The Crown
Overview
The Crown is a 2016 historical drama television series created by Peter Morgan for Netflix, chronicling the reign of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The series is structured across six seasons, with each season covering a different period of Elizabeth's long reign. The first two seasons focus on Elizabeth's early years as queen, from her marriage to Prince Philip (Matt Smith, then Tobias Menzies) in 1947 through the Suez Crisis of 1956. Claire Foy plays Elizabeth in these seasons, and she captures the young queen's transformation from a shy, unprepared princess to a confident, determined monarch. The third and fourth seasons cover the 1960s and 1970s, with Olivia Colman taking over as Elizabeth. These seasons focus on the rise of Prime Minister Harold Wilson, the Aberfan mining disaster, the moon landing, and the growing tensions between Charles and his parents. The fourth season introduces Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson), the first female Prime Minister, and Princess Diana (Emma Corrin), whose marriage to Prince Charles becomes a media sensation. The fifth and sixth seasons cover the 1990s, with Imelda Staunton playing Elizabeth. These seasons focus on the "annus horribilis" of 1992, when three of her children's marriages fell apart and Windsor Castle caught fire; the death of Princess Diana in 1997; and the Golden Jubilee of 2002. The series is known for its lavish production design, its meticulous attention to historical detail, and its nuanced portrayals of historical figures. It does not shy away from the flaws and failures of the royal family, but it also shows them as human beings struggling with duty, love, and loss. The Crown has been a critical and commercial success, winning numerous awards, including 21 Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globes. It has also been controversial, with some critics accusing it of blurring the line between fact and fiction. The sixth season, which concluded the series, focused on the relationship between Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed and the aftermath of her death. The Crown is a beautifully made, thoughtful, and often heartbreaking portrait of a woman who has dedicated her life to duty.
