Debut Episode of FOX’s Country Music Series ‘Monarch’ is a Dud
I hope someone out there appreciates the rigors one has to go through to cover the full breadth of what falls within the “country music” beat. Lucky for you, I watched the debut episode of FOX’s new country music drama Monarch starring Trace Adkins and Susan Sarandon so you didn’t have to, and I just want to say, you’re welcome. Go ahead and free up the space on your DVR, and I’ll accept hazard pay if anyone wants to hit me up on Venmo. But just like much of mainstream country music, Monarch just may be bad enough to become a massive success.
The reason this show was even worth a curious peak is because it could have implications on the world of country music at large. With Paramount’s Yellowstone series launching careers if someone’s music is featured in the show, and after the success ABC found with the country music-based drama Nashville between 2012 and 2017, it was worth giving Monarch a sniff. But where Nashville presented compelling characters you wanted to root for while interweaving storylines relevant to the actual country music world, Monarch just feels like a stock network television drama with country music as the backdrop and merchandising tie-in.
Sold as a “Texas-sized, multigenerational musical drama about a family synonymous with authenticity,” Susan Sarandon plays the ailing “Queen of Country Music” Dottie Cantrell Roman, Trace Adkins is her asshole husband Albie, and British actress Anna Friel is Nicolette “Nicky” Roman, a.k.a. the heiress to what is characterized as the “First Family of Country Music.” The Romans live in Austin on a big estate, but spend ample time in Nashville tending to the family record label business. In other words, it’s Empire for rednecks, borrowing way too much from it’s predecessor out of the chute, and is about as believable as Sarandon’s Southern accent.
The Monarch debut was all drama, with no time to breathe, and no meaningful dialogue. When the best line comes from Susan Sarandon’s character when she’s brushing down a thoroughbred and chides to her son, “Don’t be a horses ass,” then turns to the horse and says, “No offense,” you know you’re screwed. There are all kinds of drama threads presented in the premier episode amid canned commentary and sweeping panoramas of the Austin skyline and Roman estate, but it’s hard to know who to root for on the show when every character is distinctly hateable. The Monarch stable of characters are all bitches, douchebags, and dickheads.
But make no mistake, critics will fawn over this series and the debut episode specifically since there is an interracial same sex kiss. Susan Sarandon’s other daughter in the drama is an overweight lesbian with a Black wife, which means this show will win seven Emmys. But anyone with any taste had switched over the the Sunday Night tilt between the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers by the third commercial break.
About the only silver lining was the soundtrack. It was no Yellowstone mind you, which features some of the best of today’s independent country artists. But it wasn’t ABC’s Nashville either, which deserves credit for working in original songs, though they got mostly lost on the television format. Monarch in contrast had Eddie Rabbitt’s “Drivin’ My Life Away,” Brooks & Dunn’s “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” and performances of Hank Jr.’s “Family Tradition” and “Good Hearted Woman” by Waylon Jennings. Were these morsels worth suffering through the hour to hear them? Of course not. But perhaps someone out there was exposed to some actual country music instead of what they’re used to on the radio.
FOX has been selling this series hard, and for two years now. It was supposed to debut last year, but they delayed it due to production issues brought on by COVID-19. Judging from the debut, it probably deserved even longer in the oven, better writers, and a better cast. Trace Adkins felt like a stiff with no subtlety to the character, and it only feels like Susan Sarandon is involved because it’s shot in her home city of Austin and she’ll be killed off in the series.
With a smorgasbord of choices these days in media, Monarch feels like like a waste of your time, and a guilty pleasure at best, at least judging from the first episode. It screams of the network television approach to entertainment. I’m sure there will be some audience for it, but it’s relevance to country music will be relegated to helping fill out presenter rosters at award shows, and brand activations at bad corporate music festivals.
It was only one episode, but this country music fan won’t be back to see how producers figure out how to string these poorly-constructed characters out for five season before they all kill each other.
1 1/2 Guns Down (3.5/10)
September 11, 2022 @ 7:37 pm
I saw on social media that Will Overman had some role in the musical productive for the show. His old band, (Will Overman Band), kicked ass in the Richmond/Charlottesville VA area a few years ago, so I’m not shocked to hear the music itself was good.
September 11, 2022 @ 8:01 pm
The music was not bad at all. All the song placements were good tunes, and say what you want about Trace Adkins, the guy is a great singer with a great voice. Having a cast that can actually sing is a plus.
