Fox delays debut of country music drama 'Monarch' to fall, cites COVID concerns

Country fans eager for the new Fox drama "Monarch" will need to wait a little longer before the show makes its small-screen debut. 

Initially slated to premiere Jan. 30 after the NFL's NFC Championship game, Fox now eyes this fall to introduce the program, according to a statement from a Fox Entertainment spokesperson. "With an incredible pedigree of talent and musical performances, the powerfully compelling drama is a top priority," the statement read. 

The network cited "unavoidable realities of the pandemic and the profound impact COVID-19 continues to have on our industry" as reason for shifting "Monarch" into a to-be-determined slot later this year. 

Starring country music singer Trace Adkins, "Thelma & Louise" actress Susan Sarandon and "Marcella" star Anna Friel, "Monarch" chronicles the turbulent story of the Romans, a fictional Texas music dynasty dubbed by showrunners to be "the first family of country music." 

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"As the cornerstone of Fox's new 2022-23 slate, shifting a show of this magnitude allows us to have its entire first season produced, create additional, high-profile content and promotional windows to support launch, and give our viewers the best opportunity to enjoy the series as intended with a non-compromised run of episodes," the statement read. 

The network also thanked their cast, producers, writers and entire "Monarch" crew "for their tireless and continued dedication." 

Fox will announce replacement programming for Sunday, Jan. 30 and then Tuesdays at 9 p.m. for midseason going forward in the "coming days." 

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The country music drama films in Atlanta, but music for "Monarch" runs through Nashville. Adkins released late last year a cover of Hank Williams Jr.'s "A Country Boy Can Survive," the first in a to-be-announced number of original and catalog songs planned for Fox's musical drama.

Last week, Nashville singer-songwriter Caitlyn Smith released the show's theme song, "The Card You Gamble." Sought-after songwriting cohort the Love Junkies – featuring Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna and Liz Rose – penned the western-tinged country romp. 

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