While growing up as kids, we all studied history and read a lot about kings and queens and different empires. Over the last decade, we’ve witnessed several shows that are being produced dealing with this particular topic. In this article, we will discuss the best shows like The Crown that you will certainly enjoy binging.
The Crown (2016) is a show that explores the reign and life of Queen Elizabeth II, played by Claire Foy and Olivia Colman at different ages. In this show, we witness the different phases of the Queen’s life. The story also involves another important character that helped shape Britain’s post-war destiny, Winston Churchill, played by John Lithgow.
The Crown digs deep into the inside stories of the two most eminent residential addresses globally, Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street. The show chronicles the different aspects that shaped the second half of the 20th century.
The Crown is written and developed by Peter Morgan. The show first premiered on 4th June 2016 and instantly gained popularity. It received several awards and was praised by the critics as well. There are a total of 4 seasons that are available, season 5 has been confirmed and is expected to launch this November 2022.
Now that you have a good perspective about The Crown let’s get you introduced to some similar shows that you will like and enjoy watching.
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5 Shows Like The Crown | Let’s Explore How Royalty Looks Like!
Whenever we hear the word royal, we are quickly reminded of subjects like kings and queens, palaces and castles, etc. This is the general idea we all have, and let me tell you, it’s the correct one. History is a witness, if there were kings and queens, then there has to be the Crown.
So, let’s not waste any more time and find out about the shows that might give you a “royal” feeling.
#1 Downton Abbey (2010)
The show Downton Abbey (2010) portrays the elite and aristocratic Crawley family in the post-Edwardian era. The story is set between the years 1912 to 1926. The show has also explored the aspect of the culture of domestic servants back in that era.
The story mainly revolves around the subject of governing the titled elite, back in the time, only a male had the exclusive right to be an heir. The problem arises when the main character Robert Crawley played by Hugh Bonneville, the Earl of Grantham, who married an American heiress Cora Levenson played by Elizabeth McGovern, has no son but only three daughters.
Getting to know the problem, in order to solve it, Robert’s eldest daughter Lady Mary Crawley played by Michelle Dockery, takes a stand. She decides to marry her second cousin Patrick, who was the son of the then-heir, James Crawley, who was entitled to become the next heir.
The show takes a different turn when they find out that both James and Patrick have died in an accident as the ship they were in named Titanic sank.
Downton Abbey first premiered on 26th September 2010 on ITV and on 9th January in the United States on PBS. The show is co-written and created by Julian Fellowes. It has also received critical acclaim and several other awards, including a Golden Globe Award.
- Created by: Julian Fellowes
- Written by: Julian Fellowes, Shelagh Stephenson, Tina Pepler
- Cast: Hugh BonnevilleJessica Brown Findlay, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Siobhan Finneran, Joanne Froggatt, Phyllis Logan
- Genre: Historical Drama
- Seasons: 6
- Episodes: 52
- Platforms Available On: Netflix, Prime
- IMDb Ratings: 8.7
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 86%
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#2 The Tudors (2007)
The Tudors (2007) focuses on the life and reign of King Henry VIII and how his efficacy gets tested by international politics and conflicts in his Court. The character of King Henry, played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, can be described as high-spirited, ambitious, and lustful. The show pretty much gives us a vision of the 40-year reign of Henry as a King from the year 1509 to 1547.
The show also digs deep into the multiple relationships with women, including important characters like Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Another important character is Thomas Wolsey, who happens to be one of Henry’s majorly trusted advisors.
For some unknown reason, Wolsey tries to convince Henry to sign a pact of friendship with France and manages both the king to meet at Calais. The story escalates when King Henry questions his marriage to Queen Katherine of Aragon as the pressure and desire to have male heir increases.
As the story progresses, we discover that he fathers an illegitimate son with one of his mistresses named Elizabeth Blount due to his multiple relationships.
The Tudors premiered on 1st April 2007 on Showtime. Before the official premiere, the show’s first two episodes aired on Time Warner Cable, Netflix, and a few other platforms. Michael Hirst writes the show.
If you’ve liked watching The Crown and the life of Quen Elizabeth, then in this show, King Henry VIII will give you another perspective of how things went down during his time.
- Created and Written by: Michael Hirst
- Cast: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Henry Cavill, Sam Neill, Callum Blue, Henry Czerny, Natalie Dormer, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Nick Dunning, Jeremy Northam
- Genre: Historical Drama
- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 38
- Platforms Available On: SonyLiv, HBO Max, Fubo TV
- IMDb Ratings: 8.1
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 69%
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#3 The Great (2020)
The Great (2020) happens to be an anti-historical, satirical drama with a touch of subtle comedy. The story opens up about the rise to power of Catherine the Great, who is the Empress of Russia, played by Elle Fanning.
The story mainly revolves around Catherine in her youth and her marriage to Peter III, played by Nicholas Hoult, who is the Russian Emperor. The story is set in the 18th-century and portrays Catherine’s young and innocent nature. After she marries Peter III, she finds out about the frivolous and mean nature of her husband.
She also discovers that the only reason behind marrying her was that he wants an heir. The Great depicts another side of Catherine, which is a strong-willed, stubborn woman who questions dogmatic beliefs and traditions and tries to change it for good.
She is a character that takes a stand for the women of Russia and challenges patriarchy and male chauvinism. The show is crafted and written very meticulously and portrays the life of ordinary people in contrast to the elites.
The Crown happens to be a serious show, but The Great has a funny side to it yet deals with serious issues of that period.
- Created by: Tony McNamara
- Cast: Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, Phoebe Fox, Sacha Dhawan, Charity Wakefield, Gwilym Lee, Adam Godley, Douglas Hodge
- Genre: Drama, Comedy
- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 20
- Platforms Available On: Hulu, Prime
- IMDb Ratings: 8.2
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 94%
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#4 Versailles (2015)
Versailles (2015) depicts the life of the young King Louis XIV and his journey to becoming the most powerful and influential king of Europe. The 28-year-old king has at last taken over command and has authorized to build the most expensive and lavish palace in the whole of Europe named Versailles.
The show explores the several battles of King Louis that he fought and won and became the king that he was supposed to be. Versailles digs deep into the different historical and fictional characters in the show and gives us an idea of a world full of betrayal and political manipulation.
The story takes a serious turn when King Louis decides to relocate his Court from the original place near Paris to his father’s small town of Versailles.
The show first premiered on 16th November 2015 in France on Canal+ and on 1st October 2016 in the US on Ovation.
You’ve watched enough of the British royalty; now witness something French.
- Created by: Simon Mirren, David Wolstencroft
- Cast: George Blagden, Alexander Vlahos, Tygh Runyan, Stuart Bowman, Amira Casar, Evan Williams, Noémie Schmidt, Anna Brewster
- Genre: Historical Drama
- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 30
- Platforms Available On: Netflix, Prime
- IMDb Ratings: 7.9
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 57%
#5 Marco Polo (2014)
The show Marco Polo (2014) follows and explores the life of the son of a Venetian merchant named Marco Polo, played by Lorenzo Richelmy, who travels to China and gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet the great Kublai Khan, the Emperor of the Mongol Empire.
Kublai Khan, after meeting Marco, takes him as a prisoner and later accepts him as a guest, eventually turning him into one of the officials in the Court. Soon, in time, Marco realizes and witnesses his world of materialism, disloyalty, and sexual intrigue and his violent search to become the Emperor of the world.
The character of Kublai Khan, played by Benedict Wong, reigned for a long time, stretching from 1260 to 1294. The show has pretty much portrayed the life of different people belonging to different classes and their cultures, especially under Khan.
Marco Polo is created by John Fusco and premiered on 12th December 2014 on Netflix, and was produced by the Weinstein Company. This show will give you a perfect insight into how Dynasties in Asia were like back in that period.
- Created by: John Fusco
- Cast: Lorenzo Richelmy, Benedict Wong, Joan Chen, Rick Yune, Amr Waked, Remy Hii, Zhu Zhu, Tom Wu, Mahesh Jadu
- Genre: Historical Drama, Adventure
- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 20 + 1 Special
- Platforms Available On: Netflix, Prime, Tubi
- IMDb Ratings: 8
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 66%
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Final Words
If you’ve enjoyed watching The Crown, then I can guarantee that you will certainly love these shows that we’ve listed for you. You can stream these shows, as mentioned, on Netflix, Prime, and Hulu.
