The season 5 cast of Netflix's "The Crown," which has new episodes on Nov. 9.

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‘The Crown’: All the Top-Rated Episodes to Binge Before the New Season Drops

Here are the top-rated episodes from Netflix's "The Crown" to watch before starting the new season.

by Grace Turney

Published on November 9, 2022

2 min read

The Crown season 5 comes out on Netflix on Nov. 9, and here are the top-rated episodes from seasons 1-4 to binge or catch up on before watching the new season.

Season 5 of ‘The Crown’ comes out on Nov. 9

Season 5 of The Crown premieres on Netflix on Nov. 9, and fans can expect to see some new faces in the episodes. Notably, Imelda Staunton, perhaps best known for her portrayal of Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter movies, will play Queen Elizabeth II.

Staunton is taking over the role from Olivia Colman, who was preceded by Claire Foy. Both Foy and Colman won several awards for their portrayals of the queen, including an Emmy.

Jonathan Pryce will play Prince Philip, taking over for Tobias Menzies and Matt Smith. Pryce appeared in the Pirates of the Caribbean films, as well as the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies. He was also nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Pope Francis in The Two Popes.

Trainspotting star (and Angelina Jolie’s ex-husband) Jonny Lee Miller will play Prime Minister John Major. And Helena Bonham Carter (who, like Imelda Staunton, appeared in the Harry Potter films) will pass the role of Princess Margaret to Lesley Manville.

Here are the top 10 episodes of ‘The Crown’ to binge before watching season 5

Betfair Bingo created a unique index score using data from IMDb, Episode Ninja, and Rating Graph to determine the top-rated episodes of The Crown seasons 1-4.

According to their scoring system and research, the top 12 best-rated episodes are as follows:

1. Aberfan – Season 3, Episode 3

2. Tywysog Cymru – Season 3, Episode 6

3. Dear Mrs. Kennedy – Season 2, Episode 8

4. Vergangenheit Season 2, Episode 6

5. Assassins – Season 1, Episode 9

6. Hyde Park Corner – Season 1, Episode 2

7. War – Season 4, Episode 10

8. Marionettes – Season 2, Episode 5

9. Terra Nullius – Season 4, Episode 6

10. Scientia Potentia Est – Season 1, Episode 7

11. Gloriana – Season 1, Episode 10

12. Fairytale – Season 4, Episode 3

On the 21st of October 1966, a devastating tragedy befell the Welsh mining village of Aberfan, claiming the lives of 116 children and 28 adults. Cast and crew discuss making episode three on our podcast: https://t.co/ThsGVXWRqr pic.twitter.com/AeYyQdrF8f
— The Crown (@TheCrownNetflix) November 25, 2019

The top-rated episode, ‘Aberfan,’ tells a tragic true story

The Crown’s top-rated episode, titled “Aberfan,” tells the story of the Aberfan disaster of Oct. 21, 1966. A hill of coal waste collapsed and sent around 300,000 cubic yards of coal slurry directly into the path of Pantglas Junior School. The incident killed 144 people, including 116 children (per Vulture).

An IMDb user described the episode as “unforgettable.” “I don’t have words to describe this amazing and very sad episode,” the fan wrote. “Just tears.”

The second most highly rated episode, “Tywysog Cymru,” is tear-jerking for a different reason. IMDb provided the following summary: “Prince Charles is sent to Aberystwyth to learn Welsh from an ardent nationalist in preparation for the ceremony for his investiture as Prince of Wales.”

An IMDb user commented, “The best episode ever. My heart is melted. Script, acting, everything was incredible. I adore this show, all the episodes but this one. OMG it is definitely the best ever.”