Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023) — Season 1

Score: 8 / 10 Category: Series Platform: Apple TV+ One-line verdict A human-focused Monsterverse series that makes Monarch feel important, even if the continuity retconning starts a little too early. — Why I watched this I completed Monarch: Legacy of Monsters in April because I wanted the full Godzilla / Monsterverse experience. Also, I’ve always been a big Godzilla fan. The scale, the invulnerability, the sheer “larger than life” presence — that’s always been the appeal for me. This series exists to explain the organization sitting at the center of everything: Monarch. Its origins, its people, and how it connects across the Monsterverse timeline. — Story & Structure The story begins by connecting back to John Goodman’s character from Kong: Skull Island. It slightly retcons that spider escape scene by tying it to a Monarch-related parcel, and that becomes the entry point into the series. From there, the story splits across two eras. One side follows the early Monarch days in the 1950s. The other takes place after Godzilla’s 2014 attack, with the world still dealing with the aftermath. The show moves between both timelines until they eventually meet in the middle and push toward the ending. I’ve always liked this kind of structure. Two storylines running separately, slowly revealing how they connect, then joining together near the end. When done well, that gives a very satisfying payoff. And here, it mostly works. The performances are strong too. Most of the cast were not familiar to me, except the Russell father-son duo, Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell, who both play versions of Lee Shaw across different time periods. That casting works very well. John Goodman also returns briefly, and of course Godzilla appears when needed. Apple’s page also lists the series as following two siblings uncovering their family connection to Monarch after Godzilla’s attack, while the show also traces Monarch across generations. — What worked The dual timeline structure is engaging. The show makes Monarch feel more personal instead of just being a background organization. Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell are easily the standout casting choice. The themes of loss, trauma, and people trying to recover from missing time are handled well. It expands the Monsterverse without relying only on giant monster fights. The show is not just about Titans. It’s about the people living in the shadow of them. That’s what made it more interesting than I expected. — What didn’t The biggest issue for me is consistency. It doesn’t take long before the show starts retconning things. The John Goodman connection could have been handled without altering the feel of the original Kong: Skull Island scene so much. It’s not impossible to accept, but it was noticeable. I also didn’t fully buy how quickly the relationship between Cate and May formed. It felt rushed. And personally, I find it harder now to believe in genuine friendship in shows when everything quickly becomes romantic. Not every emotional bond needs to turn into that. The ending itself was good and surprising, especially with the emergence of another organization connected to the wider Godzilla universe. But again, it also pushes the franchise deeper into shared-universe setup mode. — What others think Season 1 was generally well received. Rotten Tomatoes has it at 87%, and Metacritic has it at 68/100, with praise especially for the Russell father-son casting and the more human-scale approach to the Monsterverse. That lines up with how I felt. This is not the biggest or loudest Monsterverse entry, but it gives the universe more emotional grounding. — Final thoughts This is a strong Monsterverse series. It explains Monarch well, gives the organization more emotional weight, and uses the dual timeline structure effectively. The retconning and rushed relationship elements hold it back slightly, but not enough to ruin the experience. So this lands at 8 / 10 for me. Now that Season 2 has premiered on Apple TV+, I’ll continue after watching the Monsterverse in timeline order. Season 2 premiered on February 27, 2026, with weekly episodes.