The Crown season 3
| The Crown | |
|---|---|
| Season 3 | |
 Promotional poster | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Netflix |
| Original release | November 17, 2019 |
| Season chronology | |
The third season of The Crown follows the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II. It consists of ten episodes and was released on Netflix on November 17, 2019.
Olivia Colman stars as Elizabeth, along with main cast members Tobias Menzies, Helena Bonham Carter, Ben Daniels, Jason Watkins, Marion Bailey, Erin Doherty, Jane Lapotaire, Charles Dance, Josh O'Connor, Geraldine Chaplin, Michael Maloney, Emerald Fennell, and Andrew Buchan. John Lithgow and Pip Torrens return in cameo appearances.[3]
Premise
The Crown traces the life of Queen Elizabeth II from her wedding in 1947 through to the present day.[4]
Season three covers the time period between 1964 and 1977, beginning with Harold Wilson's election as prime minister and ending with the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II.[5] Events depicted include the unmasking of the Queen's art adviser Sir Anthony Blunt as a Soviet spy,[6] Harold Wilson and Edward Heath's respective times as prime minister,[7][3] the Aberfan disaster,[8] the Apollo 11 moon landing,[9] the 1969 Investiture of Prince Charles,[10] the death of the Duke of Windsor,[11] the death and state funeral of Winston Churchill,[12] and Princess Margaret's eight-year affair with baronet and gardening expert Roddy Llewellyn and suicide attempt that leads to the Princess's divorce from Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1978.[13][14] US President Lyndon B. Johnson and Camilla Shand are also introduced.[3][15]
Cast
Main
- Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II[16]
- Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Elizabeth's husband[17]
- Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, Elizabeth's younger sister[18]
- Ben Daniels as Antony Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon, known as Lord Snowdon and informally as Tony; Princess Margaret's husband[19]
- Jason Watkins as Prime Minister Harold Wilson[18]
- Marion Bailey as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, George VI's wife and Elizabeth II's mother
- Erin Doherty as Princess Anne, Philip and Elizabeth's second child and only daughter[20]
- Jane Lapotaire as Princess Alice of Greece and Denmark, Philip's mother[21]
- Charles Dance as Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Philip's ambitious uncle[22]
- Josh O'Connor as Prince Charles, Philip and Elizabeth's eldest child and the heir apparent[23]
- Geraldine Chaplin as Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, the Duke of Windsor's American wife[24]
- Michael Maloney as Prime Minister Edward Heath[25]
- Emerald Fennell as Camilla Shand[26]
- Andrew Buchan as Andrew Parker Bowles[25]
Featured
The below actors are credited in the opening titles of single episodes in which they play a significant role.
- John Lithgow as Winston Churchill[21]
- Clancy Brown as Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States[27]
- Mark Lewis Jones as Edward Millward[25]
- Tim McMullan as Robin Woods[25]
- Derek Jacobi as the Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII, who abdicated; known to his family as David
- Harry Treadaway as Roddy Llewellyn[28]
Recurring
- David Rintoul as Sir Michael Adeane[25]
- Charles Edwards as Sir Martin Charteris[25]
- Michael Thomas as Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, Elizabeth's uncle
- Penny Downie as Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, Prince Henry's wife
- Alan Gill as Winkie
- Pippa Winslow as Blinkie
- Mark Dexter as Tony Benn, Labour politician[25]
- Lorraine Ashbourne as Barbara Castle, Labour politician[25]
- Aden Gillett as Richard Crossman
- Sam Phillips as the Queen's equerry
- Sinéad Matthews as Marcia Williams, Labour politician who served as Harold Wilson's private secretary[25]
- David Charles as George Thomas
- Stuart McQuarrie as George Thomson
- Patrick Ryecart as the Duke of Norfolk
- Connie M'Gadzah as Sydney Johnson
Notable guests
- Samuel West as Sir Anthony Blunt, Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures[21]
- Angus Wright as Sir Martin Furnival Jones, Director-General of MI5[25]
- Paul Hilton as Michael Straight
- Teresa Banham as Mary Wilson, wife of Prime Minister Harold Wilson
- Anthony Brophy as James Jesus Angleton, chief of CIA Counterintelligence
- Michael Simkins as Sir Patrick Dean, British Ambassador to the United States
- Martin McDougall as W. Marvin Watson
- Suzanne Kopser as Lady Bird Johnson, First Lady of the United States
- Pip Torrens as Sir Tommy Lascelles, Private Secretary to King George VI (in flashbacks)[25]
- Verity Russell as young Elizabeth
- Beau Godson as young Margaret
- Richard Harrington as Fred Phillips[25]
- Gwyneth Keyworth as Gwen Edwards
- Colin Morgan as John Armstrong, The Guardian journalist[25]
- Miltos Yerolemou as Chronos
- Nigel Whitmey as Marquis Childs
- Colin Stinton as Lawrence E. Spivak
- Finn Elliot as young Philip
- Leonie Benesch as Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark, Philip's older sister (in flashback)
- John Hollingworth as Lord Porchester, nicknamed Porchey[28]
