Hulu has released the first trailer for the upcoming second season of its "anti-historical" dramedy series The Great, loosely based on real-life monarch Catherine the Great's rise to power as Empress of Russia. The satirical TV show stars Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult as Catherine the Great and Peter III of Russia, respectively. Season 2 of The Great will premiere this November on Hulu.
The Great's trailer drop coincided with its TCA panel, where Fanning and Hoult, who also serve as executive producers on the series, were joined by series creator and EP Tony McNamara as well as executive producer Marian Macgowan. Judging by the trailer, it seems that Peter (Hoult) is going to be responding to the knowledge that his wife Catherine tried to overthrow him in a particularly hilarious fashion — but vengeance can also be a competition, as this couple reveals. Propositioning his wife for intimacy is also met with the declaration that Catherine would rather "choke to death on this tiny chicken."
Back in May, it was revealed that actress Gillian Anderson (who makes a brief appearance in the trailer below) had been cast to play Catherine the Great's mother Joanna, a glamorous German socialite who rushes to her daughter's aid in the aftermath of the major cliffhanger that occurred at the end of Season 1 (what with Catherine successfully overthrowing her husband and all). In addition to Hoult and Fanning, returning cast members to The Great include Phoebe Fox as Marial, Sacha Dhawan as Count Orlo, and Gwilym Lee as Grigor Dymov.
Season 2 of The Great will premiere November 19. Season 1 is currently available to stream on Hulu. Check out the new trailer below:
Here's the official synopsis for Season 2:
In season two of “The Great,” Catherine finally takes the Russian throne for her own—but if she thought coup-ing her husband was difficult, it’s nothing compared to the realities of liberating a country that doesn’t want to be. She’ll battle her court, her team, even her own mother (played by guest star Gillian Anderson) in a bid to bring the Enlightenment to Russia. Meanwhile, she’ll also battle her heart as Peter slowly transitions from a much-hated husband to a prisoner? Ally? Lover? Ultimately, Catherine will learn that to change a country, you must let it change you, that there is a fine line between idealism and delusion, and that becoming “Great” will ask more of her than she could have imagined.