Nicholas Hoult Series Canceled Despite Winning Major Awards
According to Deadline, after three seasons and several awards, Hulu has canceled the series The Great. The move comes as an absolute shock to both fans and critics alike, but it also exemplifies the continuing rise in streaming cancellations, even of beloved and well-reviewed series. Starring Elle Fanning as Catherine the Great, the series represented a fresh take on historical dramas, depicting a period in Russian history from 1762 to 1796 with a contemporary, engaging style.
The Great starring Nicholas Hoult and Elle Fanning, has been canceled at Hulu.
The Great was created, written, and executive produced by Tony McNamara and featured such anachronisms as the Russian empress dancing to AC/DC. The series was nominated for multiple Emmys and won a trophy in the Outstanding Period Costumes category in 2022.
Fanning was nominated twice for Golden Globes for her role as Catherine and also earned an award from the Screen Actors Guild, as well as an independent Spirit Award and a Critics Choice Award.
At this point, Hulu’s decision to end the series is still without clear motivation as the streamer has declined to comment on the situation.
The Great starred Nicholas Holt as Catherine’s husband Peter III and was a satirical comedy-drama whose subtitle was An Occasionally True Story, indicating that the series played fast and loose with history.
It was that approach that had garnered the series not only critical acclaim but a strong fan following, a popularity that only further contributes to confusion surrounding why the series was canceled. At this point, Hulu’s decision to end the series is still without clear motivation as the streamer has declined to comment on the situation.
The third season of The Great, which has become its final season, did not exactly leave fans wondering what would happen next or awaiting the resolution of a cliffhanger. At this point, that might be seen as a good thing since any such narrative device would now have no way to be resolved.
It is still truly a disappointment for followers of the series, though, and points to the present instability of streaming platforms as they continue to cancel series after series.
The Strikes And The Great
Of course, it would have been some time before fans saw a new season of The Great anyway because of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike and WAGA strike that are presently halting production of most films and series. Whether the strikes have played any role in this particular cancellation or not is unclear at present, though they have been blamed for other cancellations as studios continue their push back against writers and actors who are concerned about the future of their careers.
While no one was expecting to go back to work on the series anytime soon under the circumstances, the cancellation surely comes as a difficult blow to all involved, both in the cast and in the crew, who almost certainly did not see this coming.
As of this writing, The Great continues to stream on Hulu and has not been removed, unlike other series on other streamers like Willow and Star Trek: Prodigy. Whether producers will be able to find another streaming home for the beloved series remains to be seen, but for now, the reign of Catherine the Great seems to be over.
