As Netflix continues to produce more and more original series, it has been impressive in its high production quality, and The Crown is no exception. While watching The Crown, one is truly immersed in the life of Queen Elizabeth II, a chaotic time in the history of the British royal family. Netflix obviously had very high hopes for the show, having allotted it the highest budget of any of their TV shows so far and beginning production of the second season before the release of first. However, it lacks the action and suspense that make a show worthy of binge-watching, which reduces its appeal for a lot of people. The Crown seems to be Netflix’s first attempt to create a television drama in the vein of Downton Abbey, and while it seems like it was successful in that regard, the show isn’t exactly fast-paced or exciting, which may be enough to make it an unattractive option for many Netflix subscribers.
The story of the first season is centered around England’s struggle to maintain stability following the death of King George VI. At the center of this struggle lies Queen Elizabeth II, whose burden is to manage the difficulty of dealing with the rest of the royal family, deal with Parliament, and maintain her family’s image. The show starts out slow, and I must admit that I was losing interest over the course of the first few episodes, but as Elizabeth’s life became more complicated and more difficult over the course of the season, the show becomes more engaging and I started to sympathize with the struggles of various characters. While at points the plot was not appealing, at no point in the series was I doubtful of the excellence of the acting or the set design and production quality. The show is comprised of scenes in beautiful landscapes as well as extravagant indoor settings that serve as eye candy to compensate for a slow plot.
While its slow pace and lack of action certainly make it less exciting, they also make The Crown stand out among Netflix’s selection of original works. While a show like Stranger Things or Orange is the New Black is made with the intent of getting the viewer to binge-watch a season in a short period of time, The Crown seems to have been made with the expectation that the viewer takes breaks between episodes, as strange as that may seem in the era of streaming television. As I watched the show I found myself immersed in each episode, yet I never felt the compulsive need to immediately start the next episode. While that factor doesn’t necessarily add a whole lot to the viewing experience, it does make watching the show compatible with getting homework done on time and not losing too much sleep. If what you are looking for is a show to watch in one weekend, The Crown is not the thriller or feel-good drama you want.
Still, to call The Crown boring would be incorrect. The phenomenal overall quality of the show makes it worthy of praise, and it left me looking forward to the second season. The Crown is expected to have six seasons that tell the story of Queen Elizabeth II’s long, illustrious life, and given that so far my impression of the show has improved as I watched more episodes, I see a lot of potential for it to get even better in coming seasons.