The Crown

I have to be honest. I had refused to watch this show from the moment it was released. Being no fan of monarchies in general, or of the House of Windsor in particular, I wrongly failed to see the potential.

But history always is interesting, especially when left in the hands of able writers and an absolutely spectacular cast. To a person, word for spoken word, I was drawn into this series headlong and found myself taken by this expertly crafted story.

I love that the flaws and tensions that existed are exposed and leveraged. And I find myself reaching for the shelf and pulling out a book or two to refamiliarize myself with some event.

In short it won me over and taught me a lesson or two in the process. What more can one ask?

The first four seasons were simply superb with some genius casting - and accents to boot. The likes of Claire Foy and Matt Smith gave the show its charisma, along with incredible actors such as Pip Torrens and Alex Jennings, etc.. All fears of Matt Smith departing were allayed when Tobias Menzies stepped into the Prince Philip role.

However, Season 5 isn't quite on the money. Whilst the new queen is very good, and the Diana Spencer character unbelievably like the real Lady Di, Prince Charles is somewhat of a let down. He appears to have ditched his royal accent for that of a regular Joe. Dominic West might be conscious of portraying a crass caricature, but caricatures are what we want. Prince Philip is no longer on par either (was Charles Dance not available!?!) and James Hewitt appears to have been randomly chosen. The show is still very good, and the likes of Lady Di's character keep it together, but it's starting to feel like a BBC drama, which is a shame.

What can I say about The Crown that hasn't already been said? It's incredible! There are some that don't like it because they take some liberties with the story but overall it's pretty accurate, especially the first few seasons. You can tell the amount of effort they put into this show from everything from the writing, acting, cinematography, production, etc. All being as good as it gets for a television show. It chronicles the life of Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family from the 1940's to modern times. It gives you an inside look at the personal lives of the royal family including their romances and political rivalries. There's a reason this show has won so many awards and that's because it's brilliant!

The Crown is simply a brilliant piece of television. It's one of the most expensive shows ever made and you can tell because the production and attention to detail is amazing. I originally put off watching this because I thought it was a show aimed from women but I couldn't have been more wrong. It is for everyone! Even when they changed the main characters in Season 3 because of the time jump it didn't lose a beat. Both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman both lead amazing casts who all deserve all the praise this show gets!

I just watched the first two episodes and I already am in love with the story and characters! The acting is excellent as well as the directing, story line, costumes, sets, filming locations and everything else that has gone into the making of this series. It is well written and filmed and I am looking forward to seeing the remaining episodes. I have always been fascinated with history and this series takes you back in time. It has such powerful emotion and a lot of surprises which held my interest tremendously. So far, the episodes I saw went by quickly with me wanting to see more. If you are a history buff or interested in the Royal Family, don't miss this! It is a down to earth version of their lives and responsibilities. And so far, there are many things I did not know or appreciate. Definitely a learning experience and thank you for such a beautiful story! This is an addition to my previous post- I am now on episode 9 and if there aren't any awards for acting, I will be extremely surprised. John Lithgow's portrayal of Winston Churchill is award winning as well as Claire Foy playing the Queen. All of the acting is superb in my opinion and I don't want this series to end...