How to watch

The Crown Watch Order in the correct order

How to watch The Crown in order — all six seasons of Netflix's royal drama

Last updated: June 26 2026

Written by: ChronoChris

The Crown is Netflix's lavish historical drama chronicling the reign of Queen Elizabeth II from her marriage in 1947 to the early 2000s. Spanning six seasons and featuring multiple cast changeovers, here's how to watch every episode in order.

Few prestige dramas have matched The Crown for sheer ambition. Created by Peter Morgan, the series charts the life of Queen Elizabeth II and the British Royal Family across six decades of history, politics, and personal drama. Because the show spans such a long period, Netflix recast the lead roles every two seasons — Claire Foy played the young Queen for Seasons 1 and 2, Olivia Colman took over for Seasons 3 and 4, and Imelda Staunton completed the story in Seasons 5 and 6. The result is a panoramic portrait of the monarchy unlike anything else on television.

🕐 Release Order

The Crown tells its story in strictly chronological order — each season picks up directly after the previous one, making release order the natural and only way to watch.

  1. The Crown Season 1 (2016) — 1947–1955, starring Claire Foy
  2. The Crown Season 2 (2017) — 1956–1964, starring Claire Foy
  3. The Crown Season 3 (2019) — 1964–1977, starring Olivia Colman
  4. The Crown Season 4 (2020) — 1977–1990, starring Olivia Colman
  5. The Crown Season 5 (2022) — 1991–1997, starring Imelda Staunton
  6. The Crown Season 6 (2023) — 1997–2005, starring Imelda Staunton

The recasting between seasons is a distinctive feature rather than a flaw — each pair of actors brings a fresh interpretation to well-known historical figures, and the continuity of story more than compensates for any initial adjustment period.

📖 Story Chronology

The Crown proceeds through history in a largely linear fashion, beginning just after World War II and concluding in the early 2000s. There are some episodic flashbacks, but the overarching narrative marches forward decade by decade.

  1. The Crown Season 1 (2016) — 1947 to 1955
  2. The Crown Season 2 (2017) — 1956 to 1964
  3. The Crown Season 3 (2019) — 1964 to 1977
  4. The Crown Season 4 (2020) — 1977 to 1990
  5. The Crown Season 5 (2022) — 1991 to 1997
  6. The Crown Season 6 (2023) — 1997 to 2005

Which Order Should You Choose?

Begin at Season 1 and watch through to Season 6 in order — it's the only sensible approach. Each season layers in historical context and develops the relationships between characters that define later storylines. Season 4, which covers Princess Diana's arrival and the Thatcher years, is particularly gripping and benefits enormously from the groundwork laid in earlier seasons. Don't be deterred by the cast changes — treat each pair of seasons as a distinct chapter in a single sweeping story, because that's exactly what The Crown is.

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