Netflix’s The Crown will end following season 5, despite the expectation the show would air for six seasons. The program, detailing the history surrounding the British royalty in the Queen Elizabeth II era, has proven to be one of the streaming service’s biggest hits, with each of the first three seasons earning at least an 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Ten episodes of season 3 were released on November 17, 2019, and incorporated widespread casting changes from the first two seasons of the drama.
Because the timeline of the show spans the life of the current queen of the United Kingdom, a precedent was set to recast the main role every two seasons. Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1 and 2, winning both a Golden Globe and Emmy award for her portrayal of the Queen’s early days in charge of the monarchy. In season 3, however, Olivia Colman took over the role, also winning a Golden Globe for her work; she’ll play the Queen one last time in season 4, which introduces Margaret Thatcher and Lady Diana Spencer as characters.
Netflix’s “See What’s Next” Twitter account has revealed that the next actress to play Queen Elizabeth II will only get one season in the role. The series was initially planned for six, ten-episode seasons, but it appears season 5 will be its last. Peter Morgan, the creator of The Crown, revealed that work for the next season has already begun (season 4 is currently in production), but that he recognized season 5 as the “perfect time and place to stop” the show. With the original plan for The Crown to run for six seasons, it’s unclear how the truncated timeline will affect the outcome of the story.
“See What’s Next” also disclosed who the season 5 (and final) Queen Elizabeth II would be: Imelda Staunton, who was previously rumored for the role. The British stage actress was widely praised in 2014 for her role as the titular Vera Drake, though she may be best known to American audiences as Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter franchise. She also appeared in two blockbuster movies in 2019, Downton Abbey and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.
The final season of The Crown is expected to take the story into the current century, meaning it will have to cover about two decades of stories. That could make for a bumpy landing for the show, as the past two decades have seen the waning impact of the monarchy, medical problems for Queen Elizabeth II, scandals, and several historic celebrations and family gatherings. Notably, The Crown likely won’t delve into the public departure of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, despite being a made-for-TV story. The Crown season 4 is in development, but no air date has been set at this time.
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Source: See What’s Next via Twitter
