Apple TV's 2-Part Sci-Fi Blockbuster Is Officially Taking Over the World

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 Legacy of Monsters' ©Apple TV+ /Courtesy Everett Collection

Published Mar 25, 2026, 11:04 AM EDT

In over three years at Collider, senior author Jake has now penned over 2500 articles covering a wide range of TV and film for the resources, lists, utilities, news, and interview teams. Alongside interviewing stars such as Selin Hizli, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Harlan Coben, and Chelsea Peretti, Jake was lucky enough to visit the set of Aardman and Netflix's Wallace and Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl in 2024, getting the chance to chat with four-time Academy Award winner Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Jake has also worked for other publications, including Agents of Fandom

Whether it's in a dystopian future with a community trapped inside a large silo, or on Earth as it is visited by an alien species, or inside the labyrinthine corridors and strange rooms of Lumon Industries, Apple TV has delivered some of the very best modern sci-fi available on streaming in the past five years. Not a streamer ready to rest on its laurels, Apple TV recently debuted the long-awaited second season of a monster-sized sci-fi hit from 2023: Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.

Returning on February 27, the second season is now four episodes in and continues to impress, as the MonsterVerse franchise evolves into an unstoppable hit. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, a "certified fresh" rating of 79% marks a small decrease from the incredible first installment, but most are still full of praise for one of Apple TV's most ambitious series. The critics' consensus on the site for Season 2 reads, "Against all odds, Monarch continues to pack a striking gut-punch of action-drama by embracing its Legacy of Monsters' talent and leading with a cast of rich and complex characters."

Starring father-son duo Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell, Pachinko star Anna Sawai, Flatliners' Kiersey Clemons, and more, Season 2 is going from strength to strength as each episode passes, with the upcoming Episode 5, "Furusato," sure to be an unmissable halfway point in this gripping second season. A synopsis for the upcoming episode reads, "In Santa Soledad, Titan X becomes a target for Apex, forcing Shaw and the Randas to infiltrate the covert experiment."

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'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters' is a Global Hit

 Legacy of Monsters Season 2. Image via Apple TV+

At the time of writing, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is the most-watched series on Apple TV in the world, outperforming a close second-placed Shrinking, the hit comedy currently in its third season. Monarch is topping the Apple TV charts in over 50 countries worldwide, ranging from Armenia and Chile to Panama and Singapore. In Collider's review of the second season, David Caballero called it "another solid building block in the MonsterVerse," adding that "the hope is that Monarch: Legacy of Monsters returns for Season 3."

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is streaming on Apple TV. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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Release Date November 16, 2023

Network Apple TV

Showrunner Chris Black, Matt Fraction

Directors Julian Holmes, Matt Shakman, Mairzee Almas, Andy Goddard, Hiromi Kamata

Writers Al Letson, Karl Taro Greenfeld, Chris Black, Mariko Tamaki, Amanda Overton, Andrew Colville, Matt Fraction, Milla Bell-Hart

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