Presents a reconstruction of the eighteenth-century empress's life that covers her efforts to engage Russia in the cultural life of Europe, her creation of the Hermitage, and her numerous scandal-free romantic affairs.

Trapped in a loveless political marriage to the dissolute nephew of the ailing Russian Empress Elizabeth, young German princess Sophia Fredericka bides her time, chooses her lovers carefully and plots her path to the throne. Skillfully manipulating the Russian triumvirate of church, army and aristocracy, she adroitly rides the shifting currents of social change and unrest to become one of Russia's most unforgettable and beloved rulers, Catherine the...

The Great returns in Season Two from Golden Globe and Academy Award nominee Tony McNamara (The Favourite). Catherine finally takes the Russian throne for her own- but if she thought coup-ing her husband was difficult, it's nothing compared to the realities of liberating a country that doesn't want to be. She'll battle her court, her team, even her own mother in a bid to bring the Enlightenment to Russia.