Published Feb 2, 2026, 1:00 PM EST
Ben is a Senior Writer on the New TV team at Screen Rant. He graduated from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class B.A. Degree in English Literature and History.
Born and raised in Ireland, Ben has always had a love for storytelling in all forms of media and operates multiple projects under the name Benjamin Blogs. Ben is a comic book writer and podcast host, in addition to his work as an entertainment journalist. He has worked as both a writer and editor for Screen Rant, Collider, and other media outlets across various departments, including features, news, reviews, and interviews.
The Crown delivers a compelling historical drama story across six seasons that stands out as one of the best shows on Netflix. Netflix has become the most successful streaming service on the planet, but perhaps more impressively, it has created an extensive library of captivating shows and films across various genres.
Drama shows tend to perform well, especially as a fictional story gains momentum and pulls the audience in. But adding in a layer of complexity and trying to capture the truth behind real-life events concerning high-profile individuals, as The Crown did, can make a show all the more impressive.
The Crown Is Great From Start To Finish
The British Royals have always drawn global attention. With much of the modern world being under the rule of the Crown at one point, there's a fascination with the family that continues to serve as the ruling class in the UK. So, when a show was developed offering a deeper insight into the life of Queen Elizabeth during her record-breaking rule, audiences flocked to it.
However, the execution of the series elevated this from an intriguing idea into a show that kept people coming back season after season. With a stunning cast of talented performers and an extraordinary exploration of the private and often secretive lives of the Royals, it was addictive.
Why The Crown Feels Different From Other Netflix Shows
The Crown is not an anthology series, though it explores an expansive timeline across the better part of a century, and features a rotating cast with three groups of core performers across six seasons. This resulted in the show evolving and growing with the audience, and allowing the story to expand in various ways.
From the early seasons, featuring Claire Foy's Elizabeth, all the way to the final season with Imelda Staunton playing the same character later in her life, the characters remained the same, but the story moved on, as entire lives were seen across the series. It's extraordinary how much was captured, and how the story still manages to feel finite and complete, despite the breadth of events it covers.
Even The Crown's Worst Seasons Are Worth Watching
Broadly speaking, there is a consensus that The Crown season 5 is the worst of the show, closely followed by season 6, but despite this, both of the final seasons are still examples of exemplary storytelling, and they complete the larger picture. Potentially, the popularity and growth of the show led to the final seasons being scrutinized more thoroughly, but it doesn't erase the impressive work that was done in resolving the story.
Ultimately, The Crown took on an enormous challenge in adapting the lives and times of not just one person, but an entire family, with all their dysfunctions, and their pomp and circumstance. It's an incredible series, and provides a unique perspective on some of the world's most famous (and at times infamous) individuals.
Release Date 2016 - 2023-00-00
Writers Peter Morgan
English (US) ·