The Crown’s first two seasons, showcasing the courtship and early marriage of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, proved to be a huge success for Netflix, raking in loads of awards, especially for Claire Foy as Elizabeth. But with Foy and her co-star Matt Smith only in their thirties, the decision was made to re-cast the successful series for the next two seasons, which will cover the years 1964 through 1977 of the British monarchy.
Fortunately, the new cast promises to be as equally stellar as the first, with the magnificent Olivia Colman as the queen, Tobias Menzies as Prince Phillip, and Helena Bonham Carter replacing Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret. The royal offspring, like Charles and Anne, will also have larger roles in these new seasons, which will feature them as teenagers.
So anticipation is high, but at least there’s now an official date: Netflix announces today that The Crown will return on November 17, along with a short, cryptic video showing Colman as a pensive Queen Elizabeth. Crown fans still have another three excruciating months to wait it out, but at least can already start planning a lovely binge-watch over the Thanksgiving holiday.