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Monarch Cove (Lifetime Television)

common sense media says

Cheesy beach town romance/mystery is all wet.

parents & educators say
See all 3 reviews | Review it

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this soapy drama follows the mystery behind a murder. In at least one episode, viewers see a dead person in a flashback scene as well as another person getting shot. A thief threatens the main character's family with a gun while stealing drugs. The town detective is perpetually drunk. One main character shoplifts, lies, and plots to use sex for material gain. People who initially seem good may turn out to be bad (and vice versa).

Positive messages: The primary character is all good, though she tolerates her sister's bad behavior. The sister sleeps around, shoplifts, and may be involved in drugs or something more sinister. Brother deals drugs, though he may be a good person gone bad. Cast is all white.
Violence: Flashback scene of a murdered man. Another man gets shot (no significant blood). Some pushing between family members.
Sex: Passionate kissing; lots of bikinis and half-dressed men cavorting seductively; pre- and post-sex scenes. One character uses sex to get what she wants.
Language: The occasional "hell" or "damn."
Consumerism: The quest for money, at all costs, is a major plot element.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Social drinking. One minor character is an alcoholic. The brother deals drugs. The grandmother drinks marijuana tea for her cancer symptoms.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on Monarch Cove

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about the challenge of making tough moral decisions. In this show, characters lie and commit crimes in order to help a family member. How do parents and teens weigh the pros and cons of a questionable decision? What would you do to save a loved one's life? What wouldn't you do? Do the ends ever justify the means? How many times can you forgive the people you love?

What's the story?

What's the story?
In cheesy, slow-paced drama MONARCH COVE, Bianca Foster (Virginia Williams), who was falsely accused of killing her father, returns home after six years in prison. Bianca arrives in Monarch Cove to find her family's wealth squandered, her sister a scamming man-eater, her brother a drug dealer, and her grandmother, Grace (Shirley Jones), ill with cancer. Bianca tolerates her family's considerable quirks while searching for her father's real killer and looking for a way to treat her grandmother's cancer. Along the way she falls for the beach town's rich scion, Jake (Kieren Hutchison), only to find him on the verge of marriage to snobby socialite Elizabeth (Samantha Healy). Sentimentality abounds, with champagne toasts, sunset embraces, and impassioned attempts to save Grace's life.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Plenty of lightweight scandal and intrigue pepper the plot. The town's alcoholic detective is involved with bad guys and knows secrets about Bianca's father's murder. Bianca's younger brother, Ben (Matt Funke), has a wad of unexplained cash and bruised knuckles. And Grace drinks marijuana tea to ease the pain of her cancer.

While the show's creators clearly want us to root for poor little Bianca, Monarch Cove is so poorly written and cheaply produced that it's hard to care about the characters or their situations. The dialogue is laughably bad, and the acting isn't much better.

TV themes & details

TV Details
TV Rating: TV-PG
Network: Lifetime Television
Cast: Samantha Shelton, Shirley Jones, Virginia Williams
Genre: Drama
Where to watch: Lifetime Television
This review was written by Sierra Filucci
 
 

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What parents & educators say

Most useful reviews by all members

gilmoregurl4
adult
 
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helped me decide (1) | had useful details (1) | read my mind (2)
amanda14215
adult
 
i like it
Monarch Cove is a great show I think. I dont think that there is anything wrong with it. I just dont like that it is going to have only 14 episonds.
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helped me decide (2) | had useful details (1) | read my mind (1)
ria328
adult
 
A Must Watch
I usually don't get into any tv shows... This one on the other hand i can't get enough of. I wish it were on a few times a week! When Monarch Cove is on nothing else matters.
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helped me decide (1) | had useful details (1) | read my mind (1)

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