- Rupert Vansittart as Cecil Harmsworth King, newspaper publisher[25]
- Julian Glover as Cecil Boyd-Rochfort
- Philippe Smolikowski as Alec Head
- John Finn as Arthur "Bull" Hancock
- Nia Roberts as Silvia Millward[25]
- David Summer as Thomas Parry
- Henry Dimbleby as Richard Dimbleby, BBC broadcaster[25]
- Alan David as Ben Bowen Thomas
- Henry Pettigrew as Neil Armstrong[25]
- Felix Scott as Buzz Aldrin[25]
- Andrew-Lee Potts as Michael Collins[25]
- Sidney Jackson as Prince Edward
- Marlo Woolley as Prince Andrew
- Fred Broom as Cliff Michelmore
- Daniel Beales as Patrick Moore
- Kevin Eldon as Priest Michael
- Matthew Baldwin as Kenneth Harris
- Togo Igawa as Hirohito, Emperor of Japan[25]
- David Wilmot as Arthur Scargill, president of the Yorkshire branch of the National Union of Mineworkers[25]
- Stephen Riddle as Derek Parker Bowles
- Judith Alexander as Ann Parker Bowles
- Robert Benedetti-Hall as Major Bruce Shand
- Nesba Crenshaw as Rosalind Shand
- Louis Zegrean as young Edward "Ted" Heath
- Richard Walsh as Joe Gormley, president of the National Union of Mineworkers
- Jessica De Gouw as Lucy Lindsay-Hogg, girlfriend of Lord Snowdon[25]
- Nancy Carroll as Lady Anne Glenconnor, lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret and wife of Colin Tennant, 3rd Baron Glenconner[25]
- Richard Teverson as Colin Tennant
- Martin Wimbush as Sir Ronald Bodley Scott
- Dan Skinner as Alastair Burnet
- Tim Bentinck as Sir John Betjeman
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 1 | "Olding" | Benjamin Caron | Peter Morgan | November 17, 2019 |
| 22 | 2 | "Margaretology" | Benjamin Caron | Peter Morgan | November 17, 2019 |
| 23 | 3 | "Aberfan" | Benjamin Caron | Peter Morgan | November 17, 2019 |
| 24 | 4 | "Bubbikins" | Benjamin Caron | Peter Morgan | November 17, 2019 |
| 25 | 5 | "Coup" | Christian Schwochow | Peter Morgan | November 17, 2019 |
| 26 | 6 | "Tywysog Cymru" | Christian Schwochow | James Graham & Peter Morgan | November 17, 2019 |
| 27 | 7 | "Moondust" | Jessica Hobbs | Peter Morgan | November 17, 2019 |
| 28 | 8 | "Dangling Man" | Sam Donovan | David Hancock & Peter Morgan | November 17, 2019 |
| 29 | 9 | "Imbroglio" | Sam Donovan | Peter Morgan | November 17, 2019 |
| 30 | 10 | "Cri de Coeur" | Jessica Hobbs | Peter Morgan | November 17, 2019 |
Production
Development
By October 2017, "early production" had begun on an anticipated third and fourth season,[16] and by the following January, Netflix confirmed the series had been renewed for a third and fourth season.[7]
Casting
The producers recast some roles with older actors every two seasons, as the timeline moves forward and the characters age.[29] In October 2017, Olivia Colman was cast as Queen Elizabeth II for the third and fourth seasons.[16] By January 2018, Helena Bonham Carter and Paul Bettany were in negotiations to portray Princess Margaret and Prince Philip, respectively, for these seasons.[30][31] However, by the end of the month Bettany was forced to drop out due to the time commitment required.[14] By the end of March 2018, Tobias Menzies was cast as Prince Philip for the third and fourth seasons.[17] In early May 2018, Bonham Carter was confirmed to have been cast, alongside Jason Watkins as Prime Minister Harold Wilson.[18] The next month, Ben Daniels was cast as Antony Armstrong-Jones for the third season,[19] along with Erin Doherty joining the series as Princess Anne.[20] A month later, Josh O'Connor and Marion Bailey were cast as Prince Charles and the Queen Mother, respectively, for the third and fourth seasons.[23] In October 2018, Emerald Fennell was cast as Camilla Shand.[26] In December 2018, Charles Dance was cast as Louis Mountbatten.[22] In April 2019, Emma Corrin was cast as Lady Diana Spencer for the fourth season.[32]
Filming
The third season began filming in July 2018.[33]
Release
The third season was released on Netflix worldwide in its entirety on November 17, 2019,[34][18][35][36] and consists of ten episodes.[28]
Reception
Rotten Tomatoes reported a 91% approval rating for the third season based on 96 reviews, with an average rating of 8.54/10. Its critical consensus reads: "Olivia Colman shines, but as The Crown marches on in reliably luxurious fashion through time it finds space for the characters around her, providing ample opportunity for the appealing ensemble to gleam, too."[37] On Metacritic, the season holds a score of 85 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[38]
Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Anita Singh called the series "by far, the best soap opera on television."[39] The Los Angeles Times's Lorraine Ali praised the attention to historical detail and cast performances, particularly Colman and Bonham Carter.[40] The Guardian's Lucy Mangan praised the "top-notch performances" from the cast, adding that the season is "so confident and so precision-engineered that you don't notice the defects".[21] Daniel Fienberg for The Hollywood Reporter judged the cast transition to be a success, adding the series "remains a model for carefully crafted episodic storytelling".[5]
