The Great: Complete Story and Character Guide

One of the most audacious comedies of the decade — a satirical, sometimes-historically-accurate romp through 18th-century Russian politics, cancelled after three seasons.

The Great premiered on Hulu on May 15, 2020, and ran for three seasons totaling 30 episodes. Created by Tony McNamara (who wrote the 2018 film The Favourite), the series follows Catherine the Great's rise to power in 18th-century Russia — with ample creative liberties taken for maximum comedy and drama.

Starring Elle Fanning as Catherine and Nicholas Hoult as Peter III, the series was nominated for multiple Emmy and Golden Globe awards. Hulu cancelled the show on August 29, 2023, after three seasons — despite the show's strong critical reception and passionate fanbase. According to Variety, The Great was one of the most acclaimed comedy series of the early 2020s, earning 13 Primetime Emmy nominations across its three seasons, including Outstanding Comedy Series nominations that placed it alongside established powerhouses like Ted Lasso and Hacks. The show's cancellation was a shock to the industry — a critically adored, award-nominated series cut down at the height of its creative powers.

Full Season Recaps

Season 1 (2020)

Young Catherine arrives in Russia to marry the volatile, childish, and cruel Emperor Peter III. She initially hopes to bring enlightenment and progress to Russia — but Peter's tyranny makes that impossible. Forced to navigate a court of scheming nobles, dangerous politics, and her increasingly unhinged husband, Catherine eventually realises that the only way to save Russia is to seize power herself. The season was shot in York, England, standing in for 18th-century St. Petersburg, and was noted for its lavish production design on a mid-budget scale.

The season ends with Catherine orchestrating a coup. Peter survives (despite being stabbed) and the two enter a new and even more complicated phase of their relationship — Catherine as ruler, Peter as her powerless husband. Season 1 earned Elle Fanning her first Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy.

Season 2 (2021)

Now in power, Catherine attempts to implement sweeping reforms while dealing with Peter's scheming, the Russian Orthodox Church's opposition, and the constant threat of assassination. The season deepens every character's arc — Peter gains surprising depth, Catherine struggles with the compromises of power, and the supporting cast (Marial, Grigor, Elizabeth, and others) navigate their own complex loyalties. The season introduced new characters including Peter the Great's ghost and a Swedish king who becomes a romantic rival for Catherine.

The season ends with Catherine pregnant with Peter's child, setting up a new chapter for the royal family. According to TVLine, Season 2 was widely considered an improvement on the first, with the show's writers leaning harder into the historical absurdities that made the series distinctive while deepening the emotional stakes of every character.

Season 3 (2023)

Catherine faces her greatest challenges yet — motherhood, war with Sweden, plague, and growing disillusionment with the very power she fought so hard to achieve. The season explores whether Catherine can retain her idealism while holding absolute power. Peter's character development reaches its peak as he becomes a genuinely caring father and partner. The season also introduced Catherine's mother, played by Gillian Anderson, adding another layer of family dysfunction to the political satire. The plague storyline — based on a real 18th-century Russian epidemic — gave the show some of its darkest comedic material.

The finale leaves Catherine at a crossroads — her reforms have not transformed Russia the way she hoped, and the question of whether any individual can truly change a nation hangs in the air. It's a fittingly ambiguous ending for a series that was never meant to conclude there. According to The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Tony McNamara had plans for at least four seasons — and possibly six — meaning the show was cancelled at roughly the halfway point of its planned story.

Character Guide

Catherine the Great

Elle Fanning delivers a career-defining performance as Catherine — idealistic, strategic, and increasingly hardened by power. Her arc across three seasons is about the corruption of ideals in the face of reality. Catherine begins the series as a wide-eyed believer in enlightenment values and ends it as a pragmatic ruler who has learned that power requires compromise. Fanning's performance captures both the comedy of Catherine's situation — a young woman in an absurd court — and the genuine tragedy of someone who must sacrifice her ideals to achieve her goals.

Peter III

Nicholas Hoult's Peter is one of television's greatest comedic creations — a boorish, violent, idiotic emperor who somehow becomes sympathetic over time. His arc from villain to tragic figure is the series' greatest achievement. In Season 1, Peter is a monster. By Season 3, he is a devoted father and a genuinely helpful partner to Catherine. The transformation is earned — every step of Peter's growth feels believable because Hoult never stops playing the character's fundamental insecurity and need for love. According to ScreenRant, Hoult's performance in The Great ranks among the best comedic performances of the 2020s, and his chemistry with Fanning was the show's secret weapon.

Marial

Catherine's loyal friend and lady-in-waiting. Played by Phoebe Fox, Marial provides wit, wisdom, and unwavering loyalty — while reminding Catherine of the cost of power. Marial is the show's moral compass, but she is also a woman who has been repeatedly betrayed by those closest to her. Her arc explores what it means to maintain loyalty in a world built on betrayal. Fox's performance earned critical praise for balancing sharp comedic timing with genuine emotional depth.

Orlo

A deeply principled intellectual who helps Catherine plan her coup. Orlo's idealism clashes with the reality of revolution, leading to one of the series' most tragic arcs. Played by Sacha Dhawan, Orlo represents the intellectual class that supported Catherine's rise — and the disillusionment that followed when power failed to deliver the utopia they had imagined. His arc is a sobering counterpoint to the show's otherwise irreverent tone.

Elizabeth

Peter's aunt and a constant source of political and personal chaos. Played by Belinda Bromilow, Elizabeth is one of the show's most consistently hilarious characters — a woman whose loyalty shifts with the wind and whose appetites are matched only by her capacity for scheming. Elizabeth is based on the historical figure of Elizabeth Petrovna, who ruled as Empress of Russia from 1741 to 1762. The show's version takes considerable liberties with history, but Bromilow's performance makes Elizabeth unforgettable.

Why Was The Great Cancelled?

Hulu cancelled The Great after three seasons, reportedly due to declining viewership. The show was not removed from the platform (unlike some Disney-owned cancellations) and remains available for streaming. Creator Tony McNamara and the cast expressed disappointment, noting that the series had more story to tell — McNamara had envisioned a four-to-six-season arc that would have followed Catherine through the full span of her 34-year reign. The cancellation came amid a broader contraction in the streaming industry, with platforms cutting costs and ending shows that would have been renewed in previous years. Hulu, like every other streaming platform in 2023, was tightening its budget and prioritising shows with the broadest possible appeal — and an eccentric, anachronistic historical satire was always going to be vulnerable in that climate. According to Deadline, the show's international performance was a factor as well — The Great was primarily a US-oriented show, and its limited global appeal made it harder to justify renewal in an increasingly international streaming market.

Every cancelled show deserves a proper ending. Explore our library of fan-written conclusions for more shows that left too soon.