'Monarch' Episode 1 Brought in Big Numbers for Fox
Fox's newest drama Monarch is already proving to be a major win. Just two episodes into its debut season, the country music drama starring Susan Sarandon and Trace Adkins is already smashing records, rising to become 2022's No. 1 scripted debut and also the network's most-watched Fall scripted debut in three years, even outperforming HBO's record-baking new series House of the Dragon.
Debuting on Sunday, Sept. 11, Monarch's premiere episode, "Stop at Nothing," pulled in some pretty impressive numbers. Although initial reports suggested Monarch's series premiere averaged a 0.8 adults 18-49 Live+Same Day ratings and drew in 5.3 million viewers, an audience size that was already large enough to make the series the No.1 scripted series debut of the 2022 season, those numbers have nearly doubled. Per a release, Monarch's premiere episode drew in more than 10 million viewers across four linear telecasts (Sunday, Sept. 11; Monday, Sept. 19; and Wednesday, Sept. 14) and digital platforms, with a total view time surpassing 500 million minutes. Initial numbers of a 1.0 rating in the key 18-49 demographic and 4.7 million multi-platform viewers meant the debut episode outperformed House of the Dragon, which received a .47 demo rating.
With its impressive numbers, Monarch's debut episode marked 2022's No. 1 scripted debut. The series is also Fox's most-watched and most-streamed Fall scripted debut since the September 2019 debut of since-canceled series Prodigal Son.
"Cooperation between Entertainment and Sports resulted in the strategic decision to streamline the OT after a FOX national NFL game that ended early, thus allowing Monarch to begin live across time zones at 7:45pm ET," FOX Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier wrote of the series' success in a company-wide email, according to Deadline. "It's also worth noting that we drew in this post-game audience even as Monarch was up against Tampa Bay's opening night, which marked Tom Brady's big return to the field against the Cowboys. Despite this formidable challenger, Monarch still took a Texas-sized bite out of the night ... I'm really pleased with all of our efforts and with this beginning amidst a cluttered world."
Created by Melissa London Hilfers, Monarch is a musical drama about a country music family. The series stars Sarandon as Dottie Roman, a legendary country music matriarch who heads country music's first family. The series also stars Adkins as Albie Roman, Dottie's husband, alongside Anna Friel, Beth Ditto, Martha Higareda, Iñigo Pascual, and Joshua Sasse. New episodes of Monarch air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Fox. Stay tuned to PopCulture.com for the latest TV news and updates!