I am definitely late to the gilded table, having just started the second season of “The Great” on Hulu since we recently switched from YouTube TV after their very short-lived drop of ESPN.
After the first episode, I was not quite taken with the overbearing satirical disposition of Peter III and his relationship with his deceased mother, whom he kept enshrined in a glass case. However, after further character development, all of the cast’s personalities became delightfully entertaining. Although I cannot understand much of what General Velementov is saying, when I do, it is clever and barbarously comical. The show is quite captivating and is made even greater with the backbone of true events that are sewn throughout the series.
I am always left wondering which parts of the story are based on truth and historical events, although many of the characters are either invented or altered. It is truly incredible that Catherine was able to take over the throne, as a woman, as an outsider and with no legitimate ties to the empire. She was definitely not perfect but had a beautiful vision of what Russia could be when she started, but politics and the erratic nature of power derailed her plans.
Here is more about the true story of Catherine the Great, as compared to the dramatized show on Hulu. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-story-catherine-great-180974863/
The Great is returning for a third season, with no official release date as of yet, but could be somewhere around November 2022. https://www.newsweek.com/great-season-3-renewed-hulu-release-date-cast-plot-elle-fanning-nicholas-hoult-1668430
Definitely give it a try if you haven’t already!