# Monsterland
**Monsterland** is an American horror anthology television series created, written, and executive produced by Mary Laws for Hulu, based on Nathan Ballingrud's short story collection *North American Lake Monsters*. Its eight episodes, all released on October 2, 2020, follow encounters with mermaids, fallen angels, and other strange beasts that drive broken people to desperate acts in different present-day American cities.[1](https://press.hulu.com/storage/uploads/F0/4D/F04D3CEB-5A6E-4180-2FCD-E421DD87E6CE/press-release-34-1403916.pdf) • [2](https://thetvdb.com/series/monsterland/seasons/official/1)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Eight-episode horror anthology; each episode is set in a different American city with a new protagonist and a different cast and director[3](https://media.sonypictures.com/en/monsterland-3386/monsterland-sea-hz6v3sb7p8) • [4](https://mail.tvtango.com/series/monsterland) |
| Source material | Nathan Ballingrud's 2013 collection *North American Lake Monsters*, which won the Shirley Jackson Award[1](https://press.hulu.com/storage/uploads/F0/4D/F04D3CEB-5A6E-4180-2FCD-E421DD87E6CE/press-release-34-1403916.pdf) • [5](https://pocketmags.com/au/sfx-magazine/november-2020/articles/here-be-monsters) |
| Premiere | Friday, October 2, 2020, on Hulu (released at 3:01 am ET)[1](https://press.hulu.com/storage/uploads/F0/4D/F04D3CEB-5A6E-4180-2FCD-E421DD87E6CE/press-release-34-1403916.pdf) • [4](https://mail.tvtango.com/series/monsterland) |
| Creator | Mary Laws, a writer on AMC's *Preacher* and co-writer of *The Neon Demon*; she wrote four of the eight episodes[6](https://www.thewrap.com/hulu-orders-horror-anthology-north-american-lake-monsters/) • [4](https://mail.tvtango.com/series/monsterland) |
| Production | Annapurna Television, with Two & Two Pictures; executive producers include Babak Anvari, Lucan Toh, Megan Ellison, and Sue Naegle[1](https://press.hulu.com/storage/uploads/F0/4D/F04D3CEB-5A6E-4180-2FCD-E421DD87E6CE/press-release-34-1403916.pdf) • [7](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/monsterland/) |
| Reception | Metascore 62 from 7 critics; 83% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (29 reviews) and 47% from audiences[7](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/monsterland/) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/monsterland/s01) |
| Status | One season; listed as canceled/ended[9](https://epguides.com/Monsterland/) |
## Spoilers
### Episodes
Each episode is named for its setting, and all eight were released on the same day.[2](https://thetvdb.com/series/monsterland/seasons/official/1)
1. "Port Fourchon, Louisiana" (53 min): a down-and-out waitress questions her choices.
2. "Eugene, Oregon" (51 min): a lonely teen encounters an unwelcome guest.
3. "New Orleans, Louisiana" (49 min): a New Orleans socialite wrestles with her past.
4. "New York, New York" (52 min): a wealthy CEO suffers for his sins.
5. "Plainfield, Illinois" (52 min): a suburban lawyer debates life and death.
6. "Palacios, Texas" (43 min): a disgruntled fisherman makes the catch of a lifetime.
7. "Iron River, Michigan" (47 min): a neglected daughter yearns for another life.
8. "Newark, New Jersey" (54 min): a grieving couple struggles to say goodbye.[2](https://thetvdb.com/series/monsterland/seasons/official/1) • [10](https://hulu.originals.watch/media/3424/monsterland/season/1)
Directors included Babak Anvari, Nicolas Pesce, Craig William Macneill, Anne Sewitsky, Kevin Phillips, Desiree Akhavan, Eagle Egilsson, and Logan Kibens; screenwriters were Mary Laws, Emily Kaczmarek, Wesley Strick, and Scott Kosar, with Laws writing four episodes and Kaczmarek two.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/monsterland/s01) • [4](https://mail.tvtango.com/series/monsterland)
## Development
Hulu ordered the series in May 2019 under the working title "The Untitled Mary Laws Project," an eight-episode horror anthology based on Ballingrud's collection, produced by Annapurna Television. Babak Anvari (*Under the Shadow*) was attached to direct and executive produce alongside Lucan Toh.[6](https://www.thewrap.com/hulu-orders-horror-anthology-north-american-lake-monsters/) Laws said she decided to adapt the book after reading its first story: "I read the first story, and I immediately called my agent and said, 'This is what I have to do.'" She described Ballingrud's stories as authentic, personal, and full of nuance despite working within the horror genre.[5](https://pocketmags.com/au/sfx-magazine/november-2020/articles/here-be-monsters)
The final executive producer roster also included [Megan Ellison](https://www.edgepedia.org/megan-ellison) and Sue Naegle, with Ali Krug as co-executive producer.[1](https://press.hulu.com/storage/uploads/F0/4D/F04D3CEB-5A6E-4180-2FCD-E421DD87E6CE/press-release-34-1403916.pdf)
## Cast
The rotating cast includes [Kaitlyn Dever](https://www.edgepedia.org/kaitlyn-dever), Jonathan Tucker, Charlie Tahan, Nicole Beharie, Hamish Linklater, Marquis Rodriguez, Bill Camp, Michael Hsu Rosen, Taylor Schilling, Roberta Colindrez, Adria Arjona, Trieu Tran, Kelly Marie Tran, Mike Colter, and [Adepero Oduye](https://www.edgepedia.org/adepero-oduye).[1](https://press.hulu.com/storage/uploads/F0/4D/F04D3CEB-5A6E-4180-2FCD-E421DD87E6CE/press-release-34-1403916.pdf)