Some criticism was leveled at the lack of nuance from the writing. The BBC's Hugh Montgomery found the writing "increasingly on the nose", though the season was "the best yet".[41] Alison Rowat from The Herald opined some scenes were "over-engineered" and dialogue "too on the nose", but nevertheless the series excels as a political drama.[42] Vulture's Jen Chaney similarly found the writing "a bit heavy-handed" in nevertheless "an absorbing, thoroughly enriching experience".[28] Reviewing for Variety, Caroline Framke thought the series does not always succeed in humanizing the royal family, but when it does, it is "as compelling a portrait of how power warps individuals, and the world along with them, as exists on TV."[24]
Ed Power from The Independent was less complimentary, praising Colman's performance but finding the series somewhat "colourless".[43]
References
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- ^ Singh, Anita (August 19, 2015). "£100m Netflix Series Recreates Royal Wedding". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ^ a b Fienberg, Daniel (November 4, 2019). "'The Crown' Season 3: TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
- ^ Collis, Clark (August 14, 2019). "God Save the Queen: The new stars of The Crown open up about the royal gamble of season 3". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
- ^ a b Bentley, Jean (January 24, 2018). "'The Crown' Season 3: All the Details (So Far)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 25, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
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- ^ Kimberly Bond (January 29, 2019). "The Crown series 3 to include episode on Apollo 11 moon landing". Radio Times. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ "The Crown season 3: Netflix release date, the new cast and everything else we know so far". The Independent. October 24, 2018. Archived from the original on November 12, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
- ^ Sarene Leeds (November 19, 2019). "The Crown Recap: The Right Woman". Vulture. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
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- ^ a b Miller, Julie (January 25, 2018). "The Crown's Third Season Is Minus a Prince Philip as Paul Bettany Bows Out". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
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- ^ a b Fleming Jr, Mike (March 28, 2018). "'The Crown' Sets 'Outlander's Tobias Menzies As New Prince Philip". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Otterson, Joe (May 3, 2018). "'The Crown' Officially Casts Helena Bonham Carter, Adds Jason Watkins for Season 3". Variety. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ a b White, Peter (June 20, 2018). "'The Crown': 'The Exorcist' Star Ben Daniels To Play Antony Armstrong-Jones In Season 3 Of Netflix's Royal Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
- ^ a b Sandberg, Bryn Elise (June 22, 2018). "'The Crown' Casts Its Princess Anne (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 22, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Mangan, Lucy (November 5, 2019). "The Crown season three review – Olivia Colman spreads regal rage on toast". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
- ^ a b Edwards, Chris (December 17, 2018). "The Crown season 3 adds Charles Dance to cast – and here's who he's playing". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- ^ a b Clarke, Stewart (July 26, 2018). "'The Crown': Josh O'Connor to Play Prince Charles, Marion Bailey the Queen Mother". Variety. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
- ^ a b Framke, Caroline (November 4, 2019). "TV Review: 'The Crown' Season 3 Starring Olivia Colman". Variety. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
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- ^ a b Kinane, Ruth (October 23, 2018). "The Crown casts Call the Midwife actress Emerald Fennell as Camilla Parker Bowles". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 23, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
- ^ Lloyd, Brian (November 4, 2019). "Netflix Review: 'The Crown' Season 3 settles in for the long haul". entertainment.ie. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
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- ^ "When is The Crown season 3 on Netflix? Who is in the cast, and what is going to happen?". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 2019-07-26. Retrieved 2019-07-26.
- ^ "'The Crown' Season 3 Set To Launch On Netflix In Second Half Of 2019; 'The Witcher' Set For Q4". Deadline Hollywood. April 16, 2019. Archived from the original on July 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
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- ^ Singh, Anita (November 4, 2019). "The Crown, season 3 Netflix review: TV's best soap opera is back and this time it's Prince Charles we feel sorry for". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
- ^ Ali, Lorraine (November 4, 2019). "Review: 'The Crown' shines brighter than ever in Season 3". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
- ^ Montgomery, Hugh (November 4, 2019). "The Crown series 3 is the best yet". BBC. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
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