‘The Great’ trailer: First look at Hulu’s new Catherine the Great comedy-drama

Hulu has released the first trailer for The Great.

Set in 18th Century Russia, the series will follow the rise of Catherine the Great from outsider to the longest-reigning female ruler in Russia’s history.

The Great stars Elle Fanning (Ginger & Rosa) as Catherine and Nicholas Hoult (The Favourite) as Peter III of Russia.

Described as a “satirical, comedic drama”, with “only occasional historical facts”, it sounds like a very different version of the story from Helen Mirren’s Catherine the Great series, which aired on HBO last year.

Watch the trailer:

 

From the writer of The Favourite, The Great will premiere in the US on Friday 15th May exclusively on Hulu.

It’ll be available to watch in the UK on StarzPlay and will also air later this year on Channel 4.

The officials synopsis reads: “Season 1 is a fictionalized, fun and anachronistic story of an idealistic, romantic young girl, who arrives in Russia for an arranged marriage to the mercurial Emperor Peter. Hoping for love and sunshine, she finds instead a dangerous, depraved, backward world that she resolves to change.

“All she has to do is kill her husband, beat the church, baffle the military and get the court onside. A very modern story about the past which encompasses the many roles she played over her lifetime as lover, teacher, ruler, friend, and fighter.”

The cast also includes Gwilym Lee (Bohemian Rhapsody) as Grigor, and Phoebe Fox (Eye in the Sky) as Marial, alongside Adam Godley (Breaking Bad),  Charity Wakefield (Sense & Sensibility), Douglas Hodge (Penny Dreadful), and Sacha Dhawan (Dracula).

HBO’s Catherine the Great series is available to watch on Amazon.