## Themes and approach
Although marketed as a monster show, the series inverts the usual emphasis. Common Sense Media's review describes a "monster-of-the-week" frame in which monsters actually play a smaller role than expected, with episodes focusing on people struggling with grief, trauma, illness, and poverty while the creatures take an elusive, metaphorical role, sometimes barely appearing at all.[11](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/monsterland) The Sony Pictures press kit describes each episode as grounded in a different present-day American city, with a protagonist grappling with monsters that are "some traditional and some metaphorical."[3](https://media.sonypictures.com/en/monsterland-3386/monsterland-sea-hz6v3sb7p8) The show carries a TV-MA rating and contains substantial violence, sexual content, and profanity.[11](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/monsterland)
## Reception
Critical response was generally favorable but divided on execution. The season scored 62 on Metacritic from 7 critics (3 positive, 4 mixed) and 83% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, whose critics consensus reads: "Though it struggles to find a strong through line, Monsterland's cross-country scares are a perfect showcase for its talented cast and crew."[7](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/monsterland/) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/monsterland/s01) Audience scores were lower: 47% on the Popcornmeter and a 4.5 user score on Metacritic from 15 ratings.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/monsterland/s01) • [7](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/monsterland/)
Reviewers praised the acting and atmosphere while faulting the storytelling. Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com (80/100) called it "some great horror television" in which the people, not the demons, carry viewers from episode to episode.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/monsterland/) Katie Rife of The A.V. Club (75) wrote that the show suffers from the unevenness inherent in anthologies but that its highs are among the best genre work of the year.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/monsterland/) Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter (50) found no installment a complete success or a complete failure, noting the disheartening certainty that episodes would not stick the landing.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/monsterland/)
## Other works titled Monsterland
The name has also been used for unrelated works: a 2016 horror anthology film with a monster-apocalypse wraparound story set in a movie theater (IMDb rating 4.5/10 from 718 users),[12](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5703038/) a 2008 horror film directed by Joey Evans,[13](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/monsterland) a free-to-play ASCII top-down shooter by Second Variety Games released on Steam on December 14, 2015,[14](https://store.steampowered.com/app/406920/Monsterland/) and a 1984–1987 horror magazine, [Forrest J Ackerman](https://www.edgepedia.org/forrest-j-ackerman)'s *Monster Land*, published by New Media Publishing after *Famous Monsters of Filmland* ceased publication.[15](https://meramoginatazo.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/4/7/134733336/regagigo.pdf)
## References
1. [Hulu Reveals Premiere Dates for Upcoming 2020 Hulu Originals (press release, August 7, 2020)](https://press.hulu.com/storage/uploads/F0/4D/F04D3CEB-5A6E-4180-2FCD-E421DD87E6CE/press-release-34-1403916.pdf)
2. [Monsterland Season 1, TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/series/monsterland/seasons/official/1)
3. [Monsterland Season 01 press kit, Sony Pictures Television](https://media.sonypictures.com/en/monsterland-3386/monsterland-sea-hz6v3sb7p8)
4. [Monsterland, TV Tango](https://mail.tvtango.com/series/monsterland)
5. [Here Be Monsters, SFX November 2020](https://pocketmags.com/au/sfx-magazine/november-2020/articles/here-be-monsters)
6. [Hulu Orders Horror Anthology Series Based on 'North American Lake Monsters', TheWrap (May 24, 2019)](https://www.thewrap.com/hulu-orders-horror-anthology-north-american-lake-monsters/)
7. [Monsterland Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/monsterland/)
8. [Monsterland: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/monsterland/s01)
9. [Monsterland, epguides.com](https://epguides.com/Monsterland/)
10. [Monsterland Season 1, Hulu Originals](https://hulu.originals.watch/media/3424/monsterland/season/1)
11. [Monsterland Parents' Guide, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/monsterland)
12. [Monsterland (2016), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5703038/)
13. [Monsterland (2008 film), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/monsterland)
14. [Monsterland on Steam, Second Variety Games](https://store.steampowered.com/app/406920/Monsterland/)
15. [Famous Monsters of Filmland publication history](https://meramoginatazo.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/4/7/134733336/regagigo.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Adapted and franchise screen series › Literary and classic serial adaptations › Thriller and crime adaptations*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license