Here's the First Look at Netflix's $156-Million Show About Queen Elizabeth

Think 'Scandal' meets 'House of Cards.'

The Crown on Netflix
(Image credit: Netflix)

When you tell the story of Queen Elizabeth, you can't consider something as pedestrian as a budget. Netflix shelled out a whopping $156 million to make The Crownthe company's most expensive show to date

Crown, Headpiece, Headgear, Costume accessory, Fashion accessory, Hair accessory, Tradition, Costume design, Costume, Makeover,

(Image credit: Netflix)

And it looks like all that cash was worth it. Netflix just released a first look at the new series, and it looks juicy, addictive, and highbrow all at the same time. Think Scandal meets House of Cards, with lots of gorgeous sets, accents, and costumes to drool over.

The clips show the 25-year-old royal (Claire Foy) getting used to wearing a (literally and metaphorically) heavy crown. We also see the Queen's uncle, Edward VIII, who abdicated so he could marry American socialite Wallis Simpson.

But the best moments are the feminist ones. The Queen holds her own with Prime Minister Winston Churchill (John Lithgow). It also shows the Queen quarreling with her husband, Prince Philip (Matt Smith), with an amazing exchange the foreshadows the struggles modern women face today. "Are you my wife or my queen?" he asks. "I am both," she insists, and makes him bow down to her. Total power move.

The clip doesn't say when in 2016 The Crown will hit Netflix, so just enjoy the final season of Downton Abbey to get your fix of fancy accents in the meantime.

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Megan Friedman
Editor

Megan Friedman is the former managing editor of the Newsroom at Hearst. She's worked at NBC and Time, and is a graduate of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism.