The Crown is a historical drama centered on the British Royalty, explicitly focusing on Queen Elizabeth II. It follows the political rivalries and romance of the Queen’s reign and the events that shaped the history of Britain in the second half of the 20th century.
As of 2021, ‘The Crown’ is the most expensive Netflix Original series so far. One episode’s production cost amounts to around $13 million, per Statista. The series is based on Peter Morgan’s 2013 play The Audience, which traces the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. The drama is also principally written and created by him (Peter Morgan) and produced by Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television for Netflix.
The Crown focuses on Queen Elizabeth II’s life and the politics around the royalty and the U.K. during her reign. It begins from her wedding in 1947 to Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The first season has events up to 1955. Winston Churchill resigns as prime minister, and the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret decides not to marry Peter Townsend.
The second season covers the Suez Crisis of 1956, an event that led to Prime Minister Anthony Eden’s retirement. During this season, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan also resigns (in 1963), following the scandal of the Profumo affair. It also has the birth of Prince Edward in 1964.
The period from 1964 to 1977 is depicted in the third season. It begins with Harold Wilson’s election victory and ending with her Silver Jubilee. It also follows Edward Heath’s time as the PM. Further, Camilla Shand gets introduced. The Crown’s fourth and most recent season follows Margaret Thatcher’s tenure as prime minister from 1979 to 1990. It also features Lady Diana Spencer.
In its global fan event, Tudum, Netflix formally announced that The Crown will return for its fifth season in November 2022. This season will have The Crown’s third and final cast renewal, as the show is to continue only for six seasons.
The new cast will include Imelda Staunton playing Queen Elizabeth, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Dominic West as Prince Charles, Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana, and Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles. Jonny Lee Miller will portray Prime Minister John Major.
Imelda Staunton made the announcement herself in Tudum.
The teaser, trailer, or the first look of The Crown Season 5 has not been revealed yet.
The main cast of The Crown includes Olivia Colman, Helena Bonham Carter, Tobias Menzies, Claire Foy, John Lithgow, Matt Smith, Vanessa Kirby, Gillian Anderson, Josh O’Connor, Emma Corrin, Marion Bailey, Jared Harris, Victoria Hamilton, Eileen Atkins, Jeremy Northam, Alex Jennings, Ben Miles, Pip Torrens, Will Keen, Harry Hadden-Paton, Daniel Ings, Greg Wise, Harriet Walter, Lia Williams, Matthew Goode, Anton Lesser, Ben Daniels, Jason Watkins, Charles Dance, Emerald Fennell, and Erin Doherty.
The Crown has received many accolades. Its first four seasons garnered a total of sixty-three Primetime Emmy award nominations. Moreover, it won twenty-one of them. The Crown bagged Outstanding Drama Series for its fourth season, and seven awards have gone to its cast as of 2021.
It won all seven drama categories at the recent 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards in 2021, becoming the first series to sweep major drama categories at the Emmys.
The Crown has also won Best Television Series – Drama twice. It achieved this feat at the 74th Golden Globe Awards and 78th Golden Globe Awards. Furthermore, it won Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series at the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards and the 27th Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The list of awards and nominations won by The Crown is extensive and encompassing multiple categories, reflecting the creativity, hard work, and money put into its making.
| Genre | Historical Drama, Political Show, Biography |
| Release Date | November 4, 2016 |
| Certificate | 18+ per Netflix |
| Cast | Olivia Colman, Helena Bonham Carter, Tobias Menzies, Claire Foy, John Lithgow, Matt Smith, Vanessa Kirby, Gillian Anderson, Josh O’Connor, Emma Corrin, Marion Bailey, Jared Harris, Victoria Hamilton, Eileen Atkins, Jeremy Northam, Alex Jennings, Ben Miles, Pip Torrens, Will Keen, Harry Hadden-Paton, Daniel Ings, Greg Wise, Harriet Walter, Lia Williams, Matthew Goode, Anton Lesser, Ben Daniels, Jason Watkins, Charles Dance, Emerald Fennell, and Erin Doherty |
| Director(s) | Benjamin Caron, Philip Martin, Jessica Hobbs, Julian Jarrold, Stephen Daldry, Paul Whittington, Philippa Lowthorpe, Samuel Donovan, Christian Schwochow |
| IMDb Ratings | 8.6/10 |
| Country of Origin | United Kingdom, United States |
| Countries where available | Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and the United States |
| Total Seasons | 4 |
| Total Number of Episodes | 40 |
| Episode Length | ~ 56 minutes |
| Upcoming Season | Season 5 |
| Filming Location | United Kingdom |
| Soundtracks | Playlist |
