It seems that not even an A-list cast, multiple Emmy nominations and rave reviews are enough to save a television series in this era of cancellations and culls. After the unsurprising news that The Idol has been axed, the mildly surprising news that Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea prequel Nautilus will not be released at all, and the disheartening news that A League Of Their Own will not get its promised ending, comes the genuinely eyebrow-raising announcement that The Great has been cancelled by Hulu after three magnificently extroverted, “huzzah!”-soaked seasons.
The Great is one of the most enjoyable shows on television. Created by Tony McNamara, who co-wrote The Favourite, it follows Elle Fanning’s Catherine from the naive beginnings of her marriage to Peter III (grandson of Peter the Great), to her emergence as a key figure in the Enlightenment and rise to Empress of All Russia in her own right. This doesn’t necessarily sound like the stuff of comedy greatness, but war-addled Russia in the 18th century proved to be surprisingly fertile ground for rambunctious dark humour. Nicholas Hoult co-stars as the simple, violent, idiotic yet striving Peter, who underestimates his young wife before falling for her completely, all the while locked in a hostile battle of the wills with her. They love each other, they hate each other, they try to kill each other, they have a baby, to a loud backdrop of smashed plates and blasting cannons. It makes that Christmas episode of The Bear look like Couples Therapy.
