We enjoyed the first two seasons of this original Netflix show, and just got around to watching Season 3. There are new actors in many of the roles since Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Princess Margaret, Prince Charles, and the others are getting older.

We like this show for several reasons.

It’s a good “Well, it could have happened that way,” story of real lives about real people whom we’ll never know the real truth about.

It shows British history, including parts we’re not familiar with. We had no knowledge of the Aberfan disaster. A Welsh coaling village, Aberfan was devastated by the deaths of 116 children and 28 adults when a colliery spoil tip collapsed into the village. It was like a giant sinkhole, that then turned into an avalanche. And we learned that the Welsh people weren’t (and presumably still aren’t) particularly supportive of the monarchy in general and the Prince of Wales in particular.

The actors are incredible. Clare Foy as Queen Elizabeth in the first two seasons, then Olivia Colman. John Lithgow as Winston Churchill. Vanessa Kirby and Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret. Matt Smith and Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip. We already had a love/hate relationship with Menzies as Frank Randall/Captain Black Jack Randall in Outlander, but he made Prince Philip his own too. So while many of the actors are familiar, their work in The Crown is outstanding.

Do you watch The Crown? Who’s your favorite character/actor?