Long may they reign.
Netflix's The Crown dominated in the Emmys' acting categories on Sunday, winning all four of the awards its stars were up for. Gillian Anderson won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role of Margaret Thatcher, while Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series went to Tobias Menzies, who played Prince Philip.
Meanwhile, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series went to Olivia Colman, who starred as Queen Elizabeth II, and Josh O'Connor won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for playing Prince Charles.
The Crown was a frontrunner heading into the Emmys on Sunday, but it wasn't expected to dominate quite this significantly in the acting categories. Experts had predicted, for one, that Michael K. Williams would posthumously win in the supporting actor category for his role on Lovecraft Country. Colman's win in the lead actress category was also a surprise after her co-star, Emma Corrin, was expected to win for her performance as Princess Diana.
"I'd have put money on that not happening," Colman admitted during her speech.
The Crown also won the Emmys for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, and Outstanding Drama Series, becoming the first show to ever win all seven drama awards. It was the second year in a row the Emmys saw a massive sweep of this kind after Schitt's Creek's historic dominance in 2020.