The Crown: How Is This Latest British Emmy Bait?

The British are coming! The British are coming! 

Let's face it, the British have once again invaded entertainment.

Ever since our fair shores were graced with Harry Potter in the late 90s, our colonial forebears have seen a resurgence in the world of filmed entertainment.

Lady Mary and the brood at "Downton Abbey" became a major hit in the states, our "inner Anglophile" bubbled to the surface, and studios have decided to infuse entertainment with a healthy dose of Britannia...

PBS has increased its profile -- and lowered its average viewer age -- with ample helpings of new shows co-produced with the BBC and ITV.

The two latest "Star Wars" films feature plucky, young, brunette protagonists -- both Brits, and both with smokin' hot accents.

Superman is played by a British guy.

Batman used to be played by a British guy.

And streaming services have long attracted subscribers with cult British faves like "Doctor Who" (a show Bridget and I grew up watching on our PBS affiliate weekday afternoons).

It's a wonder we haven't traded in "My Country 'Tis of Thee" for "God Save the Queen"...

Netflix is certainly paying honor to the queen with its ambitious new series "The Crown" which debuted this month on the streaming giant (a co-production with Sony Pictures).

This stands as Netflix's most ambitious drama to date. The budget for the 10-episode first season is a reported ~$150 million, and you can see every penny dripping in muted majesty on screen.

The first season is centered in the 1950s, and focuses on the rise of Queen Elizabeth II, after the death of her father, King George IV.

Claire Foy plays Elizabeth, and does a wonderful job navigating the treacherous world of a staid monarchy struggling to stay relevant in a changing world. Foy provides a pitch-perfect performance as a young monarch struggling to realize her idealist views as they are tamped down by long-held traditions and laws put in place by parliament and the Church of England.

Matt Smith (best known for his gangly portrayal of the titular character on "Doctor Who") plays Elizabeth's husband Lord Philip Mountbatten -- who is seen as both an ardent supporter and perpetual skeptic of the royal way.

The production is lavish and compelling. Each episode (roughly 58-minutes each) is as much it's own mini-movie as it is a chapter in this serialized series.

The sets and scenery are gorgeous, as are the costumes featured.

This featurette illustrates the care and detail that went into the costumes employed in the series: 

There is a melancholy tone to the post-World War II Britain seen in "The Crown." And while that makes this period drama less frothy than an offering like "Downton Abbey," it is an imminently binge-worthy drama with its own driving pace and structure.

Pieces of history are woven throughout the show. While this could have been heavy-handed and trite, the filmmakers had a deft touch with the material, and each instance is used to further the subtle character development.

"The Crown" was created by Peter Morgan, and is based on his stage play titled "The Audience." Morgan also wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay for the movie "The Queen," which focuses on an older Elizabeth.

You can tell throughout the 10-episode run of "The Crown" that Morgan knows this territory well. His scripts are razor sharp, and the large cast avoids coming across as caricatures during the unfolding narrative -- which is a danger with this sort of material.

I don't want to give away too many plot points. I'd rather let you watch the show without any major spoilers.

The rumbling pulse of "The Crown" is provided by Winston Churchill, played in all his gruff, curmudgeonly glory by John Lithgow. The tired old war horse -- who likes to remind those he encounters that he saved the world from fascism -- serves as sort of an odd, arms-length mentor to Elizabeth. He provides the most lively performance in the production.

As the show delves into the drama surrounding the royal family in the 1950s, it is made all the more fascinating with the knowledge that Elizabeth is still the queen, and her husband Philip is still alive in "Merrie Olde England." In fact, the couple celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary two days ago.

It is with a certain amount of regret that I tore through "The Crown" so quickly. It will be another year before a new season is available.

"The Crown" is definitely worth your time -- elegantly drawn and crafted with care. 

Long live our noble queen...

Where to Watch: Netflix (Streaming Subscriptions)
Number of Seasons: 1
Number of Episodes: 10
Rating: TV-MA

A Wibbly Wobbly, Timey Wimey New Show

A couple days ago my brother-in-law texted me suggesting I might want to review the new NBC series "Timeless" for my blog.

I am fascinated by "time travel" movies, books and TV series. So I was happy to oblige, and watched the pilot that first aired on Oct. 3.

"Timeless" is the creation of Eric Kripke ("Supernatural") and Shawn Ryan ("The Shield"), both experienced creators in the television industry.

Kripke's "Supernatural" is a long-running sci-fi/fantasy hit for the CW. Ryan's "The Shield" was considered groundbreaking when it debuted on FX in 2012, and managed to give the fledgling cable outlet the "HBO vibe" it was looking for.

Considering the pedigree of both producers, it is interesting that the debut episode of "Timeless" felt a tad bit pedestrian, as if we'd been there before.

