The Crown: how a TV hit lost its shine
Critics of the new season have called it 'crass', 'pointless' and a 'new low'

Once, it was regarded as a stately piece of "prestige" TV, said Michael Hogan in The Guardian. Seven years on, Peter Morgan's "The Crown" is a "trashy", unwittingly comical melodrama that borders on exploitative. Critics of the new season, which covers the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, have called it "crass", "pointless", and a "new low". Let's just say the reviews have been "mixed". So what went wrong? One problem is that when the show started in 2016, few viewers knew a great deal about the postwar events being dramatised, or had strong views about them, and many of the people involved were dead. "The Crown" was part lavishly produced soap opera, "part history lesson". But with each season since then, it has got closer to the present day – and that has caused mounting controversy.
Unfortunately, this has coincided with a steady decline in the drama's quality. It has got a bit desperate, agreed Anita Singh in The Daily Telegraph. In this final season, "The Crown" completes its "demolition job" of the late Queen, who has moved from intelligent young woman (Claire Foy) to unfeeling "old boot" (Imelda Staunton). As for Diana, she has become so integral, Morgan can't let her go: after the crash in Paris (which we do not see), she appears in ghostly form to Prince Charles – "Ta-da" – to praise him for crying over her body. "Thank you for how you were in the hospital," says Dead Diana. "So raw. Broken. And handsome. I'll take that with me." What an odd thing to write. Yet it's typical of the dialogue, said Lucy Mangan in The Guardian, much of which is "the very definition of typing-not-writing".
There is stuff to enjoy in the series, said Camilla Long in The Sunday Times. Elizabeth Debicki perfectly captures Diana, though Morgan has so sanctified the princess that she is a bit dull ("landmine survivors are frequently rejected by their communities"); and Salim Daw makes an amusingly villainous Mohamed Al Fayed (he is dead, so he can't sue). But the public events are so familiar, the plot has to be driven by private ones (including conversations between Diana and Dodi) that are highly speculative, said Nick Hilton in The Independent. "The Crown" now feels less historical drama than "tittle-tattle".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up to The Week's Arts & Life newsletter for reviews and recommendations.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
3 varied alternatives to X for when you simply cannot with the new iteration of Twitter
The Explainer These competing microblogging sites have struggled to catch up to Elon Musk's market behemoth
-
Google's new AI Mode feature hints at the next era of search
In the Spotlight The search giant is going all in on AI, much to the chagrin of the rest of the web
-
Strike a pose at these 7 fashionable hotels
The Week Recommends Make these hotels in Macau, Italy and Washington, D.C., your personal runway
-
The cinematic beauty of Sicily's Aeolian Islands
The Week Recommends These scattered islands have inspired film directors since the 1950s
-
6 lounge-ready homes with conversation pits
Feature Featuring a terrazzo-flanked pit in California and a fire-side pit in Nevada
-
Is a River Alive?: a 'powerful synthesis of literature, activism and ethics'
The Week Recommends Robert Macfarlane's latest book centres on his journeys to four river systems around the world
-
Good One: an 'intensely compelling' coming-of-age tale
The Week Recommends India Donaldson's 'quietly devastating' debut feature about a teenage girl's life-changing camping trip
-
The best lemon pepper wings in Atlanta
Feature Marinated turkey wings, a Korean barbecue sauce combo and an off-menu staple
-
Film reviews: Friendship and Fight or Flight
Feature An awkward dad unravels after he's unfriended and Josh Hartnett attempts a John Wick sidestep
-
Art review: Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei
Feature Seattle Art Museum, through Sept. 7
-
Book reviews: 'Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age' and 'Mark Twain'
Feature Navigating pregnancy in the digital age and an exploration of Mark Twain's private life