‘The Great’ Cancelled at Hulu After Three Seasons

In what is the biggest surprise in a recent trend of streaming cancellations, Hulu will not move forward with a fourth season of their hit series, The Great.

According to Deadline, It’s unclear what made the streamer decide to cancel the comedy despite receiving numerous accolades including positive reviews and seven Emmy nominations since launching in 2020. It won an Emmy for Outstanding Period Costumes in 2022, the same year that stars Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult were nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress and Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, respectively.

The Great is a historical and satirical black comedy–drama about the rise of Catherine the Great from outsider to the longest-reigning female ruler in Russia’s history. The series is fictionalized and portrays Catherine in her youth and marriage to Emperor Peter III of Russia, focusing on the plot to kill her depraved and dangerous husband.

The Great was created, and is mostly written, by Australian playwright and screenwriter Tony McNamara, based on his 2008 play of the same name. The series does not aim for historical accuracy, and was described by Hulu as “anti-historical”.

The series also stars Phoebe Fox, Adam Godley, Gwilym Lee, Charity Wakefield, Douglas Hodge, Sacha Dhawan, Sebastian de Souza, Bayo Gbadamosi and Belinda Bromilow. Several key characters were killed off in the third season, which earned the strongest accolades compared to the previous two seasons. It is unknown if a new network will pick up the series for a fourth season.