The episode felt like a throwback, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

The plot involves a businessman named Connor Mason, who has a "secret time machine" project (think an Elon Musk-type entrepreneur).

A time traveling criminal named Flynn ("ER's" Goran Visnjic) steals the time machine -- which looks oddly similar to the CBS "eye" logo -- and travels back to meddle with the Hindenburg airship in 1930s New Jersey.

In steps the Department of Homeland Security to recruit Lucy Preston (a history professor), Logan Wyatt (a Delta Force operative), and Rufus Carlin (a reluctant scientist/tech guy who works for Mason). The trio is tasked with using a "backup" time machine (thank goodness they had one of those) to track down Flynn and restore order to historical events.

Preston (Abigail Spencer) is a precocious historian with key knowledge of historical events.

Wyatt (Matt Lanter) is the roguishly-handsome-troubled-man-of-action.

Carlin (Malcolm Barrett) provides moments of levity as the "I don't want to be here" scientist who operates the time machine.

The problem is that none of the three leads is particularly memorable. They capably serve the roles, but none rises above the material.

Because time travel properties continue to be popular -- and have been done in a number of ways -- they each set up their own rules.

The unique hook in this show is that it is "not smart" to time travel to a place where you "are." The scientists apparently tested this, but only "parts" of the time traveler returned.

We also learn as the show progresses that even "slight" changes to history can have serious ramifications for the principal characters -- and this leads to a surprise ending in the first episode.

I did enjoy the show, but it didn't grab me the way other new fall shows like "This Is Us," "Pitch," and "Designated Survivor" did after their debut episodes.

As shows like "Doctor Who" and "Quantum Leap" have shown, time travel is fertile ground for intriguing stories and interesting characters. So the potential is there.

The show sports a handsome production value and appealing visual effects.

The main question is whether this show can rise above the routine.

Preview of "Timeless":

Where to watch?
- Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.
- Episodes also streaming on NBC.com, Hulu.com, and the NBC and Hulu apps (on mobile and streaming devices).

Read yesterday's blog post: Jack Bauer…President

"Phasers Locked"

Today is the 50th anniversary of the debut of the original "Star Trek" television series. Yep, the episode titled "The Man Trap" aired on NBC on this date in 1966.

I wasn't alive. Like many my age, I discovered the show in reruns. That's how it became a cult hit anyway -- the initial run received mediocre ratings and ho-hum reviews during three seasons (a fervent letter writing campaign made the third season a reality).

I remember when I was a kid and the reruns were on Sunday nights at 11 p.m.* on KMTV (and sometimes 6 p.m. Saturdays). I couldn't stay up and watch on Sundays during the school year, but I could during the summer.

I loved the show.

A big part of the appeal for me is the look (the eye-popping color screams 1960s). Another part is the fact that it feels incredibly immersive, despite being low budget and sporting cheesy special effects.

It's like the older episodes of "Doctor Who" in that regard (another show I love).

I've also enjoyed the various "Star Trek" movies and TV series like "Star Trek: The Next Generation." 

"Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" is awesome, and J.J. Abrams's "Star Trek" reboot (2009) is one of my favorite movies.

By the way, if you haven't watched this "Honest Trailer" (where the narrator refers to 2009's "Star Trek" as "Abrams's 'Star Wars' demo reel") give it a view...it's fun:

"Star Trek" holds a special place in my heart.

A lot of retrospective pieces this week are talking a lot about how it promoted peace during the Cold War...blah, blah, blah...

Did these people actually watch the show? Sure, there were peaceful resolutions in certain episodes, but the crew of the Enterprise stirred up a lot of sh!t during the initial five-year mission.

Some of the retrospective stuff sounds like hindsight mumbo-jumbo.

The 1960s "Star Trek" was cool because it took science fiction seriously, and it presented the virtues of a smart and eclectic crew working in concert to solve problems.

"Star Trek" is available on various streaming services. It also airs on MeTV Saturday evenings (they will be showing "The Man Trap" and the unaired pilot "The Cage" on Sept. 10 -- http://metv.com/shows/star-trek ...)

By the way, my favorite ST episode is "The Doomsday Machine"...

One other note...

A number of years ago, Paramount remastered the original series' negatives in hi-definition (for a blu-ray release and HD broadcasts). They also made the decision to spruce up the special effects scenes with newly-created digital footage.

Now, before you hit the panic button, they worked really hard to create space shots and effects that stay true to the 1960s look.

Netflix has the HD episodes (with the new FX shots) on their streaming platform. Others (like CBS All Access) have the original standard definition episodes.

* It aired at 10:30 p.m. in the 1970s, but was on at 11 p.m. by the time I started watching in the early 1980s.

Read yesterday's blog post: The Headphone Conundrum