Cancellations always hurt, but they hurt more when they are targeted by stories featuring powerful women. According to Deadline, Hulu canceled The Great after three seasons and we are devastated. Keep reading for more info!
Here we go!
Created, written, and executive produced by Tony McNamara, The Great starred Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult and reinvented the period drama by revisiting the life of Catherine the Great, Russia’s reigning empress from 1762 to 1796.
It depicted an iconic character and her place in history through a unique prism. Season 3 dropped on May 12 and revolved around Catherine (Fanning) and Nicholas (Hoult) working on their marriage.
The reasons why Hulu decided to cancel the show are not clear if we take into account that it garnered positive reviews and seven Emmy nominations since launching in 2020. It won an Emmy for Outstanding Period Costumes in 2022, the same year that Fanning and Hoult earned their first nominations for headlining the popular series.
Fanning also received numerous other accolades for her performance as Catherine, including a SAG, a Critics Choice, an Independent Spirit Award, and two Golden Globe nominations.
Hulu’s The Great had an incontestable success both in the audience and in critics, so this could not be the cause of its cancellation. However, the deaths of several key characters in season 3 may have something to do with it.
On the other hand, despite these deaths, season 3 earned the strongest accolades compared to the previous two seasons.
The good thing is that the season 3 finale — now, the series finale — wasn’t exactly a cliffhanger, as it ends with Catherine showing tremendous growth as a ruler (while sporting a new haircut). She also dances to AC/DC.
The Great is streaming now on Hulu.