We've said it to the point of going blue in the face over the last few years – Apple TV has become by far the default destination for sci-fi fans looking for a streaming fix. It's got a huge roster of high-concept shows, from overtly space-themed (like Foundation) to more mind-bending (like Severance or Pluribus).
In the category of more obviously sci-fi, rather than subtly, you can very much slot Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, which got its first season back in 2023, telling some of the backstory of how big beasties like Godzilla, King Kong and various Kaiju actually started to first be discovered.
It's fair to say that Monarch's first season didn't quite live up to the pedigree that Apple TV has been developing – it was a little oddly paced and took quite a while to actually get to the monsters, which left it with middling scores from critics. It's getting a second shot at convincing audiences, though, with a new season starting next year, as confirmed by a brief new teaser.
The show will start on 27 February 2026, making this quite an advanced tease from Apple, but the brief runtime of the trailer does still confirm a few key details for us. Namely, the biggest cast members all seem to be returning, along with the split timeline that it used to tell its story last time out.
Anna Sawai anchors the modern-day segment, in a world that seems constantly beset by attacks from huge monsters, as she tries to piece together how her parents were involved with their discovery. Wyatt Russell, meanwhile, helms flashback sequences that explain just what went down (with his dad Kurt playing his older self in the timeline).
It's a setup that few shows have been ambitious enough to try (especially with a real-life father and son playing the same character in different times), but whether it'll work better this time out is anyone's guess. What we do know, though, is that some big monsters will also be central this time around, with Kong clearly a star turn to draw in the masses.
He's looking even more angry than usual, it must be said, right down to some scary glowing-red eyes, so you can pretty much bet your mortgage on some big fight scenes between him and other ginormous critters at some point.
All of this continues to confirm that Apple TV is the best streaming service for sci-fi fans, and I don't see that changing any time soon.
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