‘The Great’: Hulu Cancels The Award-Winning Series After 3 Seasons

Watching beloved series get suddenly canceled shouldn’t be much of a shock anymore, in this era of streaming companies trying to figure out how to make money. But some of these cancellations hurt more than others, such as with “The Great.”

READ MORE: ‘The Great’ Review: Hulu’s Catherine The Great Series Gets Grim, Stays Good in Season 3

Yes, Hulu’s period dramedy series, which has won a ton of awards and earned near-universal acclaim, has suddenly been canceled by the streaming service after the conclusion of Season 3 earlier this year, according to Deadline. For those who didn’t watch the series, “The Great” comes from creator Tony McNamara, the writer of “The Favourite” and is a series about Catherine the Great, Russia’s ruler from 1762 to 1796. Elle Fanning played the lead alongside a wonderful Nicholas Hoult. 

The report doesn’t give a reason for the cancellation, as Hulu has yet to formally make a statement. However, as mentioned above, this is definitely a time when streaming services are tightening their purse strings and trying to find how to turn a profit in a time when most of these companies vastly overspent on more and more content. All that to say, barring some sort of massive behind-the-scenes dispute, this is probably another case of a show not earning as many viewers as it should with a bigger budget. Despite no superheroes or massive IP attached, “The Great” probably wasn’t a cheap show considering the costumes and the cast and everything associated with bringing a period series to life. And since streaming services aren’t known for being transparent about viewership, you can only assume the worst.

LISTEN: ‘The Great’: Elle Fanning & Nicholas Hoult Talk About Returning For Season 3 Of Their Hit Historical Comedy, ‘Nosferatu’ & More [Bingeworthy Podcast]  

Many people will remember a time, not that long ago, when networks and streaming services would keep a show going just to receive acclaim and the possibility of award recognition. And it’s clear those days are gone. Streaming content has to perform and attract more viewers (and thus subscribers) or else, there’s no more seasons. That’s just how it is now. 

And for a show like “The Great,” that means none of the trophies or rave reviews can save it from its horrible fate.