In the penultimate episode of The Crown season four, Diana , solemn and precise, isn’t interested in her son’s or daughter-in-law’s health — rather, she’s concerned about the integrity of the monarchy.
The Crown posits that a vulnerable 19-year-old like Diana chose this family, seemingly the most rock-solid coterie in all of Britain, after growing up in a broken and neglectful home.
The concept of “chosen family” — the people you form close bonds with even though there’s no biological tie — means lots of different things to lots of different people, and this broad theme is at the pith of this year’s Emmys race.
Feeling emotionally disoriented is more an opportunity than a detriment for characters on Disney+’s space Western The Mandalorian, NBC’s family melodrama This Is Us and HBO’s steampunk fantasy The Nevers.