The Crown

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.

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...

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 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?

Season 1-2 was perfect, but major casting mistakes were done in season 5. I've grown to like Imelda Staunton as the Queen although her performance seemed a little insincere. I normally really adore Lesley Manville but she's totally wrong to play Princess Margot. Her accent and her demeanor is all wrong for this role. But honestly, the worst casting mistake was Dominic West. Dominic West was Dominic West. He failed to transform into King Charles as the previous actor did. Other reviewers are all complaining about Debicki and the actor who plays Prince Phillip, but I liked both of them. They were definitely better than West.

The episode in season 5 that highlighted the last moments of Tsar Nicholas's family was very spot on. A lot of people don't know that the Bolsheviks murdered their family in cold blood, raped the young princesses's and buried them like animals. Bringing awareness to this historic horror was important and well done.