Netflix's new drama series "The Crown" premiered its 10-episode first season on Friday. The series hails from Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon) and Stephen Daldry directed the first two episodes. The ensemble cast includes Claire Foy, Matt Smith, Jared Harris and John Lithgow. It is the most expensive season of television ever produced, with an estimated budget for season 1 of $150 million. It has already been renewed for a second season.

Has anyone else started this yet? I'm four episodes in. It is incredibly hard not to admire it - the production value is just amazing top to bottom - the sets, costumes, cinematography and music (by Hans Zimmer and Rupert Gregson-Williams) are just insane and the money they spent on this show is all there on the screen. The show is pretty riveting so far too, with fantastic performances.

This show is GORGEOUS! On the season finale now. I'm obsessed.

David, have you watched yet? It will be a new favorite of yours.

Looks like this is a ratings flop

I expected to hate the writing as I do every Netflix show, and did, but I was surprised that this couldn't even look good visually, it's like a TV movie. Where did the money go again? Good actors but another clunker from Netflix

And yet they are apparently planning for six (!) seasons.

Why spend 100 million more than you needed to on a show cause of an obsession with making costumes, jewels, Buckingham, etc. an exact replica, when you're just going to be lazy with the historical facts anyways? eg. They spent $35,000 on Elizabeth's wedding dress to be perfectly accurate, but didn't care that in real life she was apparently calm and confident beyond her years during it as seen by a letter from the King to her, when in the show she's trembling and nervous like a teenage girl about to lose her virginity. The money spent on accuracy sure went a long way!

What is the context of those numbers? Are those from a certain period or what?

First 3 days of release

Just Netflix, Hulu and Amazon? Also what is up with The Mindy Project showing up. I never saw it mentioned as a big streamer, while other network shows boast about huge streaming numbers and how they improve over live ones. Weird chart.

Those are hardly great numbers for Mindy. Are you aware that it's a Hulu original now and those are new seasons not the Fox ones

Symphony's system is pretty unofficial, but for the shows Netflix has cancelled like Bloodline it lined up well with their numbers for what it's worth

I wasn't aware Mindy isn't on FOX anymore. That makes more sense. Though now I wonder if this is the number of people who have watched at least one episode, half season, or full season. So many questions.

Netflix is ruling this obviously. But there are still some interesting things. Considering the hype I would guess Making a Murderer would be higher on the list. Glad to see Man In the High Castle being easily Amazon's #1 hit. Just started to watch the show and it's awesome.

"Mindy" has been on Hulu exclusively since season 4 (though Freeform and VH1 bought syndication rights and have already started airing it so it's still airing on 'regular' television). It also streams weekly as opposed to Netflix dropping the entire season at once. I don't think these numbers can accurately gauge how many people are watching it overall yet with that in mind.

And I liked "The Crown" I'm excited for season 2.

It makes sense Making a Murderer wouldn't do as well in the first 3 days (which is what that chart was for) when nobody knew what it was when it first came out, this one was released a few months ago for +16 days and reflects its popularity more and Stranger Things as a powerhouse

They're apparently doubling their budget in Season 2, LMAOOO http://metro.co.uk/2017/04/30/series-2- ... m-6606738/

The first season is absolutely beautiful, on both aesthetic and emotional levels. I cannot wait for the second.

This series' true test will be when they recast the actors and jump further ahead in time. I believe this will come in the third season.