The Crown

Just started watching The Crown today, and have seen the first couple of episodes. It’s interesting.
I don’t know why, really. I don’t know why I’m interested. I tell myself that it’s historical and therefore educational but, really, the British royalty is not really the shaping force in human history that they were, say, before Cromwell, or certainly not since Victoria.
And I totally sympathize with the views of the anti-royalists that they suck up far more of the country’s wealth than they need to, although I generally consider them harmless and, since most Brits seem to like them and it’s kind of a thing for the tourists, I’m not too bothered. I do pay attention to royal weddings and babies, because who doesn’t like weddings and babies?
But, I’m watching. The acting is good but the story is really nothing. Insanely rich and powerful people live their lives, and give a lot of speeches. They shoot ducks, travel around the world, and are very conscious of what they’re wearing. Philip is kind of a dick, but we all knew that, and maybe Margaret was a bit of a slut, but we all knew that, too. Mostly people just stand there and look very dramatic.
The most interesting part to me is the intrigue between Churchill and Anthony Eden. Churchill is played by John Lithgow, which seems like a bit of a strange choice to me, both because he’s usually in comedies and because he’s an American. They couldn’t find a British actor to play Churchill?
Not complaining too much. I like John Lithgow.