The Great season 2: release date, cast, trailer, and latest news
In season two of Hulu's historical romp, Elle Fanning is joined by Gillian Anderson.
Huzzah! Channel 4 has finally confirmed the UK broadcasting date for The Great season 2, arriving in late July 2022.
Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult both reprise their roles as a warring royal couple in the second season of Hulu's The Great – the streamer's zany, bawdy historical romp about Catherine the Great (Fanning), and billed as “an occasionally true story”.
The first episode kicks off with a pregnant Catherine (Fanning) in a bind, after she managed to wrest power from her idiotic husband at the end of season one – but failed to kill him, to the continued consternation of her advisors. In the meantime, Peter (Hoult) decides that he must win his wife's affection, by any means necessary.
In season 2, "Catherine finally takes the Russian throne for her own – but she will quickly learn that dethroning her husband was just the beginning," according to the official synopsis.
"Catherine must now face the realities of ‘liberating’ a country that doesn’t want to be free. Her fight to bring enlightenment to Russia will mean battling her own court and those closest to her, including her own mother."
The anachronistic, "fictionalised" series first aired last year, and follows a teenage Catherine as she arrives in Russia for an arranged marriage to the mercurial, philandering Emperor Peter.
Penned by Tony McNamara, co-writer of The Favourite, the Emmy-nominated drama won rave reviews during its first outing (check out our four-star review of The Great season one), and expectations are even higher this year, especially given the high-profile cast addition of Gillian Anderson (Sex Education, The Crown) as Elle Fanning's on-screen mother.
Read on for everything you need to know about The Great season two.
The Great season 2 release date
The Great season 2 premieres on Channel 4 on 27th July 2022 at 10pm.
The new season of The Great previously premiered on STARZPLAY via Amazon Prime Video on Sunday 5th December in the UK.
In the US, The Great season two premiered on Hulu on Friday 19th November.
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The Great season 2 cast
Elle Fanning plays future Russian leader Catherine the Great alongside Nicholas Hoult (The Favourite) as her idiotic husband, Emperor Peter. Season two also sees the addition of Gillian Anderson, playing Fanning's on-screen mother, Joanna.
Other The Great cast members from season one include Sebastian de Souza (Skins) as Catherine's court lover Leo; Sacha Dhawan as Orlov; Adam Godley as the Orthodox archbishop; and Phoebe Fox as Marial.
The Great season 2 trailer
You can watch the trailer for The Great season two below to get a first glimpse at Gillian Anderson in character – and to hear some truly incredible bits of dialogue!
The Great is available on STARZPLAY via Amazon Prime Video in the UK, and on Hulu in the US. The series debuts on Channel 4 in July 2022.
Looking for something else to watch? Visit our Drama hub or check out our TV Guide.
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