Monarch2022

Added relationship drama helps this series rise slightly above the middle of the pack among CBS procedurals.

After just 2 episodes, I had to share the dish on this show. It's not clear whether it's intentionally terrible or they're trying to create a meaningful drama and failing miserably. I enjoy it for the delightful awfulness. The setup echoes Fox's Empire, which chronicled a Black family's music biz. This time it's the first family of country music with Susan Sarandon chewing the scenery as the matriarch and Trace Adkins rather flat as her hubby. Every scene drops another trashy nugget to amp up the stakes with dialogue that's truly laughable. The brief musical performances feature enjoyably accessible tunes and there are regular cameos by famous musicians playing themselves. In the grand over-the-top tradition of shows like Dynasty, this series is trash TV at its best.

Some of the twists you can see coming from the next state. ... Much more fun are the cameos by true country-music royalty. [26 Sep - 9 Oct 2022, p.4]