The reviews are in – The Crown is fabulous.
According to critiques posted on media around the world, the Netflix series that you can start binge-watching tomorrow (Friday, November 4), is lavish, sophisticated and sumptuous to look at.
And while some reviewers less enamoured with the Queen and Buckingham Palace have said the pace is a little slow at times, the general consensus is The Crown will be a TV streaming triumph.
The 10-part series, rumoured to be the most expensive ever made coming in at more than $150 million, starts the before Queen Elizabeth II takes the throne. And more excitement – what drops tomorrow is just the start – six seasons of 10 episodes each are planned by Netflix, to take us through to the current day. It’s created by Peter Morgan, who also wrote The Queen, starring Helen Mirren.
“The Crown is Netflix’s most expensive series to date – and worth it” says Vanity Fair, adding that it is “a stately success, alluring and easily digested, as high-end as anything can get without being profound”.
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The Queen, portrayed as a 25-year-old in the first series, is played by Claire Foy. Her beloved, Philip Mountbatten soon to become Price Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is played by Matt Smith of Doctor Who fame.
The reviewers say that comedic US actor and sometimes baddie John Lithgow (Third Rock from the Sun) almost steals the show playing a lumbering Winston Churchill.
So how will the royal family themselves feel about this series? While there have been earlier reports that there was some anxiety at Buckingham Palace, reviewers say there’s no need – the first series is compassionate and humanising without being overly fawning.
And the must-watch moment? Elle in the US has picked out the “pea soup fog” episode – “the drama it incites makes for one of the most compelling episodes of the series”. Ooh, intriguing.
Here’s the trailer that came out in September – sure you’ve seen it but it will hold you over until you get the chance to watch it.
The love story between the Queen and the Prince is also meant to be good viewing – in parts feisty and loving. And reviewers say that comedic US actor and sometimes baddie John Lithgow (Third Rock from the Sun) almost steals the show playing a lumbering Winston Churchill.
John Lithgow as Winston Churchill. PHOTO: Netflix
Of course, there will be the usual births, deaths, marriages, scandals, power struggles and sumptuous state events. And the costumes – who can’t wait to see them?
The premiere of the series was held in London a couple days ago – and featured Queens Guards in bearskin hats and even corgis on the red carpet.
Corgi alert at the London premiere of The Crown. PHOTO: Getty
