The Great season 3 release date has now arrived, so who’s in the cast and what happens in the plot? The acclaimed ‘anti–historical’ TV series loosely based on the life of Catherine the Great. Telling “an almost entirely untrue story,” we’ve laughed, cried, and have been left gripping the edges of our seats thanks to the show’s multiple cliff-hangers.
It’s one of the best drama series around right now — and perhaps one of the best TV series overall — and now The Great season 3 is here to continue the story. We’ve gathered the juicy gossip from the court of Catherine and are ready to spill all the details. So here’s everything we know about The Great season 3 cast, plot, and more.
The Great season 3 cast
It will shock absolutely no one to know that all the leading members of the royal court are back for The Great season 3 cast.
Along with the leading couple, their close confidants and advisors will also all be making a return since most are alive and (despite a few being imprisoned ) are un-exiled… at least for now.
The Great season 3 cast list includes:
- Elle Fanning as Catherine the Great
- Nicholas Hoult as Peter II of Russia and Pugachev
- Phoebe Fox as Marial
- Sacha Dhawan as Count Orlo
- Belinda Bromilow as Aunt Elizabeth
- Adam Godley as Archie
- Gwilym Lee as Grigor
- Charity Wakefield as Georgina
- Douglas Hodge as General Velementov
- Bayo Gbadamosi as Arkady
- Florence Keith-Roach as Tatyana
With a lot of death, The Great cast will be bound to change going into future seasons, with some stars exiting the show and some new faces emerging to replace them.
The Great season 3 plot
The Great season 3 plot features some enormous, huge developments for the cast and characters and features some shocking deaths. (Spoilers ahead.)
The season begins with Catherine and Peter reconciling and attending marriage counselling following on from Catherine’s attempt to kill Peter at the end of season 2. Quite quickly, poor Orlo is accidentally killed by Catherine while out hunting, and he’s eaten by bears.
A power struggle also ensues between Catherine and Peter regarding their son Paul’s ordination, however this is swiftly put aside when — brace yourself — Peter dies by falling through ice on a frozen lake and drowning. His death causes Catherine to breakdown.
Simultaneously, Peter’s lookalike Pugachev is instigating a major rebellion and uprising against Catherine. He is eventually killed however, and Catherine is able to finally consolidate her power as the sole ruler of Russia, though she still grieves the loss of Peter.
This won’t be the end of The Great, however, and executive producer Marian Macgowan has spoken openly about how there is enough material to continue exploring Catherine the Great’s rule long after Peter’s death.
The Great season 3 trailer
The Great season 3 trailer released in April 2023, and gave a brief look at the series while retaining a lot of ambiguity. It gave a hint of the uprising led by Pugachev, but kept all the main details (and deaths) hidden.
The Great season 3 release date and reviews
The Great season 3 debuted on Hulu on May 12, 2023. All ten episodes of the show dropped at once.
If you’re in the UK, you’ll have to wait until July to catch up. Check out our guide on how to watch The Great season 3 for more details.
The Great season 3 reviews have been very positive so far, and the series currently holds an impressive 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Where can I watch The Great season 3?
The Great season 3 is streaming on Hulu in the US.
UK viewers will be able to stream The Great season 3 in July through Lionsgate Plus, which can be accessed through Prime Video. If you want to sign up for a Prime membership or experience a 30-day free trial of Amazon’s services, click our link here.
How many episodes are in The Great season 3?
The Great season 3 consists of 10 episodes. This is the same as the previous two seasons, which is nice for consistency.
And that’s all, folks! That’s everything we know about The Great season 3. For more on the show, learn about the true story that inspired The Great.
Or, for more historical fun and romantic stories, here are our guides to Bridgerton season 3, Shadow and Bone season 3 and House of the Dragon season 2 …what do you mean it’s not real?