FOX Entertainment’s New Country Music/TV Drama Premieres Sunday Night

Country artist Trace Adkins stars as the patriarch of the fictional Roman family in the new FOX TV Drama Monarch. He is Albie Roman, alongside TV wife, Dottie Cantrell Roman, played by Academy Award-winning actress Susan Sarandon. The show premieres this Sunday (September 11^th), but Adkins, and a few others associated with the show recently gathered in Nashville to join members of the media for a preview of the first episode.

Adkins says he wanted to be part of Monarch as soon as he saw the first script.

“I was on a tour bus and my manager called and said somebody wants you to do a TV show,” he recalls, “and I said send me a script. And when I found out who some of the people were that I was going to be working with, I knew this had to be something FOX Entertainment was committed to. It wasn’t going to be some little throwaway thing. So, I get to sing and pretty much act as myself, yeah, I can do that. I had a blast.”

The story is built around the Texas-based Roman family’s reign as country music royalty. But when presented with the possibility of everything falling apart, other members of the family, like daughter Nicky Roman (played by Anna Friel), are ready to go to great lengths to protect that legacy. There are secrets, lies, and lots of country music.

Alex Anders, who previously worked on TV’s musical comedy/drama Glee, is co-music supervisor of Monarch. (He’s part of an overall music team that includes his brother, Adam Anders, and Peer Astrom.) While the show is set in Austin, it was actually shot in Atlanta, with all of the music recorded in Nashville.

“We had a lot of great Nashville songwriters working on the show, so there’s going to be some really fantastic original songs that come up,” Anders says. “Trace has one I know you’ll love. And then there are some great covers, as well.”

While country music fans are familiar with Adkins, the women who play his daughters, Anna Friel and Beth Ditto, are newcomers to the genre. Part of Anders job was helping them transition into singing country music.

“Everybody had to find their ‘voice’ for their character,” he explains. “Beth comes out of Indie-rock or punk, and now she’s singing “How Do I Live.” It’s not the same. As for Anna, she’s sung Irish folk music which relates a little bit to country, so that’s helpful, but coming from England, she had to find a whole new voice for this style of music. She worked so hard and I am so proud of what she’s accomplished. To sing in a different accent, in a different style, while taking notes from a producer about how to sing and where to sing – you can only think of so many things at once. It’s unbelievable.”

And while country music is a main character in the show, Monarch is definitely a drama, touching on some deeper themes throughout the first season. Actress Susan Sarandon stars as the powerful Roman matriarch and Adkins says it was a thrill to work with her.

“I was terrified (at the beginning), but then very quickly I realized when you work with somebody like that, somebody as confident and as accomplished and as professional as she is, you realize, oh my God, she’s going to carry the scene. All I have to do is swim in her wake, hang on, and hope that if I survive the scene, it’ll probably be okay. And she was very gracious, giving, and kind, and made me feel comfortable.”

With music such a major part of Monarch, some well-known country artists will be making appearances on the show. Look for Martina McBride, Shania Twain, Tanya Tucker, and Little Big Town to fill guest role slots in upcoming episodes.

Rising country singer Caitlyn Smith, who sings the theme song to Monarch, is excited that a prime-time show is going to prominently feature country music.

“I loved the TV show Nashville when that was around, really because of the music,” she says. “So, when I heard about this show I was like yes, yes, yes!”

She says the song “The Card You Gamble” written by Liz Rose, Hillary Lindsey, and Lori McKenna, sets the perfect tone for the show.

“It has this kind of dusty, old-school vibe to it. There’s a darkness to it which really embodies the energy of the show, as well. I think it’s the perfect song to kick off a drama series like this.”

Anders says he hopes Monarch will help introduce a younger generation to songs they haven’t before.

“I hope it does what Glee did. This is a totally different style, a totally different thing, but I hope it does what Glee did and introduces a lot of amazing songs to a whole new audience.”

Adkins hopes so, too. He thinks Monarch is coming to prime-time TV at just the right time.

“I think this show is going to prove to some people who may have doubted that country music can carry a drama series. Because country music is the star of this show, and as the star, I think it’s got the power to carry the whole thing.”

He smiles, then adds, “And I can’t wait for people to go, ‘Hell, he was right.’”

Monarch premieres Sunday, September 11^th after the FOX NFL Doubleheader. This is a special day and time for the show as a way to introduce it to viewers. It will premiere again in its regular season timeslot on Tuesday, September 20^th at 9:00pm ET/8pm CT.