“Monarch,” Fox’s effort to try to create a country version of “Empire,” didn’t stick. The network canceled the family drama after just one season.
The series, which was shot last fall into the winter in Atlanta, was going to be a midseason show replacement but instead was moved to a fall debut after a change in showrunners.
Fox promoted Susan Sarandon as the queen of the country music family, but she ended up only appearing in occasional flashbacks after the first episode.
Critics weren’t impressed. Rotten Tomatoes critics rating was just 31% with this consensus: “Heavy on the cliches while disappointingly light on Susan Sarandon, this ‘Monarch’ is a so-so successor to a lineage of soaps about families warring over their business empire.” Viewers liked it even less with a 25% positive rating.
It opened with 4 million overnight viewers but slipped below 2 million for subsequent episodes.
The season and series finale aired Monday.
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