Huzzah! The Great Has Been Renewed For Season 3 By Hulu
True, twisted love never dies: "The Great" is officially renewed for a third season at Hulu. The historical dark comedy just dropped an excellent second season in November, and there's more where that came from, according to Variety.
"The Great" is billed as "An Occasionally True Story," a note that became all the more relevant in its second season when Catherine (Elle Fanning) took over the Russian throne. Rather than having her husband Peter (Nicholas Hoult) killed, as history shows he was after the coup, Catherine kept him sequestered as she attempted to win over the Russian people. By the end of the second season, the historical note has been adjusted to say "An Almost Entirely Untrue Story." In the final scene, the pair of hateful lovers have become irrevocably tied together, with The Velvet Underground's "I'm Sticking With You" underscoring the drama of their latest bloody power game.
There's More Anachronistic Ground To Cover
The series is created by "The Favourite" co-writer Tony McNamara, based on his play of the same name. Alongside Fanning and Hoult, it stars Charity Wakefield, Douglas Hodge, Sacha Dhawan, Phoebe Fox, Adam Godley, Gwilym Lee, Bayo Gbadamosi, and Belinda Bromilow. While the streamer's season 3 announcement doesn't include any plot details, Variety reports that the third season will include 10 episodes.
"The Great" is part of a wave of historically anachronistic comedy shows, which also includes the Apple TV+ series "Dickinson" and "Miracle Workers." Unlike those other two shows, though, "The Great" is most known for its venom. Catherine and Peter frequently try to kill each other, and murder and viciousness are two of the show's most frequent punchlines. Still, the series has evolved across its first two seasons, with both leads settling perfectly into their roles. Season 3 ended with the couple having just welcomed a son, but it also ends with Peter on higher ground after witnessing Catherine's true feelings for him when she cries over what she assumes is his dead body.
The deliciously mean-spirited show has plenty of plot threads left to explore, including Marial's sham marriage to her 8-year-old cousin, Georgina's ulterior motives for returning to court, and of course, the central duo's plans for Russia. There's no word yet on when "The Great" will return, but a show this clever and entertaining is worth the wait.
The first two seasons of "The Great" are available to stream on Hulu.