Catherine the Great and her husband are headed to couples therapy.
After an assassination gone wrong left the fate — and the marriage — of Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning) and Peter (Nicholas Hoult) to hang in the balance, the oddly suited pair are determined to smooth over their issues by talking it out in the trailer for “The Great” Season 3, which premieres May 12 on Hulu.
“We’ve had some difficulties,” Catherine admits to what can only be assumed to be a therapist in the trailer, while Peter adds, “apparently marriage has challenges.”
“There was some blood shed,” Catherine continues, with Peter clarifying, “she tried to kill me.”
“Well, that shakes a man,” Peter says before Catherine asks their counselor how the pair can begin trust each other. Their advisor responds simply: “Faith,” which brings both Catherine and Peter to the agreement that this optimistic answer was “annoying.”
Catherine’s newfound dedication to solving the problems in her marriage also reinvigorates her sense of responsibility.
“I am no longer the child bride who took this place,” Catherine asserts. “But I will be the leader I promised myself I would be, letting all pursue their happiness as they see fit.” Her advisors liken this to anarchy. We’ll see how that plays out when the show returns.
Per the Season 3 synopsis: “Peter witnessed his own attempted murder at Catherine’s hands and she also imprisoned all of his friends. On top of this, Peter is at a loose end playing First Husband to Catherine’s reign, so he busies himself with fathering, hunting and salty culinary ventures. But they’re not enough to keep him contented as visions of his late father (played by Jason Isaacs), get in his head about his failures as Peter the Great’s son. Catherine the Great starts making a name for herself beyond her borders and inspired by a visit from the US ambassador, sets up a conference where peasants, nobles and merchants can all give their input on developing a new Russia. She learns that even the best political leaders sometimes need to make compromises in order to progress.”
Tony McNamara serves as creator, writer and executive producer for the series, which is produced by Civic Center Media in association with MRC Television. Additional executive producers include Marian Macgowan, Mark Winemaker, Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, Echo Lake’s Brittany Kahan Ward, Doug Mankoff and Andrew Spaulding, Thruline’s Ron West and Josh Kesselman.
All 10 episodes of “The Great” Season 3 premieres May 12 on Hulu.