Table of Contents
In an evolution for FOX, “Monarch” is getting a 12-episode order. “Monarch” is about a fictional first family of country music who are very talented. The multigenerational musical drama follows the Romans, a family who have made their name synonymous with honesty.
And it is being developed using Fox’s script-to-series model, which relies on a writers’ room. ‘Monarch’ Got a Straight-to-Series Order from FOX FOX first bought Hilfers’ project in September of 2019. Michael Rauch, creator of “Instinct” and executive producer of “Royal Pains,” supervised the writers’ room.
The show also made headlines on September 7 when it announced that Susan Sarandon and Anna Friel would star in the show. Since launching FOX Alternative Entertainment, FOX also has fully owned non-scripted projects. “Monarch” is its first fully owned scripted live-action project.
“Music-driven programming is a big part of the DNA of FOX’s success with shows like ‘The Masked Singer,’ ‘Empire,’ ‘American Idol’ and ‘Glee,’” Fox Entertainment President Michael Thorn told Deadline in 2020. “We have been looking for new ways to tell stories with music; what’s the next chapter for us in terms of a juicy drama that incorporates music in the storytelling.”
What Is The Name Of America’S First Family Of Country Music?
Susan Sarandon and Anna Friel are set to star in Fox’s straight-to-series country music dynasty drama Monarch, produced by Fox Entertainment. Created by Melissa London Hilfers, Monarch is described as a Texas-sized, multigenerational musical drama about America’s first family of country music, the Romans. Along with her beloved husband, Albie, Dottie has created a country music dynasty.
Hilfers will write and exec produce, while Instinct creator and Royal Pains exec producer Michael Rauch, who supervised the writers room for the project, will serve as showrunner and exec producer. Adam Anders serves as Executive Music Producer. The series debuts with a special two-night event beginning Sunday, Jan. 30, immediately following the NFC Championship, and continuing on Tuesday, Feb. 1.
She received her most recent Emmy nomination for her performance as Bette Davis in FX’s Ryan Murphy limited series Feud. She’s repped by UTA. Friel is known for her starring role in ABC drama series Pushing Daisies.
In feature films, she currently stars in Books of Blood, Charming the Hearts of Men and Sulphur & White. Friel is repped by UTA, The Artists Partnership and 111 Media.
Who Will Play The Queen Of Country Music?
Called Monarch, it will star Susan Sarandon as the ailing “Queen of Country Music” Dottie Cantrell Roman, Trace Adkins as her husband Albie, and British actress Anna Friel as Nicolette “Nicky” Roman, who is the heiress to what is characterized as the “First Family of Country Music.” Sold as a “Texas-sized, multigenerational musical drama about a family synonymous with authenticity,” apparently there is some big family secret behind their success that must be protected at all costs, including with (don don don!) murder. The Romans apparently live in Austin, but spend ample time in Nashville tending to the family business.
We did get Charles Esten out of the deal though, who’s been a reliable last minute fill in for the Grand Ole Opry in recent years. The Monarch series is created and written by Melissa London Hilfers, and also stars Beth Ditto, Josh Sasse, Meagan Holder, Martha Migareda, Emma Milani, Iñigio Pasual, Eva Amurri and Adam Croasdell. Some of the initial plot lines that have been leaked include an episode where the Trace Adkins character is piss drunk on a cruise ship and gets kicked off and left behind in Jamaica after beating the shit out of his own celebrity impersonator.
My apologies. It will be interesting to see if there are any real world implications tied to the airing of Monarch. ABC’s Nashville did result in some pretty sweet royalty money for a few songwriters, and perhaps raised some awareness about systemic injustices in the country music industry.
There has never been a worse song picker in the history of country music than Trace Adkins (“Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” “Brown Chicken Brown Cow”).
Which Academy Award Winner Stars Alongside Country Singer Trace Adkins In The New Trailer For The New Country-Music Drama Monarch?
Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon stars alongside country singer Trace Adkins in the trailer for the new country-music drama Monarch. The series premieres on Fox with a two-night event on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1. Sarandon, an actor who has been known to sing on occasion, plays the fictional “Queen of Country Music” Dottie Cantrell Roman and Adkins, a CMA Award-winning singer who’s been known to do some acting, plays her kingly counterpart and husband, Albie Roman.
With very Empire-meets-Dynasty vibes, the trailer features Sarandon taking on a husky Southern purr and delivering lines like, “If you’re not ready for this, I guess I just did not do my job right” and “Heavy is the head that wears the crown, baby” with steely precision. The clip is soundtracked by Adkins singing a version of Hank Williams Jr.’s “A Country Boy Can Survive,” while the quick scenes from the show hint at delicious, soapy drama to come. Monarch is produced by Fox Entertainment with Melissa London Hilfers serving as creator, writer and executive producer and Michael Rauch as showrunner.
Who Will Star Alongside Susan Sarandon And Anna Friel In The Series Monarch?
Fox’s country music drama Monarch has added a real-life country star to its cast. Trace Adkins will star alongside Susan Sarandon and Anna Friel in the series, which is slated to premiere in January. He’ll play Albie Roman, the reigning king of country music who’s known as the “Texas Truthteller.”
Friel plays Albie and Dottie’s daughter Nicky, who will stop at nothing to protect the family’s legacy. Adkins has sold more than 11 million albums in his career, with all 12 of his studio albums reaching the top 10 on Billboard’s U.S. country charts (his 13th, The Way I Wanna Go, was released on Aug. 27). He has won three Academy of Country Music Awards and been nominated for four Grammys.
Monarch scored a straight-to-series order earlier this year. It’s produced by Fox Entertainment and is the network’s first fully owned scripted series since it separated from 20th Century Fox. Melissa London Hilfers created the series and executive produces with showrunner Michael Rauch (Instinct), Gail Berman and Hend Baghdady of The Jackal Group, and music manager Jason Owen of Sandbox Entertainment.
It’s scheduled to premiere Jan. 30 following Fox’s broadcast of the NFC Championship game. Adkins is repped by Greg Baker & Associates, Action Entertainment and Fox Rothschild LLP.
What Is The Name Of The New Fox Entertainment Series?
A recent teaser for a new Fox Entertainment series features a landmark local residents might recognize. Sold in August for $15.5 million, the 446-acre estate at 3509 Tanners Mill Circle in Gainesville has been confirmed as the primary filming location for “Monarch,” an episodic drama following the lives of a fictional country music family, the Romans — a “passionate and fiercely talented” clan whose reign is threatened by the impending eruption of dangerous truths about their rise to success, according to Fox.