After the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, which ended a historic 70-year reign, Netflix saw: renewed interestst in their popular series The crown. The show begins in the late 1940s before King George VI (Jared Harris) died and Elizabeth became Queen of England. It has followed the monarch’s life over the years as she interacts with historical figures such as Winston Churchill (John Lithgow) and Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson).
According to the data analytics company Whip Media, between Friday, September 9 and Sunday, September 11, the U.S. viewership of The crown quadrupled compared to the previous Friday-Sunday period. And that’s just the US. In the UK, viewership is over 800% compared to the previous week, while in France viewership tripled. So worldwide, The crown viewership increased almost four times from one week to the next.
Perhaps the rise in viewership isn’t surprising, as Queen Elizabeth’s death provoked deep, emotional reactions both in the UK and around the world at large. According to the guardBritain will hold a 10-day mourning period, while the Queen’s coffin would be laid out in London from Wednesday to Monday, the day her funeral was to take place. Even though it’s a fictional portal, it makes sense that viewers would want to learn more about the Queen’s life.
The many different Elizabeths of the show and what to expect?
Claire Foy portrayed a young Queen Elizabeth in the first two seasons, earning her an Actress in a Drama Series win at the 2018 Primetime Emmy Awards, in addition to an Emmy for Guest Actress in a Drama last year. Olivia Colman took over the role for seasons 3 and 4. Coleman also won an Emmy for Actress in a Drama Series in 2021. The show won a total of 11 Emmys last year. Those include outstanding drama series, two Emmys in 2020, five in 2018 and three in 2017.
Season 5 of the Crown will premiere in November, with Imelda Staunton now playing Queen Elizabeth. She is joined by Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Dominic West as Prince Charles and Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana. Meanwhile, Olivia Williams has been cast as Camilla Parker Bowles, while Jonny Lee Miller will appear as Prime Minister John Major.
According to last Friday VarietyNetflix has suspended season 6 production as a sign of respect for the Queen’s death. Filming on the day of Her Majesty’s funeral was also halted. While details about the season have been kept quiet, we know it will take place in the early 2000s and will be the show’s last.
16-year-old Rufus Kampa as Prince Harry will make their film debut, and 21-year-old Ed McVey will play Prince William. Probably the last season of The crown will seemingly investigate the aftermath of Diana’s death and her son’s life at the time. In addition to them, Meg Bellamy will also appear as Kate Middleton after submitting a self-recorded audition following a social media casting call.