By In a new report from Variety, the publication has confirmed that Netflix will not be adding a “fiction” disclaimer to its popular series The Crown despite U.K. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden requesting it be present. For those unaware, The Crown is a fictionalized retelling of the events revolving around the life of Queen Elizabeth II. While there is some factual basis, the plot deviates pretty regularly to create an intense drama.
In an interview with The Daily Mail a few weeks back, Dowden expressed concerns that “a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact.” He had pleaded with the streaming juggernaut to add some kind of disclaimer ahead of each episode, though that won’t be happening.
Netflix has made it abundantly clear that it believes in the intelligence of its audience to separate reality from fabrication. “We have always presented ‘The Crown’ as a drama – and we have every confidence our members understand it’s a work of fiction that’s broadly based on historical events,” a spokesperson told Variety.
Considering the nature of the series, I’m not completely opposed to adding some kind of disclaimer. There are certainly a large number of people that can tell the difference between a TV show and reality, but a very vocal minority takes to social media to harass actors after they portray villains in media. It’s becoming increasingly more common, so some kind of heads up wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Source: Variety