September 11, 2022 @ 8:27 pm
Mandy Barnett is the singing voice of Susan Sarandon. It was the only reason I might watch but sounds like I’ll have to pass.
September 11, 2022 @ 8:59 pm
Susan did not “sing” at all on the episode. In fact, it was part of the plot. I was wondering if they did that so they wouldn’t have to dub over vocals, but I’m guessing they will show her singing at some point.
September 12, 2022 @ 1:15 am
Will Overman’s “Winemakers Daughter” is way underrated/ignored. Great album
September 15, 2022 @ 10:27 am
You don’t need to speak for everyone because I loved the show and can’t wait for the next one.
October 20, 2022 @ 7:12 am
Have they shown the GSP dog yet ? Waylon
September 11, 2022 @ 7:39 pm
Thanks for taking the hit k, Trig. I was curious enough to watch it, until I read this.
September 11, 2022 @ 7:41 pm
Was that why it was postponed so suddenly?
September 11, 2022 @ 8:04 pm
When they postponed it last year, it felt beyond shocking after the reams and reams of publicity they had put behind it. The blamed COVID and wanting to be ahead on production. But perhaps it wasn’t screening well either, I really don’t know.
September 11, 2022 @ 8:23 pm
According to Deadline, Monarch is Fox’s first fully-owned live-action scripted series, so there is A LOT riding on the success of Monarch for Fox’s future in the live-action scripted space. Further, Fox doesn’t have much room to fail with such a tight schedule due to their two-hour primetime window (versus three hours for NBC/CBS/ABC). Based on this review, it sounds like a two-season flounder (or one season if Fox’s executives want to appear competent).
September 11, 2022 @ 8:40 pm
Look, I wouldn’t base the success or failure of this show on my opinion. Clearly, I am not the right demographic for this thing, even though I am a country fan. I watched the first few seasons of “Nashville,” and though it definitely had it’s cheese and predictability, the characters were strong, the dialogue and story were quality, and it worked. They developed characters people cared about. In this thing, all they set up was how each character is going to screw over the other characters in upcoming episodes. There was no space to breathe. Maybe it will be a blockbuster, but if it is, it will be by appealing to lowest common denominator.
September 11, 2022 @ 8:47 pm
It sounds like Dallas but replace “oil” with “music”. It may work, but based on the showrunner change and extensive reshoots, even Fox knows they have a stinker on their hands. https://deadline.com/2022/01/monarch-fox-entertainment-president-decision-push-series-fall-2022-michael-thorn-1234913407/
September 11, 2022 @ 11:06 pm
Lowest common denominator. Isn’t that how Bartley Filbert and Aaron Lewis have careers?
September 11, 2022 @ 7:46 pm
: D Don’t sugar coat it.
Tell us how it really was
September 12, 2022 @ 10:12 am
My first thought at all the trailers was Dallas as well, except Dallas worked because J.R. Ewing was one of the greatest characters of all time.
September 11, 2022 @ 7:49 pm
Sounds like a show trying to hit all the demographics. As a result, it will be satisfying for no one.
September 11, 2022 @ 7:57 pm
Let’s Go Bucs❗
September 12, 2022 @ 6:59 pm
WHO DAT!
September 11, 2022 @ 9:40 pm
On a better note, rumor mill back home is that Sturgill, Tyler, Stapleton, and Dwight Yoakam are going to do a concert in Lexington to benefit flood victims. If that’s the case it’s a hell of a concert.
September 11, 2022 @ 10:04 pm
They sure do like to copy and paste these days. Glad I missed this one. You’re doing the Lord’s work Trigger.
September 12, 2022 @ 2:24 am
Completely agree. I watched because I like Trace Adkins. I still like him but won’t waste my time watching any more. Regarding song placement though, Eddie Rabbits “Drivin’ My Life Away” is def a great song but was poorly placed, when Sarandon is driving up to the estate in bright sunlit convertible, in direct contrast to the first line: “midnight headlights blind you on a rainy night.” I understand the point they were trying to make but there’s other great driving songs that aren’t automatically associated with a rainy night.
September 12, 2022 @ 3:49 am
Oh no! I guess I’ll just have to rewatch “Justified” and “Breaking Bad.” Maybe even “Better Call Saul” and watch “The Sopranos.”
Trigger, I saw the trailer to this, that was enough. I’m sorry that you had to go through that.
September 12, 2022 @ 6:37 am
I’m about to begin season 3 of Justified. Raylan Givens is one bad ass mf.
September 12, 2022 @ 11:00 am
May I suggest Gaslit (great retelling of the Watergate story focusing on Martha Mitchell and John Dean), The Flight Attendant and Hacks.
