What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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T2 WHATS UP! September 11 - 17, 2022 TV FEATURE BY DANA SIMPSON TV Media A ll eyes will be on the fictional country music world when it comes to television this week. Postponed in Janu- ary due to concerns surround- ing COVID-19 pandemic de- lays and the risk of crew mem- bers contracting the Omicron variant, the highly anticipated, new musical drama "Mon- arch" finally kicks off in style. Now scheduled to premiere Sunday, Sept. 11, on Fox, "Mon- arch" stars Hollywood legend Susan Sarandon ("Thelma & Louise," 1991) as Dottie Cantrell Roman, the matriarch of the fictional Roman coun- try music dynasty. Created by budding talent Melissa Lon- don Hilfers ("Blasphemy," 2019), the series follows in the footsteps of multigenerational family dramas such as "Blue Bloods," "Dallas," "Succes- sion" and, most notably, "Nashville," while also blazing its own fresh path in the world of television. Plot-wise, the series follows the Romans throughout their daily lives, performances and personal dramas both big and small. As daughter and dynas- tic heir Nicolette "Nicky" Ro- man (Anna Friel, "Land of the Lost," 2009) begins her ascen- sion into the limelight previ- ously long dominated by her parents, the family elders try with all their might to hold on to the secrets that paved the way to stardom for their fami- ly. In addition to Sarandon in the leading role of matriarch, real-life multiplatinum coun- try star Trace Adkins ("The Lincoln Lawyer," 2011) stars as her husband, family patriarch Albie Roman, another key role in the series. Together, the two must grapple with a series of rumors that threaten to col- lapse the shaky foundation upon which they built their empire. The changes also appear to coincide with the rise to fame of their daughter, who, luckily for them, seems to have inher- ited more than just the family name and talent as she vows to do everything in her power to stave off media vultures and the prying eyes of the public. Fox, the network that owns and produced the show in its entirety, calls "Monarch" a "Texas-sized, multigenera- tional musical drama," noting in the same news release that "even though the Roman name is synonymous with authen- ticity, the very foundation of their success is a lie." While initially scheduled to air following the NFC champi- onship on Jan. 30, "Monarch" has had a long trip to its new- found time-slot in the net- work's fall listings. The series was officially an- nounced in May 2021, four months prior to core casting announcements made in Sep- tember. By that time, Beth Dit- to ("On Becoming a God in Central Florida"), Martha Hig- areda ("Altered Carbon"), Ini- go Dôminic Pascual ("Wansa- panataym"), Emma Milani ("Solve") and Joshua Sasse ("No Tomorrow") had joined the main cast alongside Saran- don, Adkins and Friel. Filming Bentonville Acupuncture 5 x 5 continued on page T10 Susan Sarandon stars in "Monarch" Hold onto your hats www.nwaonline.com Did you know those images are available for purchase? IT'S EASY! Just go to nwaonline.com, click on "Photos" in the top menu bar and use the search to fi nd the photo you want. Then just click "Purchase" for sizing options. You can also have the image put on a coff ee mug, mouse pad, key tag, holiday ornament and more! Did you see a photo in our newspaper or on our website that you would love a copy of? Check it out!