Two of the most feared Titans in the universe—Godzilla and Kong—have returned to Apple TV. After a two-year break, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is now streaming on Apple TV. The show has aired two episodes since its February 27 premiere. Despite the hiatus, Apple’s Monsterverse show has immediately become a streaming success.
According to Flix Patrol, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 has been battling Hijack season 2 and Shrinking season 3 for the top show in Apple TV’s top 10. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is currently the second-most watched show in the United States. As more episodes premiere, the Monsterverse show could climb to No. 1 in the coming weeks.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 introduces a new mystery
Introducing Titan X
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is a show that depicts two timelines. In season 1, the present-day timeline predominantly takes place in 2015, a year after the events of the 2014 film, Godzilla. Half-siblings Cate Randa (Anna Sawai) and Kentaro Randa (Ren Watabe) team with May Olowe-Hewitt (Kiersey Clemons) to find their missing father, Hiroshi Randa (Takehiro Hira). The trio eventually cross paths with Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell), a former soldier who joins Monarch during its early run in the 1950s.
This is where things could get a tad bit confusing. Kurt Russell plays Lee Shaw in the present, while his son, Wyatt Russell, plays the same character in the past. The past version of Lee teams with scientist Keiko Miura (Mari Yamamoto) and cryptozoologist Bill Randa (Anders Holm) to research and find the Titans in hopes of preventing attacks. If the name Bill Randa sounds familiar, it’s the same character John Goodman played in 2017’s Kong: Skull Island.
With the exposition out of the way, here’s where things stand in season 2. The majority of season 2 takes place in 2017 on Skull Island, which Monsterverse fans will quickly recognize as Kong’s home. After taking a backseat to Godzilla in season 1, Kong is immediately thrust into the action in season 2, attacking the Apex facility to establish dominance.
Yet Kong is not the true antagonist this season. That designation belongs to Titan X, a gigantic sea creature that will surely cause problems for Monarch. Titan X has an army of Sea Scarabs, smaller crustacean creatures, doing all the dirty work on shore. If this were Aliens, Titan X would be the queen xenomorph, and the sea scarabs would be the facehuggers. In other words, the humans are in trouble with Titan X on the scene.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is more grounded than the movies
A different form of storytelling in the Monsterverse
There is a simplicity to the Monsterverse movies that I appreciate. The first two movies in the shared universe—Godzilla and Kong Skull Island—emphasized human drama more than the monster sequences. The last three movies, especially Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, took more of an action-focused approach. I imagine the writers said, “What if we just let Godzilla and Kong share the screen and fight other monsters?”
Sometimes, audiences want to turn off their brains and escape from their problems for two hours. Watching Godzilla and Kong wreak havoc is pretty entertaining. There’s value in watching gigantic monsters fight—the last two Godzilla x Kong movies combined to gross over $1 billion worldwide.
Conversely, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters features large Titans, but it’s a left turn stylistically compared to the action movies in the Monsterverse. Obviously, the Titans loom large throughout the series, but Monarch implements a more grounded approach. In some ways, it’s a family drama, as two siblings search for their father. In other ways, it’s a tale about human behavior—how does society live knowing the threat of monsters exists? After a monster attacks a city, Monarch explores the physical and emotional ramifications of the destruction. The humans, not the Titans, drive the story, resulting in an effective character drama.
A spin-off is on the way
Lee Shaw headlines a new show
While a third season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is possible, the next television show in the Monsterverse will be a spin-off. In December 2025, Apple announced an untitled Lee Shaw spin-off series, with executive producer Wyatt Russell reprising his role from Monarch. Producer Joby Harold will serve as the showrunner of the spin-off and become the creative lead for the entire Monsterverse on Apple TV.
According to the synopsis, the spin-off will be set in 1984 and follow Lee on a “secret mission behind enemy lines in an attempt to stop the Soviets from unleashing a horrific new Titan big enough to destroy the U.S. and turn the tide of the Cold War.” A spy thriller involving Titans during the Cold War? Sign me up. Leave the monster fights for the movies and keep the character-driven stories in the TV shows.
A new episode of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 will be released on Apple TV every Friday until May 1, 2026.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is one of several high-profile shows streaming on Apple. Long Way Up and Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock are two of our top shows to stream on Apple TV this week.
If you want to stay in the action genre, hop over to Netflix and stream Alan Ritchson’s latest movie, War Machine. Plus, Guy Ritchie’s Young Sherlock is generating positive reviews on Prime Video for fans of the iconic detective.
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