What's Next for Catherine? All About 'The Great' Season 3

Now that Catherine has attempted to kill her husband, will they live happily ever after?

Marriage is tough enough without the added responsibility of running an empire, so it’s no surprise that mixing the two leads to a fair amount of murder. That’s right—The Great is returning for Season 3, giving fans another round of episodes where Catherine (Elle Fanning) and Peter (Nicholas Hoult) must decide whether they’re in love or want to kill each other (or both).

“Audiences are not prepared for this season,” Fanning wrote via Instagram in December 2022 after filming wrapped on the new episodes. “It is truly spectacular.”

When Season 2 wrapped up, Catherine had just stabbed a man she thought was her husband only to find out that it was his body double, Pugachev (also Hoult). As luck would have it, the real Peter caught her mid-murder. Will these two warring lovebirds make it work, or will there be another assassination attempt?

Read on for everything to know about The Great Season 3.

Is The Great based on a true story?

A quick Google search might spoil the show, but as fans of The Great know, the series is only very loosely inspired by the real lives of Catherine the Great and Peter III of Russia. The series is based on Tony McNamara’s 2008 play of the same name, which also included plenty of factual errors.

“When we made [the play] The Great, there was someone who questioned some of the big mistakes that I was making with history,” McNamara told The Guardian in 2021. “And I was like, ‘They have to be big.’ People have to know we’re making mistakes on purpose, rather than ‘we’ve made a few changes.’ Then it’s poor history professors tearing their hair out. At least with ours, the history professors can go, ‘They don’t know what they’re doing!’”

Related: Elle Fanning Said 'Optimism and Hopefulness' Led Her to Play Catherine

Despite the fact that many of the plotlines are pure fiction, Fanning still wanted to do a bit of reading on the real Catherine before playing her on screen. “When I was first cast, Tony told me there was really no need to do any research, because the story is not tied to historic fact,” she told Harper’s Bazaar UK in April 2023.

“But I did do some, because before I stepped into her shoes, the only thing I knew about Catherine the Great was the rumor she’d had sex with a horse—which actually feels like one of the earliest forms of slut-shaming. So, partly, I wanted to reclaim her name a bit—to bring to the fore how progressive she was in championing science and female education, being an engine behind the Russian Enlightenment, separating church and state.”

The dramedy does cover the progressive aims of Catherine’s governance, and that’s not going to change in the new episodes. She may not be able to reconcile with Peter, but she’ll at least try to improve the future of Russia.

What is The Great Season 3 about?

Season 2 of The Great ended with Catherine’s attempted murder of Peter, which failed because she stabbed his body double instead. Peter now knows that his wife tried to kill him, and that understandably poses a huge problem for their marriage going forward. Additionally, Peter is struggling to play second fiddle to his wife now that she’s ruling Russia.

On the political front, Catherine gets a visit from a United States ambassador, who inspires her to bring peasants, nobles, and merchants together for a conference on how to improve Russia.

Related: All About the Must-See 'City on Fire' Adaptation

What is The Great Season 3 release date?

Season 3 of The Great premieres on Hulu Friday, May 12, 2023. The streaming service has confirmed that all 10 episodes will premiere at once.

Is there a trailer for The Great Season 3?

Hulu released a trailer for Season 3 of The Great in April 2023.

The video begins with Catherine and Peter discussing the “challenges” of their marriage, which were exacerbated by “some bloodshed.” Later in the clip, Catherine declares she’s “no longer the child bride” she was when she arrived in Russia, and she’s ready to become the leader she promised herself she would be.

Who is in The Great Season 3 cast?

Most of the main cast members from Season 2 of The Great will be back, with the notable exception of Gillian Anderson as Catherine’s mother, Joanna, who died by falling out a window after having sex with Peter.

Elle Fanning (Catherine)

Elle Fanning returns as Catherine the Great, fresh off her 2022 Emmy nomination for the role. Since getting her start as a child star in the early 2000s, she’s starred in the Sofia Coppola films Somewhere and The Beguiled as well as 20th Century Women, The Neon Demon, Super 8 and Maleficent.

Nicholas Hoult (Peter)

Nicholas Hoult will be back as Catherine’s husband, Peter. Like Fanning, he earned an Emmy nomination for his performance in 2022. Hoult has previously appeared in Mad Max: Fury Road, Warm Bodies, The Menu, Tolkien and Renfield. He also played Hank McCoy, aka Beast, in X-Men: First Class and its sequels.

Phoebe Fox (Marial)

Phoebe Fox stars as Marial, Catherine’s BFF and confidante. Fox’s other film and TV credits include The Aeronauts, The Woman in Black: Angel of Death, Black Mirror, and Eye in the Sky.

Adam Godley (Archie)

Adam Godley plays the Archbishop, aka Archie. An accomplished theater actor, Godley has earned two Tony Award nominations for his roles in Anything Goes and The Lehman Trilogy. On screen, he’s appeared in The Umbrella Academy, Powers, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Nanny McPhee and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Breaking Bad fans may also recognize him as Elliott Schwartz, the wealthy chemist who was previously Walter White’s partner.

Gwilym Lee (Grigor)

Gwilym Lee, who stars as Peter’s friend Grigor, is perhaps best known for playing guitarist Brian May in the movie Bohemian Rhapsody. His other credits include The Hollow Crown, Midsomer Murders and Jamestown.

Charity Wakefield (Georgina)

Charity Wakefield plays Grigor’s wife, Georgina. Wakefield previously appeared in Wolf Hall, Sense & Sensibility, The Player and Casualty 1900s.

Douglas Hodge (Velementov)

Douglas Hodge appears as the fictional General Velementov, whose infatuation with Catherine causes plenty of problems. Like Godley, Hodge is an accomplished stage veteran, winning a Tony Award in 2010 for his performance in La Cage aux Folles. His film and TV credits include Joker, Gemini Man, Catastrophe, Penny Dreadful, Lost in Space and The Undoing.

Belinda Bromilow (Elizabeth)

Belinda Bromilow portrays Peter’s aunt Elizabeth. The actress played Betty Bell on Doctor Doctor from 2016 to 2021. She has also appeared in Rake, Packed to the Rafters and Spirited.

Sacha Dhawan (Orlo)

Sacha Dhawan stars as Orlo, who is loosely based on the real person Grigory Orlov. Dhawan has previously appeared in Marvel’s Iron Fist, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Being Human and Outsourced.

How many episodes are in The Great Season 3?

The Great season 3 will consist of 10 hour-long episodes.

How to watch The Great Season 3

The Great season 3 will be available to Hulu subscribers on Friday, May 12, 2023.

Is The Great on Netflix?

Because The Great is a Hulu original series, it is not likely to debut on Netflix at any point in the future.

Next, The Best Movies Based on True Stories.