The mark of a great television show — a truly great one — is when it becomes difficult to remember a time before it even existed. Such is the case with Tony McNamara's The Great, which follows the "Almost Entirely Untrue Story" of Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning) and her tempestuous marriage to Peter III (Nicholas Hoult). Even as this series has had its ups and downs throughout its previous seasons to date, it has come to be known for a bevy of enjoyable traits: unabashed irreverence, absurd humor, and delicious crassness that clashes with its beautiful and impressive production and costume design. (Anyone even slightly familiar with McNamara's other historical drama on the big screen, The Favorite, knows what to anticipate from his writing in that regard.) While the upcoming third season (of which all episodes were provided for review) continues to lean into everything the show has built a reputation on — and then some — it also proves that The Great is capable of growing and maturing in new ways. Season 3 might be the series' darkest yet, but it's also the show reaching for more narrative depth to successful returns.