Reviving the Nighttime Soap Opera: Melissa London Hilfers Discusses “Monarch”

Dallas, Dynasty, and Falcon Crest were the pinnacle of nighttime soap dramas in the late 70s, early 80s. Family dynasties rife with scandal and intrigue were served on a platter of glamour and fashion on a weekly basis. In recent years, Nashville, Yellowstone, Empire, and Scandal have filled the bill for prime time, high stakes emotional dramas.

It was only a matter of time before we got another entry in the canon of evening melodramas and Monarch is it. Starring Susan Sarandon and Trace Adkins, Monarch is a pulpy, delicious concoction of illicit goings on and family enmity. The country music laden program was created by attorney-turned-writer Melissa London Hilfers and is her freshman series. She grew up watching Melrose Place and 90210 and has dreamed of contributing to this evergreen genre. She recently spoke with us about how this dream became a reality.

How did you come up with the idea for Monarch?

In 19… that’s how long it feels like it’s been! In 2019, I sat down with another one of the executive producers, Gail Berman. We had just come off doing another project at Fox with their drama team that didn’t go forward, but we had a really good experience working together and we were looking for something else. She mentioned to me that Fox was interested in doing something in the country music space and I immediately lit up because I grew up on country music and was super excited about just being in that space. By the end of the lunch, I had come up with ‘what if we reimagined the Romanoff dynasty as a family of country music stars in Austin, Texas?’ We both got excited about it. I love family dynasty stories, having grown up on Dynasty and Dallas. I love the whole genre and wanted to do something soapy and multi-generational and juicy and delicious… and incorporate country music so that was the perfect way to do it.

Melissa London Hilfers

Would you consider it a nighttime soap?

Totally. I say that with pride. I think it’s delicious and fun. Fox has a tradition of these amazing nighttime soaps. Empire is one, but even going back to when I was a kid, Melrose Place. I think there’s a tradition in nighttime soaps of very powerful, strong women and this show was meant to be a showcase for that. Hopefully, in a modern incarnation where they’re not always likable, and unapologetically ambitious, that you didn’t use to be able to be but hopefully you can now.

What do you think are the main elements of a good nighttime soap?

Beautiful clothes, beautiful world, sex, mystery, murder, a multi-generational element, glamour. Our bonus element is music.

What country music singers influenced these characters?

Country music stars have fascinating lives and backstories, which are so fun and juicy for a writer to dig into. There are all kinds of nuggets. Here’s one. Albie Roman is rumored to be the best endowed man in country music and that can from a rumor about Porter Wagoner, which I can neither confirm nor deny. So, there are all kinds of Easter eggs for people who are real fans of country music. The inspiration for Nicky for me was Faith Hill, who I view as a great mom, but who is also traditionally beautiful and glamorous.

How did you decide what music was going to be performed each episode?

It’s a whole process. We have a combination of covers and original music. And honestly, I wanted to lean into the covers. If I’m watching a show and have some familiarity with the music, I’m immediately into it. I remember watching Bridgerton and Taylor Swift’s wildest dreams came on and I loved it. You know it, it’s familiar. It makes you feel like you’re already apart of what you’re watching. In choosing the covers, we went for stuff that’s big, crossover hits, even though we do also go outside the box.

Come for the drama, stay for the music!

There seems to be a resurgence in country music and country-themed shows like Yellowstone, Big Sky, and Nashville. Why do you think that is?

In the case of this show, it was really about the music. In the last few years, country music has become a broader cultural phenomenon than it had been. What is defined as country music has broadened. Taylor Swift became a pop star and after that there seemed to be a more fluid space between country music and pop.

Do you have a favorite character?

I related a lot to Nicky as a woman over forty in this industry. Such much of what this show is about is a woman who has all these expectations on her and has a dream. But because of the way her life turned out, she hasn’t had her chance until now and really questioning if that’s something you can do in this industry or is it too late? And when you do get that chance, what will you do? I relate to her and her ambition and her boldness in doing what she has to do, while still being a great mom. Her heart is in the right place but sometimes she does some things because she has to…!

Is there a writers’ room?

We had three different writers’ room over the course of three and a half years. But we’re done. We’re all written and shot. That was the one advantage of COVID is we had ample time to have everything finished before we go in.

What did your previous writing experiences bring to this one?

I think just the discipline. I think when you’re a writer working and hustling, balancing features and television, you have to be motivated and know that everyday no matter how you’re feeling you have to get up and write. This was fast and furious, but it was a long process. It was a lot to balance.

Do you have a writing routine, or does it depend on the project you’re working on?

It depends whether it’s TV or feature. I have a very specific process with features. right down to setting my alarm clock at a certain time. But my outlining process is very specific. I always start out with a certain page outline. But television is very different because you have to hand in your outlines and it’s very collaborative from the beginning. You’re working with the studio and the network to deliver what they want. To me, the process if more flexible in TV.