Ever since Downton Abbey pulled the curtains closed on its six-season run this past March, viewers have been feverishly searching for a new period-drama fix. Some of those Downton widows predicted that The Crown—Netflix’s sumptuous new drama about Queen Elizabeth II’s coming-of-reign—would be “the next Downton Abbey.” But after watching The Crown’s first season—which premieres Friday on Netflix—we are here to break the news: The Crown is not the new Downton Abbey. (Dowager Countess, pull the brim of that toque hat over your ears.) The Crown is far and away better.

Yes, there are still some similarities. Both programs are lavish costume dramas marked by historic events set in old-timey England. Both Buckingham Palace and Downton Abbey are headed by fabulously crotchety, D.G.A.F. matriarchs. (Mary of Teck, meet the Dowager Countess.) Impeccable costumes, shooting excursions, and subservient staff members abound. Pouring a stiff cocktail and passing off one’s parenting responsibilities to the help are strongly encouraged in both universes. But there are many differences. As if the class distinction does not set The Crown enough apart—who’s got time for aristocrats when royal duty calls?—The Crown’s exorbitant budget does. Ahead, 11 ways in which The Crown makes the Crawleys look like common paupers.