Elle Fanning gives The Great a final “Huzzah!”
Hulu canceled The Great after three seasons earlier this year
Aux News The Great
Canceled in the middle of SAG-AFTRA’s now-successful multi-month work stoppage, Hulu’s historical satire The Great went down without a word from its cast. Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult were unable to discuss AMPTP projects while the strike continued, meaning that they couldn’t speak to the sudden demise of their beloved series. Well, the strikes are over, and Elle Fanning, now free of her restrictive corset, has something to say.
“I haven’t been able to properly share my thoughts after the news of The Great’s cancellation,” Fanning wrote on Instagram. “This show has meant the world to me. The experiences shared. The memories I’ll never forget.”
Fanning, who spent the last three seasons playing Empress of Russia Catherine the Great opposite her husband Nicholas Hoult’s Emperor Peter III, praised her cast and great, saying she loves them “deeply.” However, she only singled out creator Tony McNamara as a “genius,” which has got to sting.
“Through playing Catherine, I discovered parts of myself I didn’t know I had,” she continued. “Although I won’t get to lace up my corset one last time, I am forever proud of what we accomplished together. In my mind, Catherine is left ‘shaking it all night long’ finally stepping into the leader we always knew she would become, a multitude of lovers thrown in for good measure, many macaroons, vodka shots, long-winded speeches, battles of wit, and of course HUUU-FUCKING-ZZAHHHHSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Hulu unceremoniously put an end to The Great in August, following three well-regarded, Emmy-winning seasons. Though as our own Saloni Gajjar made clear in her review of the now-final season, The Great went “out in a blaze of glory” as “Hulu’s flagship comedy because of this unique creative vision.”
14 Comments
I will miss this show. Fanning was outstanding, as was Hoult. I remember when they were little kids in movies and I feel old.
This was my favorite on-air show when it was running and I’ll miss it dearly, but the season finale was a very good, definitive-feeling stopping point, and it’s hard to imagine the series continuing without … well, y’know … in the cast.
I really didn’t get the praise for this show. The first season was good, but afterwards it seemed like it was written by a teenager trying to be ‘shocking’ by showing sex or swearing or violence i.e. the most conservative ways to rebel.
The show found a pretty lovely way to end. It could have found material for a fourth season, but the death of Hoult’s characters definitely gave the third a good sense of finality.
Does Hulu make a point of not promoting their shows very widely?
This is fine. They messed with the timeline so much (like by keeping Peter alive) that it already felt drawn out.
This show ruled; I never understood why it didn’t get the buzz other period costume dramas get, when it’s so funny and well-plotted on top of all the typical pleasures of the genre. (Well, if you’re not super-duper into historical accuracy, anyway.)
Don’t think I’ve ever seen a show where everyone involved seemed to be having so much fun. Gonna miss them!
You know things are clicking on a set when every single guest star goes all-out.
The dance number at the end was a fine way to end.
This show was awesome. I honestly didn’t see a new season coming after Hoult died. It ended fine for me. The characters were all awesome. You hated them one episode, loved them the next, felt bad for them, laughed at them. Velementov is one of my favs.
This should have been an absolute flagship show gold mine for Hulu. It’s modern, irreverent, has some major stars, fits the costume trend, and most of all brought drama and fun. Yet it was poorly promoted, dumped at once in a useless emmy chase vs a couple HBO shows, and left to die.
“However, she only singled out creator Tony McNamara as a “genius,” which has got to sting.”what the fuck are you talking about stop trying to manufacture drama on this trash raganyway, probably for the best, they didn’t really have much narrative runway left
I will miss this show, but it went out on a great note.