Huzzah! ‘The Great’ Season 2 Is Coming To Hulu
The Greatwill continue its reign for a second season. Just two months afterThe FavouritewriterTony McNamara’s historical satire series debuted on Hulu to positive reviews and a healthy response from content-starved quarantine viewers, the streamer has renewedThe Greatfor a season 2. After all, Russia wasn’t changed in a day.
What comes after the coup? Sure, we can look to history books to find out the truth of how Catherine the Great deposed Emperor Peter and rose to become the longest-reigning female rule in Russia’s history. But what would be the fun in seeing what actually happened if we can have the satirical version that we get inThe Great, the farcical comedy created, written, and executive produced byTony McNamara. Hulu has renewed the historical comedy series for a 10-episode second season, less than two months after the series debuted to positive reviews on May 15.
The Oscar-nominated writer ofThe Favouritebrought his signature brand of sharp, absurdist humor toThe Great, which starsElle Fanningas Catherine,Nicholas Houltin a hysterically buffoonish turn as Emperor Peter, as well asPhoebe Fox,Adam Godley,Gwilym Lee,Charity Wakefield,Douglas Hodge,Sacha Dhawan,Sebastian de Souza,Bayo Gbadamosi, andBelinda Bromilow.
While it doesn’t have quite the same bite asThe Favourite,The Greatis still a fantastic tongue-in-cheek comedy with stellar lead performances by Fanning and Hoult. In myreview, I calledThe Great"a thoroughly enjoyable historical comedy, if a bit lighter on the satire than expected. The editing is brisk, the grotesque scenes of debauchery are darkly funny, and the royal scheming is pretty compelling stuff — with McNamara dipping into hisFavouritebag as inspiration for the catty rivalries that Catherine makes. It may not be unquestionably great, but it’s certainly a grand old time."
The season ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, with Fanning’s Catherine finally pulling off the coup that would depose her husband, though it could have easily ended there. But it would be fascinating to seeThe Greatdelve into what happens after the coup, and how Catherine would maintain her position of power as the new ruler of Russia.
The Greatis also executive produced by Marian Macgowan, Thruline’s Josh Kesselman and Ron West, Echo Lake’s Brittany Kahan Ward, Doug Mankoff and Andrew Spaulding, Elle Fanning, Mark Winemaker and Matt Shakman. There’s no word yet on whenThe Greatseason 2 would premiere.
