Now that "The Crown's" third season has hit Netflix, it's time for fans of the show to start thinking about the fourth season. The third season replaced the entire cast that had been established from the first two seasons, as Queen Elizabeth II continues to age in the world of the show.
As a result, Claire Foy, who had starred in the role, was replaced by Olivia Colman. This wholesale replacement makes "The Crown" totally unique on TV. Most shows keep their casts for the duration of their run.
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Colman has received nothing but praise for her work in the role, but there are still plenty of people who miss Foy's performance, which introduced us to "The Crown's" version of the Queen. Now, it appears, Foy will be returning to the role, at least briefly, during the show's fourth season.
All we have is an image of Foy behind the scenes to go off of, but "The Crown" has often deployed flashbacks to tell its stories, and this may be no different.
Foy's two seasons on the show followed the Queen from her marriage in 1947 through 1964. The third season picks up there and continues through the end of the 1970s. The fourth season is set to be particularly explosive, as it follows the royal family through the turmoil around Prince Charles and his engagement to Princess Diana.
The season will also give us a glimpse into the stormy, tumultuous relationship between Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth. Plenty of drama is coming.
"It feels quite different," Colman said of the fourth season in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "We had our read-through and to hear the voices of Margaret Thatcher and all of that, it’s quite fun." Colman described the season as a little bit more ahistorical, which would be a fun departure for the show.
Foy's flashback sequence apparently takes us back to her 21st birthday, when the Queen gave a speech in Cape Town, South Africa, about her devotion to the crown.
"I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong," she said in the speech.
Colman is set to play the character through the end of the show's fourth season, and casting has not yet been announced as to who will play the character once she's done. Whoever it may be, they'll have a couple of great performances to live up to.
