Television has long ridden the coattails of cinema when coming up with new programming, serializing popular genres like Westerns and Crime Thrillers since its very inception. However, the obvious budgetary limitations of TV production mean that certain kinds of stories are less suited for the small screen. Thankfully, we’re lucky enough to live in a time when technology and the streaming wars have finally caught up to film when it comes to producing the type of long-form content we’ve always yearned for.
Case in point, Legendary and Apple TV’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters achieved the unthinkable by bringing blockbuster-worthy Kaijus to the small screen at a scale we’ve never seen before. And though the show has already aired its finale, I know that Kaiju fans are likely still clamoring for more TV-based monsters, so we’ve decided to come up with a list recommending six TV shows to watch after Monarch.
For the purposes of this list, we’ll be defining “Kaiju” as any giant monster that wreaks havoc among human populations (which is mostly a way of keeping the selection diverse). With that out of the way, don’t forget to comment below with your own monstrous favorites if you think we missed a particularly entertaining show.
Now, onto the list…
6. Gamera Rebirth (2023)
Gamera may have started out as a poorly veiled Godzilla clone, but after nearly 60 years of rocket-powered turtle adventures, I think it’s safe to say that he’s evolved into his own monster. And while the “friend to all children” hasn’t enjoyed the same amount of international popularity as his colossal rivals in recent years, he finally made a resurgence in 2023 with Netflix’s original anime, Gamera Rebirth.
A strange and divisive reboot that re-imagines this classic Kaiju tale as a coming-of-age period piece, Rebirth may not have been what fans were expecting (especially with its surprisingly dark tone), but I’d argue that sheer creativity and passion for the source material make this one worth watching despite some admittedly janky animation.
5. Tremors: The Series (2003)
Not to be confused with the tragically canceled/unreleased series starring Kevin Bacon, the Sci-Fi Channel’s first attempt at televised Graboids actually came out over two decades ago. A direct sequel to Tremors 3, this underrated little show follows an ensemble of Perfection Valley residents as they learn to co-exist with their local albino Graboid (El Blanco) while dealing with corporate conspiracies and mutant monsters of the week.
It may not have been as action-packed as some fans were expecting, with the monster fights taking a backseat in favor of humorous character interactions, but I’d argue that this underseen spin-off deserved a lot more love (especially from the network itself, which effectively sabotaged its own show by airing episodes out of order and re-editing story-beats against the creators’ wishes).
4. Pacific Rim: The Black (2021)
Having already been burned by Pacific Rim Uprising, I was initially hesitant to check out Pacific Rim: The Black due to it once again having no creative input from Guillermo del Toro. Thankfully, this Netflix original anime ended up being much more entertaining than I could have expected, featuring a refreshing blend of both east and west as it carved out its own space in the franchise’s mythology.
Following the Travis siblings as they search for their missing parents in a Kaiju-infested Australia while learning how to pilot training Jaeger, the show takes us on a highly-entertaining post-apocalyptic journey filled to the brim with thrilling animated action and memorable monster designs.
3. Godzilla: The Series (1998)
I know a Saturday morning cartoon tie-in doesn’t exactly scream quality television, but believe me when I say that this is still the most entertaining Western take on Godzilla since he was in that Charles Barkley commercial. A sequel of sorts to Roland Emmerich’s controversial 1997 Godzilla film, the show returns the iconic kaiju to its roots by making Nick Tatopoulos and his crew adopt a young Zilla and help him fight giant monsters in a globe-trotting adventure.
Created by the same team behind the equally entertaining Men in Black cartoon (which also felt a lot closer to its source material than the film that it was based on), Godzilla: The Series stands out due to its phenomenal Kaiju designs and surprisingly lovable characters.
It also boasts one of the coolest opening sequences in Saturday Morning history!
2. Shin Ultra Fight (2023)
The shortest yet strangest addition to this list, Shin Ultra Fight is a spin-off miniseries (mostly) set in the same continuity as Shinji Higuchi’s Shin Ultraman. A modern-day reimagining of the original Ultra Fight series (which repurposed stock footage and old costumes to create short but sweet monster battles accompanied by wrestling-like fight announcers), this blast from the past combines digital kaiju with deteriorated cinematography and a 4:3 aspect ratio to simulate Ultraman’s low-budget origins.
While some of these references might go over casual fans’ heads, the humorous yet loving approach to the decades-old source material make Shin Ultra Fight a must-watch for Kaiju fans if you can happen to track it down.
1. Primeval (2007)
BBC’s Walking with Dinosaurs and its numerous spin-offs were a huge part of my childhood, so I was naturally thrilled when the creator of this speculative documentary series (Tim Haines) joined forces with Adrian Hodges to bring prehistoric carnage to the realm of episodic fiction. Airing from 2007 to 2011, Primeval was a highly underrated sci-fi show that combined a genuine love of science with classic creature feature thrills.
Inspired by the monster movies of Ray Harryhausen (as well as classics like King Kong and Jurassic Park), the show told the story of a group of scientists dealing with prehistoric monsters invading modern-day UK through temporal anomalies. While the CGI hasn’t aged all that gracefully, the show’s humor and characters definitely make this one worth revisiting.
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