September 12, 2022 @ 6:33 pm
Just binged both seasons of Hacks! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️‘s. After Designing Women I had no clue Jean Smart wasn’t actually southern with that accent. Definitely a great watch!
September 12, 2022 @ 12:13 pm
I basically just watch The Sopranos on repeat. One of the finest comedies ever written! And yes, I’m aware it is also a drama, but after the first watch it just gets funnier every time!
September 12, 2022 @ 5:06 am
Well the part where you pissed your pants at representation justifying awards aged like milk after mostly negative reviews (not saying it wasn’t forced it definitely was) but you seem to have vastly no experience in what shows get awards and nominations these days
September 12, 2022 @ 7:05 am
I have no problem with “representation” whatsoever. My issue is the scene and the character comes across as so canned and phony, it felt patronizing to representation, not emblematic of it. So the daughter of the “Queen of Country Music” is an overweight lesbian who is married to a Black woman? Okay. But you can’t even wait for the second episode to introduce the storyline how the overweight lesbian’s Black wife is having an affair with her brother too? Come on. It’s so over-the-top.
And I’m not sure how this comment has “aged” already since it’s only 12 hours old. Clearly the Emmy line was sarcasm. I am seeing now that the show is receiving mostly negative reviews, which gives me some hope in humanity.
September 12, 2022 @ 8:20 am
You should have just said this then, as this comment here makes sense to me. The way you say it in the review comes off as, “It’s going to win awards because there’s black people in it” sounds super ridiculous.
September 12, 2022 @ 2:03 pm
How is it ridiculous? We now live in a world where Joan of Arc is being portrayed as nonbinary, the Founding Fathers are played by African Americans, and every period piece is filled with casting that resembles the UN cafeteria because historical accuracy is less important than inclusion.
Trigger nailed it with that line.
September 13, 2022 @ 9:17 am
I don’t think Monarch constitutes “historically inaccurate casting” since these characters are entirely fictional. But moreover, “historical accuracy” and “historical inaccuracy” are just stylistic choices in portraying the past, and even though it feels more visible now, it’s been mixed and muddled since the beginning. The “inaccurately cast” John Wayne and Omar Sharif both played Genghis Khan in sincere historical biopics, while the more “accurately cast” Al Leong played the Mongol leader in the much less accurate “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”. In fact, to bring it back to country music, I’d argue that we fans are engaging in the same practice every time we portray a cowboy as strumming a guitar and singing (of which accounts are rare) or yodeling (entirely a Hollywood fabrication). But there’s nothing fundamentally wrong about that version of the cowboy living alongside Michael Martin Murphey’s attempts at a well-researched portrayal of the cowboy’s musical lineage. Sure, it would be more “historically accurate” if the women ran away from Gene Autry because he stank like horse shit. But it wouldn’t be particularly entertaining.
September 14, 2022 @ 7:49 am
Two wrongs don’t make a right.
The John Wayne casting was dumb. That movie is rightly mocked.
That excuse come up like clockwork now when people try to defend PC casting. If your show is set in the Middle Ages or the Asian steppes, get the correct demographics. It is not hard to be respectful.
September 13, 2022 @ 5:10 am
We’ll have to see how it goes, but I’ve noticed that many shows (e.g. She-Hulk, Rings Of Power) are using “representation” as a shield against critics. Any negative comments about things like not being true to the source material are attacked by Strawman Army: “you’re a ___-ist and a ___phobe!” I’ll be interested to see if this show’s cheerleaders do likewise.
September 12, 2022 @ 5:49 am
Tuned in, quickly tuned out when Trace threw a punch at the camera. Corny characters and stilted dialogue. Meh.
I’d rather watch Tyler Childers’ spit evaporate.
September 12, 2022 @ 9:08 am
I wouldn’t rule it out yet, as pilot episodes are rarely an indication of future episode/season quality. I’m saying all this as someone who is very unlikely to watch the show for any reason.
September 12, 2022 @ 9:33 am
I didn’t watch this debut episode, but from the write-up here, I’m glad I saved myself the frustration. I support the stories that are well-told, period. I also support “representation,” as long as it *serves the art* and doesn’t attempt to propagandize it, in an ideological way. I could be wrong, but I get the impression that “Monarch” is attempting do the former, not the latter. I may give the show a try, just to see if I’m wrong, but I’m not very hopeful about that prospect.
