It’s official: Peter Morgan’s British drama The Crown is a runaway success. The fourth season of the show has garnered a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an equally impressive audience rating of 85%. That kind of acclaim doesn’t come cheap; audiences and critics don’t simply lavish praise on just any old show, so The Crown must be doing something right. We’re completely addicted to Morgan’s portrayal of royal life throughout the ages, and we’re here to spread the good word. Here is why The Crown should be essential viewing for everyone.
The performances are incredible
A veritable treasure trove of British talent is involved in making The Crown. From Olivia Colman’s knockout performance as Queen Elizabeth II to Gillian Anderson’s astonishing take on Margaret Thatcher, there are plenty of reasons to watch The Crown if you’re interested in learning about the craft of acting. Early on, Matt Smith and Claire Foy are eminently watchable as Elizabeth and future husband Prince Philip, too, so make sure to head back to watch the early seasons as well!
It’s changing the way we think
The Crown has such a powerful effect on popular culture and those who consume it that it’s literally shaping behavioral trends. In the world of fashion, for example – something The Crown is very concerned with, being a prestige period piece – Google searches for terms like “blue suit” and “bow collar” increased hugely after The Crown premiered. Similarly, three days after Season 4’s premiere, searches for Margaret Thatcher skyrocketed. You can have a look at this wonderful Betway infographic for more cool information about The Crown.
This infographic was provided by Betway and showcases interesting details about The Crown.
Season 4 is the best yet
Some series taper off after a few seasons, having used all their best ideas early on in their run. Not so with The Crown, which, if anything, is arguably beginning to hit its stride at this point. Some have argued that you don’t even need to watch the earlier seasons to enjoy the show. It’s true that this season contains The Crown’s juiciest and most gossip-worthy material yet, concerning as it does the troubled lives of Princess Diana, Prince Charles, and the strange media landscape in which they found themselves.
It’ll make you care about the British royals
Many people – particularly those who live outside the British isles – have questioned the importance or the relevance of the monarchy. When you watch The Crown, you’ll almost certainly realize why these polarising figures are so important to British culture. Whether you support the monarchy or oppose it, The Crown reveals the figures at its heart to be complex, three-dimensional human beings, however much privilege they may have found themselves born into.
The writing is superb
The Crown creator Peter Morgan reportedly rejected assistance from the Royal Family in order to write the show. Thankfully, what he’s written – while occasionally taking some liberties with the truth – is an abject lesson in how to construct a screenplay for television. Morgan’s writing is mannered, calm, and quiet when it needs to be, but he ratchets up the drama and tension for moments where it’s necessary, leading to some chilling confrontations and conversations despite the somewhat tame subject matter.
The Royals have mixed opinions
If nothing else, you should be watching The Crown simply because it’s a matter of some controversy among the Royal Family. Some members of the Royal Family apparently love the show, while others feel it is too heavily dramatized or depicts events in an unacceptably fictionalized way. It’s worth getting to know The Crown simply to understand what the fuss is all about; after all, if you were there, you can compare your own memories to the way things happen in the show!
It’s not a hagiography
When it comes to shows and movies about the Royals, many of them have all too often tended towards fawning, hagiographic portraits of the family. Even the stars of certain movies have admitted that they weren’t having fun during production or didn’t think the movie had any lasting appeal. The Crown is not one of those shows. It is unflinching at times, and although it never crosses over into character assassination, you’re not going to get a watered-down vision of the Royal Family here.
Emma Corrin is an amazing Princess Diana
The casting of the People’s Princess was arguably one of the most, if not the single most, important casting decisions in The Crown’s fourth season. Luckily, new face Emma Corrin absolutely does not disappoint. Her resemblance to the Princess is uncanny, but of course, that wouldn’t matter if her performance wasn’t also so well-observed and eerie. The actress herself has said that working on The Crown gave her an appreciation for how complex a human being Princess Diana was, and that’s certainly something she brought across in her performance.
It looks beautiful
Last – but most certainly not least – the production design on The Crown is a sumptuous buffet of lavish period detail. Eagle-eyed viewers will love spotting every single minor piece of background dressing that’s been put in to make each scene look as realistic and immersive as possible. Those who don’t have as much of an eye for detail will simply drink in the atmosphere thanks to the combined effect it all creates. The Crown is, quite simply, an absolutely gorgeous production simply to watch.
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