This historical comedy-drama has been a hit with fans for six years.
Set against a lavish 18th-century backdrop, The Great is loosely based on the life of Russia’s longest-reigning female ruler and features a stellar cast. Billed as “an occasionally true story”, it follows Russia’s Catherine the Great, a woman of great passions and abilities.
However, it is not a strait-laced approach compared to Helen Mirren‘s television series, Catherine the Great, which aired in 2019. Instead of following historical fact, it draws heavily on the 2008 stage play of the same name, written by playwright Tony McNarma, who also assisted in adapting it for television.
Consisting of three seasons, the series kicks off with a swooning 19-year-old Austrian, Catherine (Elle Fanning), arriving in Russia for an arranged marriage to the emperor, Peter III (Nicholas Hoult).
View 3 ImagesElle Fanning played Catherine in The Great on the HULU tv series (Image: HULU)
Catherine’s romantic hopes and dreams soon come crashing down as she endures the crass brutality of her new husband.
Audiences follow Catherine’s turbulent marriage to Emperor Peter III as it unravels, while she hatches an outrageous scheme to usurp him from the throne.
The Great originally debuted in the United States on Hulu in May 2020, followed by a UK premiere on Starzplay a month later. It later made its terrestrial debut on Channel 4 in January 2021, and is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Since the show’s launch, fans have been urging others to watch the drama series, with one fan recently writing on Reddit: “My husband and I just started season one of the show on Hulu, ‘The Great’, it’s a phenomenal show and hilarious if you are into period drama comedy. Highly recommend.”
A second replied: “Miss this show deeply, I loved it so much”, while a third chimed in: “That show is fantastic (smiling face).”
“One of my all-time favourites!”, confessed one fan, while on IMDB another echoed the sentiment and wrote: “This made me laugh a lot this weekend!”.
View 3 ImagesThe ‘masterpiece’ period drama has been keeping fans entertained since launching in 2020(Image: Hulu)
“Funny and Refreshing. Underneath the silliness, it is quite smart. Great acting as well. Check it out for a fun time. :)”, praised one viewer as another added: “The way how they play and remastering the history is genius!”.
The series openly embraces its numerous historical inaccuracies, which granted its creators greater freedom to experiment with creative elements such as costume design and sets.
This is notably one of the most captivating aspects of the programme, with the costumes even contributing to the comedic moments at times, frequently appearing extravagant and grandiose.
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The Great is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video