What better way to end off this three part series than with royalty. We all know of the British Royal Family, after all Queen Elizabeth II is technically our Head of State. The Crown is an interesting addition to the list of Netflix Originals and follows the public and private life of Elizabeth II, from her younger years to her present reign. The series is set to have six seasons and two seasons so far have aired. The award-winning drama contains an impressive amount of historical accuracy as well as a mix of well-grounded political affairs and intense private moments. It's safe to say that if you weren't interested in the history of royalty before, you certainly will be after watching The Crown.
Due to the fact that The Crown is to cover Queen Elizabeth's entire reign, new castings will take place for the third and fourth seasons as well as the fifth and six seasons. The first two seasons star Claire Foy as Her Majesty the Queen and Matt Smith as Prince Philip. The series also showcases Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret, Eileen Atkins as Queen Mary, John Lithgow as Winston Churchill and Jeremy Northam as Anthony Eden among others. So far, The Crown has been met with positive responses. Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season a whopping 89% approval rating. Metacritic also gave the series favorable reviews, calling it universally astounding. The Crown has also won a number of awards. The series won the 2017 Golden Globe for Best Television Series in Drama as well as The Top Ten TV Programs of the Year award in 2018 from the American Film Institute. Given the tremendous success of the first two seasons, The Crown is expected to last the full six seasons with the third season coming out later in 2019.
The Crown opens with the final months of the reign of King George VI, Elizabeth's father. The series showcases the wedding of Elizabeth and Philip in 1947, which was held at Westminster Abbey in London. While the young couple are on tour in Kenya, news came of King George's death. Shortly afterward, Elizabeth is proclaimed Queen of England and is hastily drafted into public life. The season then deals with a number of historical events and situations such as The Queen's meetings with Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the Great Smog of London. The series also delves into The Queen's personal life with her husband, Prince Philip, and her sister, Princess Margaret. In season two Elizabeth is once again drawn to the world stage, this time because of the Suez Crisis. On one hand The Queen has British imperialists who are in favor of an invasion in Egypt, while on the other hand she has countries across the world, as well as the United Nations, who are closely watching her every move in the crisis. Season two also features the birth of Prince Edward in 1964 and the retirement of British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. The season concludes in the mid 1960's with the third season expected to pick things up shortly thereafter.
Overall The Crown is sure to impress both history buff's and drama seekers. The series presents the life of Queen Elizabeth both dramatically yet accurately. Each episode contains a well-blended mixture of public life and private affairs. Even though the series is only a third complete, it still manages to capture a large audience.