Apple TV's Most Ambitious Sci-Fi Series Goes Supernova Ahead of Season 2

2 days ago 7

Published Feb 8, 2026, 5:40 PM EST

Chris is a Senior News Writer for Collider. He can be found in an IMAX screen, with his eyes watering and his ears bleeding for his own pleasure. He joined the news team in 2022 and accidentally fell upwards into a senior position despite his best efforts.

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Last week, Apple TV fed the Monsterverse fandom — and it didn’t hold back. During Apple TV’s Press Day event, the cast of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters unveiled the official Season 2 trailer, and the message is loud and clear: Everything is getting bigger, messier, and way more dangerous.

Season 2 premieres Friday, February 27, 2026, with new episodes dropping weekly through May 1. The timing couldn’t be better, either. Monarch is already sitting comfortably in Apple TV’s Top 10, proving that audiences are fully locked into this corner of the Monsterverse, and that's a good thing, because Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell, Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Joe Tippett, and Anders Holm are all back for more.

The Season 2 synopsis is as follows:

"Season two will pick up with the fate of Monarch — and the world — hanging in the balance. The dramatic saga reveals buried secrets that reunite our heroes (and villains) on Kong’s Skull Island, and a new, mysterious village where a mythical Titan rises from the sea. The ripple effects of the past make waves in the present day, blurring the bonds between family, friend and foe — all with the threat of a Titan event on the horizon."

The series continues to be produced by Legendary Television, with showrunner Chris Black leading Season 2. Executive producers include Matt Shakman, Joby Harold, and others, with Toho Co., Ltd. — the home of Godzilla — also involved. And Apple isn’t stopping here. More Monsterverse shows are in development, including a Young Lee Shaw prequel with Wyatt Russell set to reprise his role.

How Good Is 'Monarch'?

Collider's Chase Hutchinson did admit in his review of the series that there wasn't much to the series below the big, bombastic action of giant monsters hitting each other, but that wasn't much of a criticism when you considered how much fun it actually was.

"While Monarch: Legacy of Monsters may test the patience of those just looking for giant creatures to fight each other, there's plenty of potential to what the series is getting at. Plus, Russell is as good a person as any to hold the stage while Godzilla waits in the wings. For now, the show seems relatively confident in letting its story have room to breathe and not getting too caught up in connections to the broader universe."

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 will premiere on Apple TV on Friday, February 27.