Godzilla Is Bigger and Better Than Ever in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Trailer

Move over, MCU, the Legendary Monsterverse is staking its claim as the next big franchise spanning film and television. Back in 2014, this version of the Godzilla universe kicked off with Gareth Edwards’ film, appropriately titled Godzilla, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, and Bryan Cranston. Since then, there have been three more films (with another on the way in 2024) and one Netflix anime series, Skull Island, expanding the universe. Apple TV+’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters marks the first live-action TV series to enter the franchise.

Best trailer for the week of September 4: Monarch: Legacy of Monsters November 17 (Apple TV+)

Legacy of Monsters picks up in the aftermath of the battle between Godzilla and the Titans that left San Francisco in ruins. Now it’s undeniable that monsters are real, and two siblings seek to find out even more about these creatures and their family’s connection to Monarch, a secret organization that has been investigating monsters for decades.

The series hops back and forth between the 1950s and the 2000s, allowing for a fun bit of casting: Wyatt Russell plays the younger version of his father Kurt Russell’s character Lee Shaw, who seems to be the brains behind the Monarch operation. John Goodman, Anders Holm, Kiersey Clemons, and Anna Sawai also star in the epic drama that the trailer promises will have a bigger and better version of Godzilla than ever.

Honorable mention: Lawmen: Bass Reeves November 5 (Paramount+)

Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone franchise expands, this time with a series starring and executive produced by David Oyelowo. This series tells the story of the real-life Bass Reeves, a former slave who became the first U.S. Black Marshall of Mississippi. Dennis Quaid and Donald Sutherland star as the white men who bring him onto their team, but even with their support he needs to reckon with whether he’s truly a lawman or still an outlaw.

Honorable mention: Monsieur Spade Early 2024 (AMC+)

There’s a new — well, old — bedraggled detective in town. Sam Spade (Clive Owen) used to be a tough guy, but seems to have left that persona behind in the trailer for a new mystery series from Tom Fontana (City on a Hill) and Scott Frank (The Queen's Gambit) based on Dashiell Hammett’s novel The Maltese Falcon. He tried his best to hide away in the south of France, but like so many other detectives, trouble just follows him wherever he goes.

Honorable mention: Wilderness

Liv (Jenna Coleman) and Will (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) had a seemingly perfect marriage, but when Liv discovers Will’s been unfaithful, she quickly starts plotting a murderous revenge. The trip of a lifetime to explore the remote wilderness presents itself at the perfect time, just as Liv is getting ready to really snap. “You’ve got to admit,” she says in the trailer for the thriller, “it was the perfect place for an accident.”

Brianna Wellen is a TV Reporter at Primetimer who became obsessed with television when her parents let her stay up late to watch E.R.