The Great has been canceled by Hulu after three seasons, bringing the Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult led series to a close.
Son of a bitch. What’s the opposite of Huzzah? Deadline reports that Hulu has canceled The Great after three seasons. The series was a satirical black comedy-drama that chronicled the rise of Catherine the Great from outsider to the longest-reigning female ruler in Russia’s history. Equal parts bizarre, touching, and downright hilarious, The Great has been one of my favourite recent series so it’s tough to see it go.
The Great starred Elle Fanning as Catherine and Nicholas Hoult as Emperor Peter III, her depraved and dangerous husband. The third season was released on Hulu in May and, like the previous two, received critical acclaim.
Here’s the official logline for The Great season 3: “Catherine and Peter attempt to make their marriage work after some seemingly insurmountable problems. Peter witnessed his own attempted murder at Catherine’s hands and she also imprisoned all of his friends. On top of this, Peter is at a loose end playing First Husband to Catherine’s reign, so he busies himself with fathering, hunting and salty culinary ventures. But they’re not enough to keep him contented as visions of his late father, get in his head about his failures as Peter the Great’s son. Catherine the Great starts making a name for herself beyond her borders and inspired by a visit from the US ambassador, sets up a conference where peasants, nobles and merchants can all give their input on developing a new Russia. She learns that even the best political leaders sometimes need to make compromises in order to progress.“
Series creator Tony McNamara had told The Hollywood Reporter’s TV’s Top 5 podcast in 2021 that he didn’t know exactly how long the series would last. “I know a whole bunch of events that are interesting that you can hang things on,” McNamara said. “At the moment, I try not to look too far ahead. At the end of season two, I didn’t quite know what season three was. I like not knowing what comes next. If you have a show with a great ensemble and a great bunch of characters, you can invent as you go for a while.“
While it’s a bummer that The Great has been canceled, the third season did provide would could be seen as a natural end point. Is there more story that could be told? Definitely, but it didn’t exactly leave things hanging and it shouldn’t stop you from watching the series.