Apple TV’s Epic 2-Part Sci-Fi Is Climbing the Charts on Another Streamer

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters expands on the MonsterVerse world, the next entry of which, Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, is slated for release in March 2027. The series delves into the mystery behind Monarch, the organization whose one-time priority was to search, hunt, and destroy Titans, hiding them from the world, into one that actively protects them. It’s a big hit on Apple TV… and on Prime Video. Yes, you read that correctly. The two giant streamers are playing nice in the sandbox, but the "how-and-why" of their partnership is far less interesting than the "why" Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is capturing the imagination of their respective subscribers.

Typically, if a series or film on a streamer happens to catch your fancy, the only way to actually see it is to subscribe to said streamer, i.e. Stranger Things on Netflix. As such, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters' appearance on Prime Video is definitely one of those stranger things, but there is a reason. Prime Video is offering free access to the Apple TV monster hit – yes, intended – without the need to fully commit to an Apple TV subscription, among other notable offerings like Ted Lasso and The Morning Show. It's promoting the availability to tie in Apple TV as an add-on subscription with one's Prime account (you can not, however, tie in an existing Apple TV subscription).

It's a brilliant promotional strategy that is paying off for both parties. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is a huge hit, recently having surpassed 250 consecutive days on the Apple TV streaming charts in the U.S. Serving as one of the streamer's best offerings, it's the perfect series to tease what's available on Apple TV. And when the window closes on the promotional access, those who want to find out what happens in the engaging series over the balance of its second season will need that subscription, driving up its subscriber base. For Prime, because the Apple TV subscription add-on is only accessible through Prime, they aren't losing anyone, and, in the process, reinventing itself as an indispensable hub to access other streamers.

It's No Surprise That 'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters' Succeeds on More Than One Streaming Platform

While it may be moderately surprising to see Prime Video and Apple TV working together, the reason Monarch: Legacy of Monsters succeeds on both platforms is not surprising in the least. The series' events take place across two timelines, jumping between them in a non-linear fashion. One is set in the 1950s, prior to Kong: Skull Island, where the U.S. military forms "Monarch," a small scientific group after the destruction of the U.S.S. Lawton, comprised of three people: Officer Lee Shaw (Wyatt Russell), scientist Keiko Miura (Mari Yamamoto), and cryptozoologist Bill Randa (Anders Holm). The trio encounters the Ion Dragon and finds evidence of Godzilla, which prompts the military to try to kill him with the "Castle Bravo" atomic explosion at Bikini Atoll. The attempt fails, forcing the government to authorize funding for Monarch, creating an entity that monitors Titans while keeping their existence secret.

The second timeline starts in 2014, in the aftermath of the events covered in Godzilla, with the battle between Godzilla and the MUTOs earning the moniker "G-Day." With the Titans no longer a secret, Monarch shifts its agenda to a concerted effort to understand and protect them, putting Monarch at odds with the military and with Apex Cybernetics, who have their own agenda, looking to exploit the Titans for their purposes. Uncovering the layers of the Monarch mystery are Cate (Anna Sawai) and Kentaro (Ren Watabe), drawn in through their quest to find their father Hiroshi (Takehiro Hira), who is deeply involved with Monarch, and May (Kiersey Clemons), a former employee of Apex. Connecting the two timelines is Lee, played in the present by Kurt Russell, and Keiko, who was stranded between the two eras in Hollow Earth, first introduced in Godzilla vs. Kong.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is engaging, with enough Titan action to sate kaiju lovers, particularly as the series progresses, with the introduction of Titan X, a massive aquatic creature with tentacles that may prove to be too much for both Godzilla and Kong, an especially great addition. But the draw is the human story that is largely missing from the MonsterVerse films themselves. There's a personal investment that takes its toll on the people involved, and the balance between the kaiju action and the human perspective allows for a connection with the series' protagonists without them getting lost in the hubbub. Coupled with its high-quality production value, particularly when it comes to creating the CGI beasts and critters that appear, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters isn't just a spin-off of its cinematic MonsterVerse kin, but an integral part in creating a fully-realized mythology.