Starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult and created and produced by Tony McNamara, “The Great” followed Catherine the Great — Russia’s longest-reigning empress from 1762 to 1796 — as she navigated her roller-coaster relationship with husband Peter III of Russia. “The Great” is subtitled “An occasionally true story,” but it’s more of a flamboyant, darkly comedic autofiction than it is a factual biopic.
Hulu is remaining tight-lipped as to why the acclaimed dramedy was suddenly canceled and on Wednesday declined The Times’ request for comment.
During its three-season run, “The Great” scored seven Emmy nominations and took home the 2022 Emmy for outstanding period costumes. Fanning and Hoult were both Emmy-nominated for their performances, and Fanning nabbed SAG, Critics Choice and Independent Spirit awards for her portrayal of Catherine, as well as two Golden Globe nominations.
The Times’ television critic Robert Lloyd wrote of “The Great” that the “dialogue is crisp and a little eccentric, the performances impeccable, the production first-rate, Nathan Barr’s score subtly arresting.”
“Above all there is Fanning, a porcelain figurine come to complicated life, who grounds the series even as she seems to float through it.”
For three seasons on the anti-historical series, the Emmy-nominated actors, who first worked together in the 2014 sci-fi film “Young Ones,” went toe to toe as the most toxic married couple ever. Although they often despised each other on screen, shooting their final scenes together was heart wrenching for the stars.
The third, final, and most acclaimed season premiered May 12 and Fanning and Hoult spoke with The Times in June, after — SPOILER ALERT! — several major characters were killed off, Hoult’s Peter III among them.
“I think we can both appreciate that it was so special to get to play these characters and be in those scenes together,” Hoult told The Times. “Knowing that it was the last time we’d get to do that was very difficult.”
“The final [moment we filmed] is over our shoulders, and it’s Catherine and Peter sitting on a log in the snow, looking out at the lake. Before we shot that, [creator McNamara] came over, and he had a small bottle of vodka, and he was like, ‘Come on, let’s have a little farewell toast.’ So the three of us did that and had a big hug, and then we went and did it.”
Fanning and Hoult also revealed that they’re looking forward to working together again and already have an idea for a script in the works.
“We have our road-trip comedy that we’re gonna write, which I think is a great idea,” Fanning told The Times. “It has to have some humor in it, of course, but I think we need to also find maybe an iconic couple in Hollywood or an iconic duo that we can do — maybe Paul Newman [and Joanne Woodward]?”
Phoebe Fox, Adam Godley, Bayo Gbadamosi, Charity Wakefield, Douglas Hodge, Sacha Dhawan, Gwilym Lee and Belinda Bromilow also starred in “The Great.” The show was co-executive produced by Fanning, Hoult, Marian Macgowan, Mark Winemaker, Brittany Kahan Ward, Doug Mankoff and Andrew Spaulding, Ron West and Josh Kesselman.
Times’contributor Max Gao contributed to this report.