Netflix’s latest series, The Crown, has encapsulated audiences around the world with it’s hefty budget of over 100 million pounds (125 million dollars) and a cast of actors well suited for their roles.

The question is: was it worth it? And the answer is a resounding yes. The British Crown in recent years has been the subject of great controversy, and The Crown captures it all in 10 episodes in the first season with five more on the way. The focus of The Crown relies on the young Queen Elizabeth stripping away what was once her illustrious human self, and being steadily replaced by the stoic and hardened Queen of England.

As the episodes progresses, viewers will find that Elizabeth’s relationship with the government as head of state grows overtime. While her relationship with her husband, whom she fell in love with at 13, mother and sister wears thin as she becomes more crown than Elizabeth. Interestingly, The Crown is sometimes more fiction than fact for the sake of television, as one of the beloved characters, Venetia Scott, didn’t actually exist. She was created by the show to illicit a sense of confliction within Winston Churchill.

The series has also gone on to receive much praise for being one of the greatest anti-smoking campaigns on television, as some of the major characters in the series die from lung cancer, and Elizabeth vows never to smoke again.

The Crown starts off in the later years of Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, to Elizabeth’s early years as Queen. Overtime, the controversy of the former King Edward VIII resigning to pursue a happy marriage, leave Elizabeth’s advisors cautious as to avoiding anything that could threaten the monarchy again.

The lavish and elaborate set designs are breathtaking, especially for those who haven’t yet visited England, and can sometimes appear more as a movie rather than a Netflix show. In one scene, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth has such an elaborate set that one has to wonder if it’s the actual coronation of a monarch.

But what would costumes be without the cast to wear them? And this cast is one of the best Netflix subscribers have seen in the Netflix Original lineup. The Queen, along with two other cast members, stand out greatly.

Prince Phillip, husband to Elizabeth and played by the last Doctor from Doctor Who, is a man portrayed as to having restlessness and a yearning for recognition under the Queen’s “shadow” during the series. Still acting like somewhat of a child, the Prince is more than willing to throw in sarcasm and wit where it often doesn’t belong.

While another cast member, John Lithgow, may not be British, his accent is extraordinary as Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Having been the face of England throughout World War II, he is clinging to power by the time Elizabeth becomes Queen. Churchill provides some much needed guidance to the Queen as she learns first hand what it means to be head of state and church.
Of course, the series wouldn’t be so successful if it didn’t have a proper actress to portray the Queen. Thankfully, Claire Foy’s performance as Queen Elizabeth is as heart-warming as it is believable. As a mother, Foy had to work around shooting schedules for the show, as she was still breastfeeding her infant. Everything she does as the Queen encapsulates Netflix subscribers into the hardship, leadership, and loneliness that comes with being the Queen of England.