I *am* one of the people whom Hollywood loves to go on about, as a so-called “marginalized” person. I have Cerebral Palsy and spend most of my days and night in a wheel. Despite school officials who tried to put me in “special” classes, I went to elementary, middle, and high school with all of my non-disabled classmates, and I proved that I could think as well, and work as hard, as, at least, most of my classmates. I went on to college and did well there too. My career life hasn’t turned out to be anything like what I worked for or hoped for, but that’s another story for another time. My point is, I am in a social/physical category of people whom today’s Hollywood would likely classify as being “marginalized,” but I *strongly* dislike art that is so hobbled by social/political ideology that it feels forced or compromised.
I understand, and to some extent, empathize and agree with the desires of people for “representation” in art. It feels good to be seen and appreciated, and it can feel very good to see someone who looks like oneself in a work of art (book, movie, TV show, etc.) For some time now, the Hollywood push for representation has seemed, too often, to me, like it’s *hurting* the quality of art, rather than helping and serving it.
I get wanting to be seen and appreciated. Honestly, when I go out in my wheelchair, in the city and state where I live, I sometimes feel either invisible, or some kind of misfit oddity, from the way that too many (temporarily) physically able-bodied people can treat people with visible physical disabilities. As a lover of art of all kinds, I happily admit that my heart is thrilled when I see a *well-written, well-acted, thoughtful” character with a clearly discernible physical disability, in a book, or a movie, or TV show. It gets tiring, at times, to see so few characters who “look like me” in works of art, even in 2022.
However, when I see a physically disabled character, and it’s clear to me that the presence of this person doesn’t really *serve the story in a non-ideological way*, and the character is just there so that the writer/filmmaker/show-runner can say, “See? We’re good people! We have a person in a wheelchair in our book/show/movie!”– honestly, as a person with Cerebral Palsy, in a wheelchair who loves art, and *not* ideology of any kind, *that* kind of “representation” makes me want to vomit. It’s condescending, even to the people that it’s purporting to represent, and it’s not good for art.
September 12, 2022 @ 9:45 am
Sorry for any and all typos in my comments here– in addition to having C.P,, apparently, I need new glasses! 🙂
September 12, 2022 @ 9:51 am
Hey man,
No worries.
We make typos all the time, ’round here.
We’re not going for 100% grammatical purity.
We’re going for content
September 12, 2022 @ 10:31 am
Yeah, see Lil Dale for the proof.
September 12, 2022 @ 11:56 am
Trace Adkins may be Sarandon’s “asshole husband Albie,” but that’s obviously the character that the writers wrote and that the director directs him to play.
It sounds like this is a major triumph for Adkins to be playing the #2 starring role in a prime-time nework TV series, considering that most mid-level country stars from the ’90s-’00s have had a lot of trouble trying to extend their careers after the hits stopped coming. If it lasts, for more than a year, he’s basically set.
September 12, 2022 @ 12:11 pm
Why are so many choosing not to watch based upon a review? Sounds kind of silly. I am not going to watch because I don’t get into these types of things, but it sure isn’t because of some review. Think and judge for yourself, just like you would do with music. Do your own thinking.
No disrespect to Trigger by the way.
September 26, 2022 @ 8:33 am
Thank you for this. If you don’t watch based on Trigger’s review, that’s a bit pathetic. People are no longer thinking for themselves on many issues and to let someone else decide for you without doing any research at all is intellectually lazy and not at all smart.
September 12, 2022 @ 1:00 pm
The show was a total disappointment. Susan Sarandons acting was embarassing. I only watched bc I read Tanya Tucker was going to be in one of the episodes.
September 12, 2022 @ 2:44 pm
“Trace Adkins is her asshole husband, Albie…”
So Adkins is jus playing himself? One of the biggest jerk-offs in a genre filled with them.
September 12, 2022 @ 4:18 pm
Network TV is irrelevant
September 12, 2022 @ 4:19 pm
reality of the situation is Nashville is about as good a show as we will get.
overall it was not that bad. gay cowboys, hayden pantyderriere in outfits, decent songs, a bleach blonde to the point of being white haired aussie pretending to be “sounthern”, random black people thrown in for “diversity”, and did i mention the gay cowboy was played by the guy who is famous for the line “welcome to the OC, bitch” in The OC ,
oh and i forgot T Bone Burnett was involved.
if they made a show about the making of Nashville and fictionalized it, behind scenes antics etc i bet it would be miles better than Monarch. in fact i would go back and rewatch Nashville before i would demean myself with Monarch again.
September 12, 2022 @ 4:32 pm
Fat lesbians are the new skinny homemakers.
