The Crown is a historical drama television series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Created and principally written by Peter Morgan and produced by Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television for Netflix, The Crown evolved out of Morgan's 2006 film The Queen and 2013 stage play The Audience. The first season covers the period from Queen Elizabeth's marriage to Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947 to the disintegration of her sister Princess Margaret's engagement to Group Captain Peter Townsend in 1955. The second season covers the period from the Suez Crisis in 1956 through the retirement of the Queen's third prime minister, Harold Macmillan, in 1963 to the birth of Prince Edward in 1964. The third season will continue from 1964, covering Harold Wilson's two periods as prime minister until 1976, while the fourth will include Margaret Thatcher's premiership and introduce Lady Diana Spencer. The series is intended to last 60 episodes over six seasons, with 10 one-hour episodes per season, covering Elizabeth's life from her younger years to her reign, and with new actors being cast every two seasons. Claire Foy portrays the Queen in the first two seasons, alongside Matt Smith as Prince Philip, and Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret. For the third and fourth seasons, Olivia Colman will take over as the Queen, Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip, and Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret. Filming for the series takes place at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, with location shooting throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The first season was released on Netflix on November 4, 2016, with the second released on December 8, 2017. The series has been renewed for a third and fourth season, with the third season scheduled to be released on November 17, 2019. The Crown has been praised for its acting, direction, writing, cinematography, production values, and the accurate historical account of Queen Elizabeth's reign. It has received several accolades, including winning Best Actress and Best Actor at the 23rd Screen Actors Guild Awards for Foy and Lithgow, respectively, in addition to receiving a total of 26 nominations for its first two seasons at the Primetime Emmy Awards, including twice for Outstanding Drama Series.