The Hulu series The Great is a series that uses a mixture of humor and personal drama to paint a vivid portrait of the life and reign of Catherine the Great, one of the most famous of Russian monarchs.
While the show is in many ways unique in its depiction of the past–playing fast and loose with the facts of history in a very self-conscious way, for example–it is a series that still contains a lot of similarities to many other shows, both period dramas and more contemporary pieces, all of which explore in one form or another the halls of power and those who wield it.
Reign (2013-2017)
Stream On Netflix
The CW’s Reign takes as its subject the youth of Mary, Queen of Scots, one of the most renowned (and, for some, infamous) queens of the Renaissance. For most of its length, it explored her life at the French court, where she was supposed to marry the dauphin.
While it was primarily framed as a teenage drama, Reign, like The Great, also demonstrated how difficult it was to be a woman born into a position of power and influence and expected to follow certain rules.
The Borgias (2011-2013)
Stream On Netflix & Showtime
Jeremy Irons has many great roles to his credit, and one of those is as Rodrigo Borgia, the powerful patriarch in the Showtime series The Borgias. Given that it aired on Showtime, the series focused heavily on the nature of desire, and how human foibles and ambition could tarnish even those who were supposed to be the leaders of the Catholic Church.
In its emphasis on the corruptions of power and the ornate nature of politics in the Renaissance, it has many similarities to The Great.
The Tudors (2007-2011)
Stream On Showtime
There are few kings as notorious as Henry VIII, famous for having six wives, two of whom he had executed for having an affair. The Tudors depicts these six marriages in lurid detail, showing how Henry’s voracious sexual appetite threatened to tear his country, and Europe, apart.
Just as importantly, fans of The Great will appreciate the ways in which this series also pays scrupulous and sympathetic attention to the women of Henry’s court, who were often victims of his lust.
Catherine The Great (2019)
Stream On HBO Max
While The Great depicts the early events of Catherine’s time at the Russian court, the HBO series Catherine the Great examines her later life. In this series, she is played by Helen Mirren in one of her best roles, as an aging empress trying to do her best to hold her country together and to weather the challenges of modernity while also engaging in a heated affair with one of the members of her court.
The series allows viewers to have a more nuanced view of this powerful and complicated Russian monarch.
The White Princess (2017)
Stream On Starz & Roku
Recently, Jodie Comer has received a great deal of acclaim for her portrayal of the brutal assassin Villanelle in Killing Eve, but before that she appeared as another formidable character, Elizabeth of York in The White Princess.
As she did with Villanelle, Comer imbues this character with a great deal of charisma, allowing viewers to cheer for Elizabeth as she struggles to survive in the aftermath of the death of most of her family, even as she finds herself growing closer to the man who has usurped the throne and married her to solidify his own power.
Succession (2018 – )
Stream On HBO Max
Even though it is not a period drama like The Great, the HBO series Succession still addresses some of the same themes, particularly the nature of power. It also shares a biting comedic sentiment, and there are many genuinely shocking moments in this series.
Arguably, however, the greatest similarity between the two series stems from the way it shows how one tyrannical man–Logan Roy, in this case–can bend everyone else to his brutal will, no matter how many people, including those he loves, he has to hurt in the process.
Outlander (2014- )
Stream On Starz & Netflix
Over the years, Starz has established a reputation for creating a number of costume dramas, and Outlander has been one of their most successful. It focuses on a World War II nurse, Claire, who travels back to 18th century Scotland, where she meets and falls in love with Scotsman Jamie Fraser.
Though it is more serious in its presentation than The Great, it does have moments of humor, and there’s an undeniable chemistry between its two leads, who find their love tested in many ways that they did not expect.
Vikings (2013-2020)
Stream On Amazon Prime, Hulu, & Peacock
One of the most appealing things about The Great is how it sheds light on a period of history only infrequently examined in American television. The same can be said of Vikings, which aims to provide a grittier and at times more realistic representation of the most infamous group of raiders of the Middle Ages.
As the series went on, it widened the scope of its storytelling, following the adventures of many different groups of Vikings as they settled and colonized various parts of the world (including North America).
The Spanish Princess (2019-2020)
Stream On Starz
2019’s The Spanish Princess is another Starz period drama based on the novels of Philippa Gregory, this time focusing on the young woman Catherine of Aragon as she struggles to survive in the dangerous court of the Tudors.
Fans of The Great will appreciate the ways in which it shows the struggles of a woman to survive in a court where a man gets to make all of the rules. And, as Catherine shows, attempting to assert one’s independence in such an atmosphere can have very dangerous consequences.
Harlots (2017-2019)
Stream On Hulu
While most period dramas focus on the adventures and love lives of the wealthy and the powerful, the show Harlots takes a different approach, focusing on characters forced to exist on the outskirts of polite society.
In this case, the series focuses on the titular harlots as they try to make their lives better, even as they confront interpersonal rivalry and the enmity of those in power, particularly those who use religion as a weapon against those weaker than they are.
