Claire Foy and Matt Smith as Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Philip, on "The Crown." Robert Viglasky/Netflix The first time many of us heard about Netflix's "The Crown," which premiered on Friday, was when its $100 million price tag generated headlines for being the most expensive series to date. "The Get Down" later bested it by about $20 million. But unlike the surreal hip-hop musical, "The Crown" used its money to bring the lives of royals to a relatable level.

That seems absurd to say, of course, when I'm describing an expensive drama about the royal family. They're still in Buckingham Palace, surrounded by expensive art and china, but that doesn't become a focus of the show. It's just dressing. It's impeccable dressing, because it doesn't draw your eye away from the actors.

On "The Crown," Claire Foy plays Queen Elizabeth II, England's current monarch, in her 20s. In many ways, she's naturally more lighthearted and relatable than one would imagine from the woman we see today in public. She's a princess, who is married to a dashing naval officer, Philip (played by former "Doctor Who" star Matt Smith), enraptured with her young children, and they're renovating their first home together. But still, there's the feeling that a tremendous burden, which some would call an honor, is soon to be placed on her shoulders.

Much of the first and second episode doesn't necessarily revolve around Elizabeth. It takes more than two episodes to even see Elizabeth in the titular crown. In fact, the first scene of the premiere episode isn't even of the future queen. It's the sight of King George coughing up blood. At the same time, an elderly Winston Churchill is returning to the role of prime minister. Both of these events are occurring amid a groundswell of support for new ideas and fresh perspectives about the role of government and the actual importance of the royal family in modern times.

Vanessa Kirby plays Princess Margaret in the midst of an affair with a married man on "The Crown." Alex Bailey/Netflix That's just one side of what Elizabeth will inherit as queen. She's also dealing with family obligations. She's one generation removed from the scandal of her uncle, Edward (Alex Jennings), abdicating the throne to marry an American divorcee, which then placed her father on the throne. Her sister, Margaret (Vanessa Kirby), is having an affair with a married man and head of palace operations. Not to mention, she shares the name of arguably Britain's most famous and beloved queen.

It's this dichotomy between the public and private Elizabeth that makes "The Crown" so binge-able. It would seem the odds are against her, so how does she preserve the dignity of the throne and yet still keep the family relevant to her modern-minded subjects?

Foy is a believable young Elizabeth. "3rd Rock from the Sun" star John Lithgow is absolutely transformed as Winston Churchill, complete with an almost crouched-over stature and a distinctive speaking style. And Smith plays a terribly nuanced portrayal of Philip, a man who will over and over again have to step back for his wife. And Kirby's Margaret hasn't made me more interested in how a period affair will end since "Downton Abbey's" Mary Crawley.

Fans of this kind of period drama will enjoy the design, the look at media before it fell into the hands of anyone who could tweet, and the British political maneuvering. Anglophiles will relish in the time the drama takes to unveil the story and the dynamics of the family. If you're not a member of those groups, then this isn't the show for you.

Watch the trailer below: