Heavy is the head that wears the crown. The numbers are in, and Fox's country music drama, Monarch, has been canceled after just one season. The series followed the over-the-top exploits of the Roman family dynasty. Starring Anna Friel, country star Trace Adkins, Joshua Sasse and Beth Ditto, Monarch comes to a close just days after airing the finale of its 11-episode first and final run.
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That's all for this season.
Thanks for watching #Monarch with us! pic.twitter.com/xltlzYh276— Monarch on FOX (@MonarchOnFOX) December 7, 2022
News of the cancellation, first reported by Deadline, comes as no surprise given the show's waning popularity. The first episode marked Fox's most-watched fall scripted premiere in three years, but the drama struggled to maintain its audience in subsequent installments.
The series was billed as a dynastic drama about country music's most famous family, fronted by legendary matriarch Dottie Cantrell Roman (Susan Sarandon), whose death in the opening episode plunges the family into crisis. It's up to heir-apparent Nicky Roman (Friel) and her father Albie (Adkins) to shield family secrets from an unforgiving industry.
Monarch, led by a cast of real-life singers, often featured buzzy covers of pop and country classics, including one country-fied rendition of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way."
The show was packed with big-name guest stars, with appearances from Shania Twain, Martina McBride, Little Big Town and country legend Tanya Tucker.
Created by Melissa London Hilfers, the series order came in May 2021, and the first season filmed at the height of pandemic restrictions. Monarch was part of Fox's move toward independent, year-round content development. It was the first live-action scripted series wholly owned by the network. Originally scheduled for a January 2022 debut, COVID pushed the launch to September 2022.
We'll just have to wait for the one true country music soap to come along. In the meantime, all episodes of Monarch are available to stream on Hulu for that country drama fix.
READ MORE: Who's Who in Country Music: A 'Monarch' Character Guide
