Let others dissect the end of “Succession.” To me, 2023 will always be the year that saw the finale of “The Crown.”
This Netflix series pretty much redefined what television might be and what audiences could expect. It was lavishly produced, meticulously researched and consistently well written by Peter Morgan, who wrote or contributed to every one of the series’ 60 episodes.
That said, this last season of “The Crown” has been a bit of a letdown. In many ways, the entire series has been a prequel of sorts to the 2005 drama “The Queen,” starring Helen Mirren. And written by Morgan.
This season, with the death of Princess Diana, the action on “The Crown” finally caught up with that film. And having done that, “The Crown” descended into some questionable gimmicks, like mawkish conversations with ghosts, and (spoiler alert) a “keep calm and carry on” chat between the current Elizabeth (Imelda Staunton) her two preceding incarnations (Olivia Colman and Claire Foy).
The series’ commitment to changing actors playing major characters every two seasons may inspire a kind of parlor game. Who played it best?
You have to give it to Foy as the best Elizabeth. I’d say Helena Bonham Carter was the best Margaret. Best Philip goes to Matt Smith. I preferred Josh O’Connor as the tentative Charles, whose indecisiveness is at the heart of so much woe.
If you had to pick the best “Crown” out of 60 episodes, it goes to “Act of God” in the first season, about a crippling fog that enshrouds London. It reflects the attention to historical detail that sets the show apart.
Worst “Crown” ever? The series finale is in the running. But I still nominate “Dear Mrs. Kennedy” (season 2, episode 8). It depicts JFK (Michael C. Hall) as a kind of movie star. It completely ignores the fact that to the royal household, the young president would have been seen as Joe Kennedy’s son. So he would have been tainted by the memory of his father’s very public cries for abandoning England and appeasing Hitler while he was President Roosevelt’s Ambassador to the Court of St. James.
Simply put, Ambassador Kennedy would not have been remembered fondly. But none of this ever comes up. This seems a glaring oversight on a series deeply rooted in history and that has emphasized the World War II years as critical to Queen Elizabeth’s character development.
But that’s a small quibble about a show that has consistently been as compelling as a great film and as enthralling as a very long novel.
As with any good book, you’re sorry when it’s over.
— The 12th and final season of the Canadian series “Letterkenny” streams on Hulu.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— On three episodes of “NCIS: Sydney” (CBS, r, TV-14): a drowned Yank (8 p.m.); a lethal snakebite (9 p.m.); a shark coughs up a man in a uniform (10 p.m.).
— “Mary Berry’s Highland Christmas” (8 p.m., PBS).
— It may be December 26, but Hallmark persists. A stray cat comes between a fetching vet and a handsome fireman in the 2014 holiday romance “The Nine Lives of Christmas” (8 p.m., Hallmark).
— Jon Cryer stars in the new sitcom “Extended Family” (8:30 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
— Alan Cumming narrates an adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s holiday fable, along with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under the direction of John Mauceri, in the 2021 special “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” (9 p.m., PBS).
— A special squad searches for the missing and ignored on “Found” (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
In a brilliant example of form following function, the 1995 classic “Toy Story” (8 p.m., Freeform, TV-G) is set in a world of inanimate playthings, where the shortcomings of the rudimentary computer graphics are less likely to be noticed.
SERIES NOTES
Abby’s career hangs in the balance on “Night Court” (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … Athletes John Salley, Adam Rippon, Rashad Jennings and Todd Gurley play for charity on “Name That Tune” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … Three episodes of “Celebrity Jeopardy” (8 p.m., 9 p.m. and 10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
Jane Lynch hosts “Weakest Link” (9 p.m., NBC) … Olympic champion Jordan Chiles guest stars on “Hell’s Kitchen” (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS) … “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (11:35 p.m., ABC) … “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC) and “Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen” (12:37 a.m., CBS) are repeats.
