- Claire Foy and Olivia Colman will reportedly appear in the final season of "The Crown."
- The actresses portrayed the late Queen Elizabeth in different periods of her life on the hit Netflix series.
The hit Netflix series "The Crown" has held my attention since it premiered in November 2016.
The series' fictionalized depiction of the royal family, complete with historical references and lavish costumes, is catnip for a history and reality TV lover like myself.
From beginning to end, it's a nonstop rollercoaster of twists and turns that have kept me and millions of others (including the royal family) locked in.
So when I read reports from The Sun and The Telegraph that all three actresses who portrayed the late Queen Elizabeth will return to close out the series, I was ecstatic.
(Representatives for Netflix did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.)
The trifecta we want and need
The series begins with Queen Elizabeth (played by Claire Foy in seasons one and two) mourning the death of her father, King George VI, as she struggles to gain her autonomy as a young monarch. Olivia Colman takes over to portray the Queen in mid-life in seasons three and four.
Imelda Staunton will reprise her season five role as the royal in her later years in the upcoming sixth season. The series also weighs in on the personal lives of Queen Elizabeth's children, most notably, Prince Charles and his marriage to Princess Diana.
According to The Sun, the actresses were tapped to join the final season to pay tribute to the royal after her death in September 2022.
"Getting the actresses together was no mean feat as both Claire and Olivia went on to bigger things after making 'The Crown' and have packed schedules," a "TV insider" told The Sun.
Per the Associated Press, production on the show was halted after the Queen's death was announced.
10s across the board
It's always been Claire Foy for me.
Maybe it's because she was the first to play Queen Elizabeth or maybe it's because she tore the house down with her performance, but Foy's turn as the late monarch was one for the ages.
She played the young Queen with a tenacity and softness that garnered her several awards: a Golden Globe for best actress in a television series in 2017, an Emmy for lead actress in a drama series in 2018 and 2021, and two SAG Awards in 2017 and 2018.
The prospect of seeing her reprise the role is something viewers like myself have yearned for since her final episode. The creators of the series gave the people what they wanted when she made a short cameo in a flashback in season five, episode one.
During a December 2022 appearance on "Live with Kelly and Ryan," Foy said the fan reception was "weird," but she enjoyed her experience.
"We did that at the beginning of last year I think, which was like half a day. I just sort of turned up, said hello to the people I knew and then went home again," Foy said, according to The Independent.
"But it was really lovely to be back," she added.
Season six of "The Crown" is slated to premiere in fall 2023, and like the rest of the world, I will be watching.