In disappointing news for fans of The Crown, Netflix‘s opulent drama about the life of Queen Elizabeth II, the show has failed to make the streaming giant’s top 10 most-watched series list for 2019 in the UK. You would imagine that if any market would be the core audience it’d be the United Kingdom, so given the massive budget of the show, this is likely to raise some questions over its future direction.
In any case, here’s the UK top ten for both all releases and individual series:
Top 10 Most Popular Releases of 2019 (UK):
The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann
6 Underground
Murder Mystery
The Witcher
The Irishman
After Life
Stranger Things 3
Our Planet
Sex Education
Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes: Limited SeriesTop 10 Most Popular Series Releases of 2019 (UK):
The Witcher
After Life
Stranger Things
Sex Education
The Umbrella Academy
You
Unbelievable
Top Boy
Black Mirror
Dirty John
So, what could have caused this drop-off? Well, The Crown transitioned to a new cast this season, with Academy Award winning actress Olivia Colman taking up the lead role of Elizabeth, with a great supporting cast behind her. But it seems unlikely that this would turn audiences off. After all, Colman’s appearance on the show was hyped up and there was wall-to-wall marketing in London advertising it.
Perhaps, simply, it’s because the third season wasn’t quite as compelling as the previous two. My own experience was that I binge-watched the first two seasons, but still haven’t finished off the third. I got to the episode where Charles was learning Welsh in Aberystwyth, found myself checking my phone during the slower bits and haven’t yet gone back to it. I don’t think the show has necessarily gotten worse, but there’s either a spark that’s lacking or the episode structure feels a bit formulaic.
Whatever the case, the series itself is not in trouble. Season 4 is currently in production and Netflix have already signed a six-season deal with writer and creator Peter Morgan that will take us up to the modern day. Perhaps ratings will improve once we get properly into the story of Charles and Diana in the turbulent 1980s?