September 12, 2022 @ 5:27 pm
How addled is your brain that in the middle of watching a bad episode of network TV, you stopped and made sure to note that you think critics will love the entire premise of the show solely due to the presence of an “overweight Black lesbian?”
For someone who constantly tries to steer the comment sections away from such discussion, perhaps follow your own advice in the writings on the site. Just downright bizarre.
Especially when it’s an observation that you’d immediately have known was wrong if you took the time to read other reviews of the show, which are nearly unanimous in not liking it. You’re doing the same thing you jab critics for, just on the other side of the spectrum.
September 12, 2022 @ 7:01 pm
I tried my best to have an oen mind to it, but was deeply disappointed. It seemed very fake with no authenticity. It was like some outsiders view of “country”. You know like when you see people at rodeos or concerts who have never worn a cowboy hat or flannel shirt in their life but put on a the costume just for the event to make people think they fit in. It’s almost disrespectful to real country life. Like you said the music was not bad, but to me it was like they picked the song choice from a karaoke bar in some big city suburb.
September 13, 2022 @ 8:37 am
I don’t even know what this Monarch television show is, but I have no plans to watch it and I have no opinion on it. So, I think I’ll watch some classic episodes of The Simpsons instead.
September 13, 2022 @ 8:41 am
BTW I mean no disrespect to Trigger.
September 13, 2022 @ 2:19 pm
Probably would’ve been better off doing a documentary about the Monarch branch of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. Sounds like it would’ve been more country than this show
September 13, 2022 @ 4:52 pm
Of course this show sucks ass, I think that was probably my comment the first time you mentioned it. As for fawning reviews from “liberal media” I don’t know where you are seeing these, the only other reviews I have seen made it sound like a pantload. It’s kind of hilarious though that you think non “conservatives” will lap up anything with a sign of diversity, sure some idiot writers might but it’s not like non “conservatives” had to create their entirely different music, media and review industry like evangelicals do. Shit, they are so terrible at creative work that they basically neg their “flock” into buying their total trash music and movies. Of course you can find some (mostly online) non-“conservatives” who do this, but next time you find one take a stroll over Pure Flix and feast your eyes on that turd in a punchbowl! They had to create their own version of Netflix because their movies are so awful they can’t compete anywhere else. Get off the cross, we could use the wood!
September 14, 2022 @ 9:31 am
Nobody is mentioning that Susan’s character eerily comes off as if she’s based tightly on Naomi Judd which I personally thought was ill timed and disrespectful.
September 14, 2022 @ 12:30 pm
I watched part of it.it was ok.trace was only reason I wanted to see it but between country music & NFL I got to stick with my football sry guys
September 14, 2022 @ 5:31 pm
In other “country music on a TV series” news, anybody seen the new FX/Hulu thriller/drama “The Patient” with Steve Carell?
Not to spoil it but (be warned) one of the main characters is a serial killer who’s favorite artist is Kenny Chesney (he mentions he’s a member of “No Shoes Nation”) and at one point the character also wears an Eric Church t-shirt and is basically disguised as Eric Church with the aviators and ball cap.
I don’t think most of this show’s audience would get those references but it’s kinda funny, especially since the character is basically portrayed as a random suburban normie and not some redneck/bumpkin type (as most shows might portray a country music fan). Then again, I’m not sure what they might be trying to imply with all the country music references with this serial killer character. Cracks me up. Any case, worthwhile show. Steve Carell is a pretty good dramatic actor. I recommend it.
September 18, 2022 @ 8:46 am
I can’t watch monarch if Susan Sarandon totally dies off the show she’s such a great actress.
September 19, 2022 @ 8:51 pm
I saw it and it was OK. It reminded me of all those 80s evening soaps. Over the top, melodramatic, stylish and visual. Polar opposites Susan Sarandon and Trace Akins are perfectly cast, effective and have chemistry. It is purely “entertainment” and a sorely needed distraction. Not everyone is looking for (contrived) reality, stilted “documentaries” or an “art house therapy session”. Perfect for throwing one’s mind out of gear for a while. So tired of “critics” who look down ony anything that isn’t overbearingvpublic telivision or (pretentious, so called) Americana. (Trace Adkins is really great here…one of the best voices on TV).
September 20, 2022 @ 6:42 pm
Was really looking forward to this show….love Susan Sarandon and Trace Adkins.
You kill her off first episode….sorry not interested in watching this show.. sad you made such a dumb mistake right off.
This show will not last long.