reverberate through our lives."

Why You Should Watch 'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters'

It's Godzilla, come on! Except, not really. The Titans take a backseat in this 10 episode first series, which instead focuses on the mysterious group, Monarch, and the lives they and the Titans have touched/ruined. You would be forgiven for not recognising the name Monarch, but since 2017, they've been in the background of the recent Westernised Godzilla/titan movies. A shadowy organisation created in 1946, it has been tracking and studying MUTOs like Godzilla since the end of WW2. Legacy of Monsters is the backstory to this thread that has touched nearly all the lives in the recent Monsterverse. The show jumps around in time, showing how Monarch has impacted the lives of not just our heroes, nor even just the entire human population, but the existence of the Titans themselves. Kurt Russell stars, alongside his real-life son Wyatt, who play the same character in different time eras. Reviews are good so far, with big points given to the special effects. So if you've ever wanted a Godzilla film that lasted a couple of months, this is definitely the show for you!

Who Is In 'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters'?

Kurt Russell of "being Kurt Russell" fame (also Ego in GotG2 and What If...?), plays Colonel Lee Shaw, an Army officer that finds himself in the middle of conspiracy to hide the existence of monsters from the world. What he knows could bring Monarch down, and it's unlikely they will take kindly to that type of threat.

Wyatt Russell, of "being Kurt Russell's son" fame, and recently seen in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as the not-quite-as-nice Captain America, portrays Lieutenant Lee Shaw. The real life father and son duo, play the same character, though if you know your military code, you may have noticed that one is significantly higher rank than the other. While Kurt plays the modern day (and therefore older) version of the character, Wyatt gets all timey-wimey and portrays the character at the start of this whole mess, in 1950. Exciting!

Anders Holm (actor in and creator of Workaholics) portrays Bill Randa, the 1950s version of the character we've previously seen in Skull Island (the 2015 film), who was then played by John Goodman. While not really mentioned in any casting list, Goodman does appear and revives his character in a prologue section.

Mari Yamamoto (Pachinko) and new comer Ren Watabe play half siblings Keiko and Kentaro (dad was a fan of the Kardashians naming scheme huh?) who only find out about each other around the time Godzilla squishes San Francisco. They are shocked to find out that their father worked for super secret outfit, Monarch. Which is handy, given the title of the show...

When Will New 'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters' Episodes Be Released On Apple TV+?

Like most Apple TV+ shows, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters will drop the first two episodes back to back, on Friday the 17th of November 2023. Episodes will arrive weekly after that, through the holiday period and into January 2024. 

Watch the Official 'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters' Trailer

Fun Fact

Despite not airing yet (and therefore admittedly having a much smaller sample size) Monarch is currently tracking on Rotten Tomatoes as the best rated Monsterverse production. The second highest rated is still not one of the films, but the animated 'Skull Island' series. Which makes it wierd that Apple TV+ would invest into this universe of mediocre rated films. But so far, it seems to be paying off for them, and I'll be eagerly awaiting the premiere, so what do I know? Probably why I don't have a trillion dollars. Oh, that's not a fun fact...