The British monarchy came to Netflix in a big (and pricy) way in 2016 with the first season of The Crown, which tells the story of Elizabeth II and her family. As with all Netflix series, the full season that has aired so far was released in one big batch. As it turns out, even star Claire Foy didn't know just how many people were watching on the American side of the pond. Foy revealed how she realized just how impactful The Crown has been in the U.S., saying this:
Winning the Golden Globe. That was 'holy crap.' We had no idea, really. We knew it got good reviews and people were watching it. We knew people in the industry were watching it because we got some lovely emails from colleagues and peers and stuff. But I had no concept of the fact that anyone watched it in America or anything, because it's thousands of miles away. Then I went to L.A. and was doing press, and then went to the Golden Globes, and I was pretty much unrecognizable at the time, I had blond hair. But then when I won, it was a very surreal and slightly disconcerting moment.
Apparently Claire Foy and others from The Crown knew that the show was a critical hit all over the world, but they hadn't known how popular it was with folks in the U.S. Claire Foy went on in her chat with Nylon to explain that although she has been working in showbiz for a decade now, The Crown really led to her being discovered as an actress in Hollywood.
The Crown definitely did have a big night at the Golden Globes earlier this year. The show took the top prize for Best TV Drama, and Claire Foy scored the win for Best Actress in a TV drama. The overall show win marked the first time that Netflix won in the Best TV Drama, and the Best Actress brought Claire Foy into the limelight. She has obviously been a big hit as the young Queen Elizabeth II, which could not have been an easy role to tackle.
Unfortunately for those of us who have come to love Claire Foy as Elizabeth II, Season 2 will be her last time as leading lady of The Crown. The story of the series will move further into Elizabeth's life, and that will require an older actress to take over the role. Matt Smith will move on from his role as Prince Philip as well. The show advancing does mean that other notable royal figures will be brought into the action, so it should definitely still be worth watching.
That said, we still have more episodes with Claire Foy. Season 2 of The Crown will debut on Friday, December 8 at 12:01 a.m. PT. If you still need to watch the first season, all ten episodes are currently available streaming on Netflix now. For more Netflix info, take a look at our 2017 Netflix premiere schedule. Our fall TV guide can help you sort out what you do and do not want to watch now and in the coming weeks. If you're looking for fun ways to pass the time until The Crown is back, take a look at The Crown being reenacted... by corgis.
