Monarch Season 2 May Be A Streaming Show, But It Won't Cut Any MonsterVerse Corners [Exclusive]

As the world of ongoing franchises and cinematic universes continues to stretch on and expand, fans have become used to the experience of following their favorite series as a wildly varying one. While there's always a certain level of consistency when it comes to the feature films in a cinematic universe (which are generally seen as the flagship, primary works), spin-off shows and other ancillary media can potentially be of a different caliber. Maybe the budgets are noticeably lower, or maybe the canon and lore are an odd fit, or perhaps the absence of a major character or two is painfully felt, or some combination of all of the above. In general, there's an understanding that spin-off streaming series have to cut corners somewhere, and fans just have to make do with what they can get.

That's not actually true for fans of the Legendary MonsterVerse, however, as the Apple TV spin-off series "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" proves. The first season demonstrated that the series could deliver a unique story and characters of its own, which didn't require the appearance of specific characters from the movies or had to weave in and out of some upcoming plotline or major event. It was also a spectacular experience all its own, set in multiple timelines throughout the history of the titular monster-tracking organization as well as in multiple countries. 

Now, at the beginning of its second season, the series is doubling down on all the elements that made it a winner upon its debut. I had the recent opportunity to speak with a handful of members of the cast and crew of the show, and during our chats, they revealed that season 2 of "Monarch" will be as tumultuous as ever, and it won't be cutting any corners.

In the second season alone, "Monarch" travels to several exotic locations, including Skull Island. Executive producer Tory Tunnell told me that in her view, "part of the recipe [for the show] is that globetrotting adventure," and it shows in just how many places the series puts on screen. Tunnell continued by explaining her ethos regarding the scale of the show, how it should present Titans like Godzilla and Kong on par with the films, and how the series can deliver a depth and range that the films may not be able to themselves:

"We knew from the outset the fact that we really do feel like we owe [those] theatrical level monsters, that we're not cutting corners and that they have to deliver. And then we also know that we're a TV show. And that gives us the room and the freedom that the movies don't have to really dive deep into these character stories, and really get more intimate, and really dive into all of the stories of why we are the way we are and let the monsters be both a metaphor for that, a mirror for that. And also sort of the inevitable consequences that we create and the existential threats that have always, I think, enchanted humans about the stories of monsters throughout time."

Indeed, as Tunnell suggests, the monsters in "Monarch" aren't always necessarily the Titans. Also, the Titans are forces of nature, stand-ins for other disastrous phenomena. As seen in several aspects of the series, especially the flashbacks involving young Lee Shaw (Wyatt Russell), Keiko (Mari Yamamoto), and Bill (Anders Holm), there's a long history of humans and their relationship to mythical creatures that the series is interested in exploring.

Of course, all the scale and impressive locations in the world wouldn't matter much if the characters in "Monarch" were dull. Fortunately, they're anything but, and this season only complicates and changes them further. Every lead character in the series undergoes some sort of transformation during the season, be it emotional, physical, or philosophical. Anna Sawai, who plays Cate Randa, found her character turning into a stronger version of herself, in particular, as she stated: 

 "...In season 1 it was a lot of running away and hiding. I wanted her to feel more, I guess, confident in herself. And now that she's met Keiko, I was like, 'She would want to be like her. It's literally like her role model.' And so it was really fun to be able to play a stronger, more powerful version of Cate."

Kiersey Clemons, who plays May, took a very literal approach to keeping track of her character's shifting allegiances and literal changes of location:

"I had a notebook. I quite literally just tried to map out. I had to remind myself often, 'Where am I right now? Who am I with? And what do I believe in this moment? What do I know?' Because she's playing catch up these two years that she's missed and things are moving quickly. And so every time she learns new information, her values shift."

For Ren Watabe, who plays Kentaro Randa, the evolution of his character was his entire rationale for being excited for this new season: 

"I actually prefer that there is an arc with the character, and that's what I got to do this season is show, not a different side, but embark on a new path. And I find that more interesting because I'm the same way too."

Ever since the first season, one of the biggest selling points of "Monarch" (besides it being a show where Godzilla, Kong, and other Titans show up and do battle) has been real-life father and son Kurt and Wyatt Russell getting to portray the same character, Lee Shaw, at different ages in his life. It's a cool, ambitious concept that the series established very well and now continues to deliver on. When I asked both actors how this new season has differed for them in terms of it being any easier to play a now-established Lee as opposed to introducing him, both men were very thoughtful in their responses. Kurt was particularly forthright in explaining why season two was easier, but not without its challenges:

"Establishing characters is much harder than continuing to play them. But as you continue to play them, it becomes more difficult to establish new entertaining, compelling value to what has been set down the tracks. So it's a bit of a double-edged sword, the way you look at it, but that's what makes it fun to do."

Meanwhile, Wyatt echoed Kurt's train metaphor, explaining how "it was nice having the train on the tracks for the second season ... it's already been set in motion." The younger Russell continued, underlining how his experience on the new season was overall more chill in practice:

"I think people responded to that set up and they enjoyed our characterization of that person, so that when you get on set for season 2, for me particularly, it felt easier, it felt smoother. It felt like I'd already inhabited the character for long enough to know that the choices you're making are going to be the correct choices. It's just about leveling. So I had a nice time."

So, while "Monarch" has more than enough characters, Titans, and plotlines to run for several more seasons, its very existence begs the question of whether or not the series will ever catch up to the present-day MonsterVerse. That also makes one wonder if Lee, Cate, or any of the "Monarch" leads might turn up in one of the films, too. When I asked Tory Tunnell about this, she was careful not to give anything away. Yet she did highlight how balancing the series with the films is a constant concern for her and the showrunners, too:

"I think that we're always sort of moving and ducking and weaving to make sure that we are consistent with the mythology [the films have] already set, consistent with the rules they've already set, wanting to make it feel integrated and help potentially put a seed in that will make it feel like it grows into the movies that have already been established so that it all feels like it's of a piece. And so I would say that it's truly, it's a delightful puzzle and an opportunity to sort of figure out how we sort of fit within those timelines and are matching up with the legacy of everything that's been set, not only with Legendary's MonsterVerse, but also with Toho's."

Indeed, "Monarch" isn't just taking on the legacy of the Legendary films, but by extension the entire "Godzilla" and "Kong" franchises, along with a half-dozen other Toho kaiju characters. Who knows if "Monarch" will continue to stay well back of films like the upcoming "Godzilla x Kong: Supernova," or if some crossover surprises lie in store for the future. As they say, only Titans will tell.

"Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" season two is now streaming on Apple TV.