Streaming
The Great Has “Sufficient Material” To Continue Beyond A Potential Season 4
First, Hulu has to renew the period dramedy.
When Hulu’s The Great returned for Season 3 on May 12, Catherine and Peter’s relationship was on the brink. “There is marriage counseling… we play a lot of games, there’s a lot of talking, there’s a marriage witch involved that helps us — or doesn’t help us that much,” Elle Fanning, who plays Catherine the Great, teased during a Deadline event in April. “This is my favorite season yet — by far. I think we all felt that way filming it.”
Though Hulu has yet to renew The Great for Season 4, the historical dramedy’s reign is likely to continue. Executive producer Marian Macgowan told Decider in 2020 that they initially pitched six seasons, and she believes there’s “sufficient material to take us through until [Catherine] is an old woman.” The following year, however, series creator Tony McNamara said that he’s not sure how many seasons the show will run.
“I know a whole bunch of events that are interesting that you can hang things on,” McNamara told The Hollywood Reporter in November 2021. “At the moment, I try not to look too far ahead. At the end of Season 2, I didn’t quite know what Season 3 was. I like not knowing what comes next. If you have a show with a great ensemble and a great bunch of characters, you can invent as you go for a while.”
As you await the streamer’s decision either way, here’s everything to know about a potential fourth season of The Great.
The Great Season 4 Cast
Though any casting announcements remain forthcoming, Fanning starred in Season 3 alongside: Nicholas Hoult (Peter III/Pugachev), Phoebe Fox (Marial), Adam Godley (Archie), Gwilym Lee (Grigor), Charity Wakefield (Georgina), Douglas Hodge (Velementov), Sacha Dhawan (Orlo), Bayo Gbadamosi (Arkady), and Belinda Bromilow (Aunt Elizabeth).
Fanning, who’s also an executive producer on the series, also previewed that actors Grace Molony and Freddie Fox (Sweden’s Queen Agnes and King Hugo, respectively) would play a “very big role” in Season 3. Also stepping more into the spotlight is Henry Meredith, who plays Marial’s kid-husband, Maxim. Calling Meredith a “scene stealer” in an Entertainment Weekly interview, Fanning joked that the child actor “kept wanting to get into the blooper reel because that's the only thing his friends can see. So he would like mess up takes just for the bloopers.”
The Great Season 4 Potential Premiere Date
Filming for Season 3 reportedly took place between July and December 2022, ahead of a May premiere. Depending on if Hulu green-lights a Season 4, a May 2024 return for The Great still appears to be within the realm of possibility.
This post will be updated as more The Great Season 4 details become available.
