The Crown began as an astounding portrayal of the English monarchy, immediately after World War II, at the latter days of King George VI (Jared Harris) and the rise of Queen Elizabeth II, his daughter (Claire Foy). Peter Morgan, formerly The Queen writer, leads the production reviving this climactic time in history. A second reason to follow this series is a study on how the crown functions in relation to the British Parliament, which had a closer influence than I ever imagined.
You don't have to be a monarchist bug to enjoy the talented cloned cast along with the impeccable full regalia. Morgan takes you to the intimate corners of the royal family. I was enjoying the travails of King George VI so much that I mourned at his passing too. Then, the joy picks up as Winston Churchill (John Lithgow) seems to be brought right back from the grave, temperament and fallacies and all. He trains the young queen like a protege. I hated to see him go too. Now, we learn so much about this beleaguered family's crown abdication, cancelled wedding plans, and Queen Elizabeth's own inner struggles to shore up her own marriage to Prince Phillip (Matt Smith). I avoided all the gossip tabloids, so at least Morgan delivers mounting credibility. Even the intrigue of the royal staff and bureaucracy is engaging.
Season 2, though, dims the lights on and off. Taking place in the 1950s-Kennedy presidency, it dulls by focusing on the ebb and flow of the royal couple. Then it tries to pick it up with the unimportant controversies of Princess Margaret (Vanessa Kirby). All dynamics in Parliament and the royal underlings dwindled to a bore. The U.S. is practically absent along with the other world players (until Episode 7), despite the eve of the Cold War and the demise of monarchies internationally. Finally, the last 3 Episodes returned to Year 1 quality. Prince Charles's depiction of his youth was gripping!
Season 3 is poised to make a full 360. The monarchs are aging so there will be a new cast. There are already casting problems. The new queen role (Olivia Colman) even admits it will be "huge shoes to fill." Indeed, Colman is no double like Foy. The desired Prince Philip (Paul Bettany) has already bailed out. You would think this was better planned out after such success. In fairness, I move it up to the Winning 25 yd. Line, speculating it will only improve in its projected 6 seasons; yet, halfway into Season 2, the excellent cinematography and props finally wore off and I almost quit watching.
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