Monarch (2022)

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

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]

Monarch is an objectively mediocre show that is also undeniably watchable — just call it Smashville.

Monarch is a soap that’s all suds and no substance, and its most compelling character might possibly have the least screen time going forward.

“Monarch” doesn’t intent to reinvent the wheel, but rather simply to wrap the rich-family soap template in a slightly different package, garnished with an assortment of country standards, sequins and cowboy hats.

Because “Monarch” (which is the name of the family company) doesn’t really dig beneath its “Dallas”/”Dynasty” trappings, there are plenty of moments that ring false. When the performers are on stage, they seem real. When they’re insulting each other at home, they look phony.

You feel like you're at a karaoke bar with an elaborate costume closet, or watching Glee: Y'all. What might keep viewers coming back is Monarch's commitment to stuffing each episode with ridiculously fast-paced drama.

Wouldn’t surprise me a bit if “Monarch” becomes a hit — but it’ll be like one of those sanitized, country-rock, overproduced chart-toppers. Catchy and slick, more about the toe-tapping and the easy hooks than true heart.

A familiar family drama, relying on plot twists that any regular viewer of the genre can see coming from a mile away.

In working so hard to write around the frequent absence of the show’s biggest star and in embroidering brief time jumps to suggest something sinister is happening, “Monarch” has an antic, uncomfortable energy, as if it’s not confident being what it is or about what it’s about. Sarandon’s absence is only the beginning of the show’s problems, but one senses, in the end, that she had the right idea skipping out.

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.

Disappointing performances on all levels, from the acting to the music. Questionable and basic storylines. It's like watching a train wreck! Where is the quality? Where is the country grit? Where is the original music? Where is the real production of a better show? To sum it up, Monarch feels incomplete and lacks authentic storytelling. Fledgling.

As first episodes often are, this one is a little bogged down with all the dialogue to set up the context and character introductions. Beyond that, it had the music and glamour you'd expect in a country music soap, and a somewhat interesting start of a story. Good production values. I'll give it another episode to see how it progresses.

I love the show. I love thanks for the great cliffhanger and it looks like this is going to have a lot

Please don’t even waste your time on this show it’s a ten times worse empire with close to zero if not zero colored actors.