Tony McNamara (‘The Great’ creator): ‘Still really funny, but darker and more emotional’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
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“Every season changes slightly,” admits “The Great” showrunner Tony McNamara in our recent webchat. He continues, “This season I thought would still be really funny, but darker and more emotional.” Watch our exclusive video interview above. Warning: This interview and article contain large spoilers for the third season.
The third season of “The Great” was just released on Hulu. McNamara created and writes for the comedy series. It follows Catherine (Elle Fanning) who marries emperor Peter (Nicholas Hoult) and rises to rule Russia as Catherine the Great. The third season focuses on Catherine contending with the burden of ruling alongside the realization she actually loves her husband. McNamara says, “Catherine has changed a lot. She was a romantic purist of ideology. This season, she has to think about putting guns on her own people. You see scenes Elle did where you think she’s lost her mind, like a kid who is out of their depth. She has to find her way back.”
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The sixth episode of the season, titled ‘Ice,’ contains the the most shocking twist of the series. After Peter takes the Russian army to invade Sweden, Catherine meets him at a frozen river to dissuade the scheme. As he returns across the river, his horse falls through the ice. Catherine is heartbroken as she stands, transfixed on the spot her husband was moments earlier.
On the decision to kill Peter, the creator reveals, “At the end of season 1, I knew it would be season 3. Even though it had become a love story, they were so different. He was going to pull apart her rule if he had the chance. Eventually it had to end. I knew I didn’t want anyone to kill him. I wanted it to be that his fate and his flaw had brought him to this point. That’s what killed him. It’s what happens in life, random xxxxing stupidity and dumb luck. But, all his decisions were dumb that took him to that point of being on the ice on the horse.”
The series is billed as “an occasional true story.” McNamara explains, “We tell the truth in our own way. Every season there are three things Catherine does that she did in real life, not exactly as it happened. But, with an essence that honors her approach, her curiosity and her drive and her imperfectness. She wasn’t a perfect leader. She did make mistakes. She wasn’t always great.”
The creator reflects, “The most important thing whenever I approach the show, is weirdly that it’s fun, which is about character and tone for me. Writing is fun and writing comedy is fun. If it’s fun in the room, it’s fun on the page. Then the actors are free to have fun. It’s hard work, but for me that’s the main thing.”
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