‘The Crown’ Season 5 Reviews Are in the Midst of Controversies

The Crown Season 5 premiered on Wednesday, Nov. 9, and it plunged straight into controversy. Early reviews of the season couldn’t help but mention the real-life grief surrounding the royal family as well as the increasingly ardent calls to abolish the monarchy in the U.K. The release left plenty of room for hot takes among critics.

The Crown Season 5 introduced the show’s third new cast as it took another leap forward in time. It now stars Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Dominic West as Prince Charles, Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana and Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles. The new season focuses primarily on the 1990s, and it began receiving negative reviews long before it premiered. Critics called out dramatic additions in the early screeners they saw, while the real-life public figures portrayed in the show complained of mischaracterization.

Of course, not everyone dislikes The Crown‘s creative liberties – particularly since the show now appeals to an international audience. At the time of this writing, there are 33 reviews of Season 5 accounted for on Rotten Tomatoes. It has an average rating of 6.8 out of 10, and 23 of the reviews are overall positive while 10 are overall negative. Meanwhile, 48 audience members have volunteered their reviews for an average of 4.8 out of 5 stars.

This season, The Crown suffers more than ever from debates about whether it is “historically accurate” or not. The show has proven itself to be essentially historical fiction, with real-life outcomes explained by imagined motives and emotional weight. That still leaves plenty of room for critics to debate the series’ merits. Here is a look at some of the top reviews so far.

Accuracy

First and foremost, we can address the first round of objective reporting on what was made up for this season with no historical basis, and what has been called into question. According to a report by Sky News John Major, Tony Blair and Michael Heseltine all refuted this season’s implication that Prince Philip had an extra-marital affair. They also denied the storyline where Prince Charles tried to convince the Major and Blair to help him convince the queen to abdicate the throne.

Netflix did not argue with these criticisms, repeating once again that The Crown is a work of fiction, and is not meant to depict the reality of events. A spokesperson for the streamer told the BBC: “The Crown has always been presented as a drama based on historical events. Series five is a fictional dramatization, imagining what could have happened behind closed doors during a significant decade for the royal family – one that has already been scrutinized and well-documented by journalists, biographers and historians.”

Disconnected

Vulture‘s Jen Chaney argued that Season 5 felt more disconnected from the rest of the show than any of the previous four seasons felt from each other. She attributes this in large part to the casting choices, especially considering how little time is supposed to have passed since Season 4.

‘Reverential’

Newsday‘s Verna Gay felt that this season was a little too reverential to the royal family, glossing over their faults and making them more sympathetic than necessary. Some critics felt that this was inevitable in the first season following the deaths of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in real life. Others felt the opposite – determined to find the season disrespectful no matter what.

Grief

While this season would inevitably be related to the recent deaths in the royal family, the subject matter itself is more concerned with the late Princess Diana. As The San Francisco Chronicle‘s Hannah Bae sees it, this creates an odd tension in the season, though it’s impossible to tell how much of that comes from a viewer’s projection.

Critical

As The Crown depicts its fifth ficitonal decade this season, The Hollywood Reporter‘s Angie Han suggests that a surprising theme may be taking shape – a critical assessment of the modern monarchy itself. Han points out the queen’s personal search for legacy and individuality in this season juxtaposed against the other plot lines where her own family considers forcing her to abdicate the throne. Like others, Han wonders how the show will approach its ending if “the crown” itself is meant to be the ultimate villain.

Disappointment

Before the queen passed away in real life, interest in The Crown Season 5 focused on how the show would depict Princess Diana’s divorce from Prince Charles, and her death. Variety‘s Daniel D’Addario feels that the season failed on that important score. With all the complexity of those events to navigate, D’Addario felt the show ended up with “nothing to say.”

Less Subtle

Amanda Feinman of Slant Magazine argued that The Crown Season 5 was less subtle with its metaphors than previous seasons, but that that’s okay – as the juxtaposition between royalty and modernity becomes more apparent, so should these kinds of comparisons. However, like others, Feinman felt that the season fell short of taking a bold stance or making an important point at a few key opportunities.

The Crown Season 5 is streaming now on Netflix. A sixth and final season has been ordered, but there is no word on when it may premiere.