Finding a television series that my family and I can watch together and actually enjoy together has always been a challenge. My girls are in their young teens which makes it a little bit easier since they now have more mature tastes in programming. My wife likes a good love story and nothing with suspense. Me, I’m not hard to please. I enjoy seeing any movie or TV show that is well written and produced. The four of us have spent many evenings browsing the Netflix listings looking for something to watch together. Many times, those evenings end in disappointment after trying a series out and finding it boring or just plain dumb. However, I’m pleased to announce that the Netflix series, The Crown has stood head and shoulders above all the rest available on that service. My family and I recently finished season one and we have all reached the same conclusion. The Crown is a well-made, enjoyable series that appeals to every age, young-teen and up.

Season 1 begins with the crowning of young Elizabeth after her father’s untimely death. It chronicles her personal struggles in becoming a leader and trying to make a difference even though she finds out early on that her powers as the Queen are very limited. At the same time, Queen Elizabeth tries to maintain relationships with her husband, her sister and others while remaining within the confines of British law and the traditions of the monarchy. The series does an excellent job of showing how alone Elizabeth truly is in her role as Queen.

Each episode focuses on specific events in her early days as Queen that defined her relationship with the important people in her life including Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the waning years of his time in office. There is also much history that one can learn from watching The Crown. Being an American, I had very little knowledge of Elizabeth’s husband Phillip and his less than “kingly” lifestyle. Nor did I know that her sister Margaret carried on a scandalous affair with a divorced member of the staff. Possibly my favorite episode focused on a historic event that I had never heard of before. It told of a deadly fog, filled with factory air pollution, that fell over London in 1952 and remained for five days. By the time it finally lifted it left thousands of people dead.

I also like The Crown due to its lack of content concerns for a teenage audience. The story makes it clear that there are some scandalous situations going on behind closed doors, but it never shows us more than a few passionate kisses between two fully dressed people. I felt The Crown was perfect for my teen girls to watch. it focuses on a strong woman who very much wants to do the right thing for the country she loves and also for the people she loves. So far in the season, even though there have been many people in young Elizabeth’s life who have tried to sway her to go against the traditions of the crown and the church, she has always managed to do the right thing. Even among overwhelming pressure to cave into selfish desires, she has remained true to her calling. She is not at all shown to be a perfect woman, but in my eyes The Crown is about a real hero of the 20th century. History buffs and fans of great drama take note; The Crown is a thrilling series to watch.