While many streamers release their latest shows all at once allowing viewers to binge them in one night, Apple TV has taken a different strategy with the second season of its smash hit, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.
The 10-part drama has been releasing weekly since 27 February, and the show is due to conclude on 1 May. The release strategy means that the show, that stars the likes of Kurt Russell and Kiersey Clemons, has remained at the top of the streamer’s charts since it started airing last month.
The first season achieved an incredible 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, although the second season has slipped slightly, only carrying a score of 79%. The show revolves around Warner Bros.’ ‘Monsterverse’, which contains characters like Godzilla and King Kong.
A synopsis for the second season reads: “Season two will pick up with the fate of Monarch – and the world – hanging in the balance. The dramatic saga reveals buried secrets that reunite our heroes (and villains) on Kong’s Skull Island, and a new, mysterious village where a mythical Titan rises from the sea.
“The ripple effects of the past make waves in the present day, blurring the bonds between family, friend and foe – all with the threat of a titan event on the horizon.”
The show has proven to be a smash hit since its initial release, winning at the Leo Awards, the Saturn Awards and the Critics’ Choice Super Awards. Last year, it was confirmed that a spin-off focusing on a young Lee Shaw, played by Wyatt Russell, had been greenlit, with the show being set during the Cold War.
Reception to Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
Despite its small slip on Rotten Tomatoes, fans and critics still continue to praise the show. Writing in IGN, Tara Bennett noted: “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 retains bragging rights as the Monsterverse project giving audiences the best balance of kaiju thrills and compelling storytelling involving its human characters. And for the super fans, this season continues to fill in the Monsterverse mythology gaps in surprising ways.”
One viewer enthused: “Honestly more people need to be watching Monarch Legacy of Monsters! This show is so [expletive] good,” while a second added: “Y’all need to watch Monarch: Legacy of Monsters ASAP, especially if you’re a Godzilla and/or Monsterverse fan.”
A third commented: “Ugh, the writers of Monarch Legacy of Monsters nail the emotional aspects once again,” and a fourth penned: “This season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters has managed to do one thing that most western Godzilla verse movies have not been able to do – get the human characters and their drama right.”
However, the praise hasn’t been universal, and in a three-star review for Empire, Dan Jolin remarked: “The fleshing out of the MonsterVerse continues to fail to make most of its human characters interesting, but scrapes by on the outsize thrills of its Titanic action.”
Who stars in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters?
The show stars Hollywood royalty, with father-son duo Kurt Russell (Guardians of the Galaxy 2) and Wyatt (Black Mirror) appearing in the show as Lee Shaw. Kurt portrays the character in the show’s present day, while Wyatt appears as a younger version of Lee.
© Apple TVReturning for the show’s second season are Anna Sawai (Shogun), Kiersey Clemons (The Flash), Ren Watabe (461 Days of Bento), Mari Yamamoto (Rental Family), Anders Holm (Champions), Joe Tippett (Rise) and Christopher Heyerdahl (The Twilight Saga).
New to the show are Amber Midthunder (Prey), Augusto Aguilera (Chasing Life), Camilo Jiménez Varón (Wild District), Camila Ponte Alvarez (Nothing Like the Sun), Curtiss Cook (House of Cards), Cliff Curtis (Fear the Walking Dead) and Anna McGahan (The Doctor Blake Mysteries).
Read the full article here
