Netflix's Smash Hit Period Drama Is So Good, It Survived Recasting The Main Character Twice

Netflix's smash-hit period drama was so good that it survived recasting its main character not once, but twice. Over the years, Netflix has had tremendous success casting its biggest drama shows, blending up-and-coming names with generational talent and A-list icons. Casting has never been a problem for the streamer; recasting, however, is a different beast entirely.

Recasting actors can make or break a show. Will viewers embrace the new performer, or will they forever be compared to their predecessor? How can the new actor make the role their own? These questions are arguably even more important in historical drama shows, particularly those based on recent, real-life events and people. In those cases, there's even more pressure on the recast actor to make their mark on their story without alienating its core audience.

To manage a major casting shift once is impressive. To manage it twice, and not just with one character but with multiple, is genuinely commendable. Netflix and Peter Morgan's The Crown did so with incredible grace and dignity, as the show chronicled, dramatized, and fictionalized the British Royal Family's highly publicized lives over a turbulent six decades, from Queen Elizabeth II's marriage to Prince Phillip in 1947 to Prince Charles' second wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005.

Netflix's The Crown Recast Queen Elizabeth II Twice, And Got Away With It Both Times

Though the entire modern Royal Family played a part in The Crown, there's no denying that Queen Elizabeth II was the show's primary protagonist. She was the titular Crown, after all, the head of a family dynasty dating back hundreds of years. Everything they did was in service of her reign. Getting Elizabeth's casting right was paramount, as the show's extensive timeline depicted her progression from a tentative yet ambitious young monarch into a resilient, weathered, and wiser head of state.

Claire Foy's initial performance as the new Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown seasons 1 and 2 was nothing short of extraordinary. Of all three actresses who played the Queen, Foy's tenure felt the most dynamic, as Elizabeth settled into her destined role and embraced her family's powerful, historical, and controversial legacy. Despite training for this monumental job her entire life, it was incredible to witness Foy's young ruler adapt to serve the country's needs during a pivotal time of rebirth and rebuilding.

Following in Foy's footsteps couldn't have been easy, but Oscar, Emmy, and BAFTA-winner Olivia Colman did so with ease. Colman is one of the most charismatic and fluid British actresses working today, and she perfectly captured Foy's understated charm while more strongly asserting herself as the Family's ruling leader. Colman dominated her two-season stint on The Crown, as she danced and battled with her eldest son, Prince Charles (an equally wonderful Josh O'Connor), the young Princess Diana (Emma Corrin), and Britain's first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson).

Finally, the legendary Imelda Staunton took over the role in the Queen's most recognizable and recent era. Staunton might have had the hardest job of all; season 5 and 6's version of Queen Elizabeth II, between 1991 and 2005, was the closest to what viewers could see on the nightly news. She had to capture the Queen's essence without making her performance feel like a parody or a gimmick. Staunton played the role with a real sense of familiarity and elegance, perfectly balancing the Queen's real-life persona with The Crown's dramatized version.

Crucially, it never felt like Colman or Staunton had forgotten what had come before. Each new Queen was simply a new piece of the puzzle, a chance to explore this famous and powerful woman's life like never before. Surrounded by an incredible supporting cast, all of whom were also able to navigate the show's necessitated recasting, The Crown created a historical entertainment experience that's unlikely to be topped.

The Crown's Biggest Problem Was Nothing To Do With Recasting

While The Crown managed to nail its casting no matter the era, the earlier seasons enjoyed a real sense of grandeur and fantasy, something that was lost as the show flew through the decades. Despite largely following real-life events, the scenes behind closed doors between the 1940s and 1980s gave the audience something genuinely new, offering a different perspective on the Royal Family during Britain's post-war era. It could fill in the blanks because there were so many blanks to fill in. The world didn't have the same access to them then as they do now.

As the show entered the '90s, inching closer to Princess Diana's untimely death — with Elizabeth Debicki taking over from Emma Corrin, delivering a career-defining performance — and Prince William's budding romance with Kate Middleton, it felt like rewatching a recent newsreel. These moments were so widely filmed, photographed, and published. The show's recreations, while beautifully produced, felt superfluous. Imelda Staunton's performance was still engrossing, but even the Queen became lost in the show's final season, as it focused on the new generation rather than the woman audiences had seen grow and change across nearly 60 years.

And yet, despite dozens of recast roles and the show's later inevitable storytelling issues, The Crown remains one of the most memorable and impressive Netflix Originals to date. Few series have delivered the same attention to detail and careful, emotionally-driven storytelling. Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, and Imelda Staunton's performances are simply highlights in a show filled to the brim with them.

All episodes of The Crown are streaming now, only on Netflix.