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Miniseries – Catherine the Great

2019 History Drama TRAILER for Catherine the Great: Limited Series Trailer - In The Weeks Ahead List
68% Tomatometer 40 Reviews 33% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
The life of Catherine the Great toward the end of her reign during her affair with Grigory Potemkin; amid scandal, intrigue and immense conflict, they develop a unique and devoted relationship, overcoming their adversaries. Read More Read Less
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Catherine the Great — Miniseries

Catherine the Great — Miniseries

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Critics Consensus

Though its sumptuous setting and design often outshines its storytelling, Catherine the Great remains a seductive, if scattershot, period drama thanks to the great Helen Mirren.

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Critics Reviews

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Danette Chavez AV Club Catherine The Great's storytelling never manages to equal the grandeur of its richly detailed set design; as the series unfolds, those extravagant visuals become more and more like façades from the mythical Potemkin villages. Rated: C+ Oct 23, 2019 Full Review Daniel Fienberg Hollywood Reporter I think there's a tight two-hour movie about Catherine the Great that could be far more entertaining or a six-hour miniseries that could be far more informative and illuminating. Oct 23, 2019 Full Review Anne Cohen Refinery29 It pains me to admit that this show has been a slog, and I'm glad it's over...the real problem with this show is that it tries to cram roughly 30 years of history into four hour-long episodes. Oct 22, 2019 Full Review Melissa Camacho Common Sense Media Flat biopic has violence, innuendo, nudity. Rated: 3/5 Jan 10, 2020 Full Review Diane Pershing Malibu Times Alas, the series itself, although it covers a fascinating period, is not a must-see. Dec 6, 2019 Full Review Lacy Baugher Culturess It sort of works. Nov 1, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (43) audience reviews
Tatiana L At the time of the attempted rescue of Ivan VI (Episode 1)… …Catherine was 35 y.o., Potemkin was 25y.o., and Paul was just 10 y.o. Why so geriatric, HBO? Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 10/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Catherine the Great (TV 2019): Hellen Mirren's turn as The Great. 4-part series covers only the last half of Catherine's life, which is the less interesting part. Mirren plays her as needy, which undercuts her greatness. Helen and Catherine both deserve more. B- Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member TERRIBLE!!! You got so utterly confused! .... You chose a character and actor, meant for the role of Queen Elizabeth! Jeezzz the woman was a Prussian...not British! What is next? Casting a role for Nelson Mandela with an American accent actor? Even a school kid would get this right.... Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member The high production value, detailed historical accuracy, and Helen Mirren make this miniseries hard to criticize, yet still weren't enough to make this a captivating watch for me. I had planned to watch Catherine when she first aired but it fell to the backburner after I saw some lackluster reviews. I recently started Robert Massie's series on the Romanovs and since reading volume three on Catherine the Great this week, I thought I'd go back and give this a go. Thankfully I now had this strong background knowledge as viewers of the miniseries are transplanted right into the action with little to no character exposition, which would have made this far more muddled and boringly confusing at times without it. On the positive side I did admire how committed the writers were to providing a well researched and pleasingly detailed portrayal of their subject and was something I would have never appreciated had I watched this before Massie's biography. History junkies and fans of historical biopics will find plenty of meat on this bone but I also wouldn't fault anyone if they told me this had trouble holding their attention. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member It's bad. Mirren is too old to play this Russian empress. Ekaterina is way better than this. The writing is lame, the script is awful, the pacing is inconsistent. At least the costumes and performances are nice. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member 60% soft porn. It should've been called Lieutenant Potemkin: apparently Catherine the Great's reign and life started and ended with him. Might barely pass the Bechdel test? Costumes and sets were flabbergasting. Helen Mirren was excellent. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Catherine the Great — Miniseries

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Cast & Crew

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Oct 21, 2019 Episode 1 Russian Empress Catherine the Great faces challenges to her throne on all sides, as she meets the forthright and bold Lieutenant Grigory Potemkin. Details Episode 2 Aired Oct 28, 2019 Episode 2 A victorious Potemkin returns from war to find Catherine preoccupied, leading the two to speak candidly about their pasts and future, while a Cossack stirs discontent among peasants in the countryside. Details Episode 3 Aired Nov 4, 2019 Episode 3 Catherine and Potemkin experience growing pains in their relationship, as Potemkin's push for expansion puts him at odds with Panin. Details Episode 4 Aired Nov 11, 2019 Episode 4 Pressure from foreign powers leads to a bitter argument between Catherine and an ailing Potemkin; Catherine works to change the line of succession as her reign draws to an end. Details
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Season Info

Director
Philip Martin
Executive Producer
Charles Pattinson, Christine Healy, David M. Thompson, Helen Mirren
Screenwriter
Nigel Williams
Network
HBO
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
History, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date
Oct 21, 2019