The Crown

Every so often a drama comes along that takes away your breath. Sometimes that's subjective, other times objective. Dramas such as The Jewel in the Crown, The West Wing, Game of Thrones, House of Cards, Downton Abbey, House M.D. have all stood at the pinnacle of television drama.

The Crown is right up there at the very top. It is outstanding in every way: faultless. From brilliant dramatisation to acting to score to cinematography: everywhere you look it commands.

Watch it. You won't regret it. You will remember one of those television 'moments' that come along all too rarely.

Regardless of what you may think of the Royals Netflix has poured a ton of money into this exquisite production about the life of Queen Elizabeth. It is a show which requires fixed attention as things progress at a unhurried pace. The opening musical evolution is enchanting and never grows old. Actress Claire Foy is beautifully riveting in the role of Elizabeth; someone who wants to have a normal life and yet is made to feel her duty as Queen should be the highest priority. It has been suggested the Queen is warm, has a sense of humor, is compassionate and this portrayal conveys it. She is wise enough to realize she's going to have to forge her own way as those around her are stymied in their own limitations or ignorance. John Lithgow transforms into Winston Churchill and is equally stellar. Their scenes together are superb. If Peter Morgan's research is accurate I can fully appreciate how Princess Diana must have felt. The show is rounded out by a wonderful supporting cast. This show is my favorite Netflix production so far.

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 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 Crown boasts no action sequences or big movie stars, and yet it is one of the most expensive shows of all time. Why? Because of the sheer attention to detail. Aside from the fully historically accurate costumes and locations, the show is just gorgeous to look at. The lighting, the cinematography, and everything else visual about it is on point. It's quite apparent none of that money went to waste.

The show doesn't just look gorgeous, though. It is also compelling, well written, and well performed. In fact, almost every element is perfectly executed, which means that no single one stands out above the rest, but rather they work in harmony. And that is the show's greatest success; the fact that it all comes together smoothly into a neat, binge-able, high quality package.

Mind you, the reason I enjoy the Crown so much is that I knew what to expect when I went into it. This is NOT a fast-paced, action-packed, edge-of-your-seat experience. It is a character drama about the royal family. It runs at a slow pace. Yet it is gripping all the same.

That's why it is so good to know that Netflix made such a large investment in this series; they're taking chances and funding original and unusual things in an era when Hollywood is afraid to do anything that isn't already an existing intellectual property. I hope that the Crown blows up like Stranger Things. I hope it gets all the attention it deserves.