Review: The Crown, new on Netflix

This year we’ve been enjoying some stellar TV shows on Netflix.

To be fair, a lot of my telly watching falls under the “guilty pleasure” category.

My tastes in TV haven’t matured very much in the past 20 years or so. This means that 2016 has seen us bingeing on box sets like Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, Once Upon a Time, Grimm and plenty of others…

But this week, I’ve been completely absorbed in The Crown, the new (and terribly grown-up) original series from Netflix. Are you watching, too?

Netflix is rumoured to have spent $100m on this show, making it their most expensive production to date. And wow – the budget shows! There are locations galore, from watering holes in Africa to suites in Buckingham Palace. The costumes are divine, and the replica jewels make Downton Abbey look like an episode of Acorn Antiques.

I don’t generally get into historical drama, but I’m all over shows that give me behind-the-scenes glimpses of weird lives. And what could be weirder than being anointed with oil and suddenly being subject to no earthly rule because God himself has appointed you ruler of all the little humans around you? Like I said – WEIRD. And compelling.

The Crown is the story of the early years of Queen Elizabeth II.

The best part of the show is the central relationship between Matt Smith as the Duke of Edinburgh and Claire Foy as the Queen. It’s fascinating to see the story of a young woman and her charming husband thrust into an extraordinary life, and how the role thrust upon her gradually takes over their lives.

It’s also noteworthy how little education the young Elizabeth received, and what was deemed suitable for young ladies in that era.

I also really love Princess Margaret in this show – played by Vanessa Kirby from Genius. Because you WOULD be ticked off if your big sister got to be Queen and sent your divorced boyfriend to Brussels, wouldn’t you?

I’m not going to pretend The Crown is some super-educational piece of documentary programming. It’s just not. It’s escapist, lush and a beautiful watch. Add it to your Netflix queue now!

Here’s the trailer if you want an idea of what I’m wittering about…

Are you watching The Crown? What did you think? 

We are members of the Netflix Stream Team and receive free Netflix programming for the purposes of sharing reviews with our readers.