Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon stars alongside country singer Trace Adkins in the trailer for the new country-music drama Monarch. The series premieres on Fox with a two-night event on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1.
Sarandon, an actor who has been known to sing on occasion, plays the fictional “Queen of Country Music” Dottie Cantrell Roman and Adkins, a CMA Award-winning singer who’s been known to do some acting, plays her kingly counterpart and husband, Albie Roman. As the family name and legacy is threatened, daughter and aspiring star Nicky Roman (Anna Friel) must work to protect it alongside her siblings Luke (Josh Sasse) and Gigi (Gossip singer Beth Ditto).
With very Empire-meets-Dynasty vibes, the trailer features Sarandon taking on a husky Southern purr and delivering lines like, “If you’re not ready for this, I guess I just did not do my job right” and “Heavy is the head that wears the crown, baby” with steely precision. The clip is soundtracked by Adkins singing a version of Hank Williams Jr.’s “A Country Boy Can Survive,” while the quick scenes from the show hint at delicious, soapy drama to come.
Monarch is produced by Fox Entertainment with Melissa London Hilfers serving as creator, writer and executive producer and Michael Rauch as showrunner. Additional executive producers include Gail Berman, Hend Baghdady, and country music executive Jason Owen, who manages Kacey Musgraves.