History Series / TheGreat

* HiddenDepths: Leo's father was this according to his son - he had a reputation as a {{Casanova}} at court, but he was also a good father and a great believer in appreciating the finer things in life, like art and nature.

* ReallyGetsAround: During the three seasons Catherine certainly lives up to her sexual reputation. In the first two seasons only having sex with Peter and Leo. While in season 3 she has sex with many more men including the American Ambassador, a Russian court astronomer, and an opera tenor.

* ReallyGetsAround: During the three seasons Catherine certainly lives up to her sexual reputation. In the first two seasons only having sex with Peter and Leo. While in season 3 she has sex with many men including the American Ambassador, a Russian court astronomer, and an opera tenor.

The series premiered on May 15, 2020. Not to be confused with ''Series/CatherineTheGreat'', a more straightforward dramatization of the Empress's life that was released in 2019.

* ArcWords: "All is bliss in the court of Peter."

** Peter honestly cannot grasp the fact Catherine does not love him, insisting on their great love.

* DoubleStandardRapeMaleOnMale: Averted. Simitz raped Peter and Grigor (heavily implied George too) to amuse Peter's dad when they were all young, and everyone is disgusted with him. Catherine doesn't want Peter to murder, but that's only because she thinks it won't bring him any peace.
* DramaticIrony: In the penultimate episode, Peter exempts Catherine, Grigor and Georgina, and his Aunt Elizabeth from the torture and interrogation about any attempts at his assassination, on the grounds that he trusts the four of them. Catherine has of course been plotting a coup as well as his death for months, and Grigor [[spoiler:is the one who poisoned Peter, nearly killing him,]] in an impulsive act of jealous anger, with Georgina finding out and keeping it secret after the fact.

* WhatAnIdiot: The in-universe reaction of Peter's generals to his idea of a sneak attack against the enemy. As calmly as they can, they point out the minor issues of how the forces would have to cross a river eleven feet deep, and getting boats to that area is a logistical nightmare. They also dryly state that the enemy camp is across a wide-open field making it impossible to do a "stealth" attack ''in the morning.'' When Peter suggest simply doing it at night with men in black, the generals can barely keep their obvious disdain quiet.

* "Rashomon"-Style: Peter remembers going truffle hunting with his father when he was a child. As Velementov reveals, Peter the Great would just go back to drink and have sex after a while, and Velementov was actually the one hunting with Peter.

* TheQueensLatin: The Queen's Russian in this case. Everyone speaks English with British accents in 18th-century Russia.[[note]]This becomes ever stranger when Voltaire arrives, with a mild but noticeable French accent. Why? Because ''French'' was the language of the Russian court at the time, not Russian - many Russian courtiers hardly speak a word of what was supposed to be their native language, including Peter III (who, like Catherine, had actually grown up in Germany). The fact that Catherine took the trouble to learn Russian when she first moved there was part of what endeared her to the people.[[/note]]

* AluminumChristmasTrees:
** There really ''was'' a ban on beards in Russia at one point as the country was brought in line with Western European models and fashions; men were often forcibly shaved if they weren't part of the clergy and refused to either go clean-shaven or pay an appropriate tax. However, this was a law decreed by Peter I and so happened some decades before the show is set, rather than being put into place very recently.
** A few of the bizarre fertility methods depicted in the show are (surprisingly) historically accurate, such as peeing on wheat for a pregnancy test.
** Aunt Elizabeth ''(Empress'' Elizabeth in real life) did very much enjoy wearing male attire, as it suited her figure.
** Catherine's craving for dirt during her pregnancy is a real condition called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geophagia geophagia]].

* CallBack: In an episode of season 1, Catherine and Marial argue that while the current fashion is impractical, [[BlackComedyRape it's complexity at least prevents rape sometimes]]. In season 2, they express the same sentiment with concern when they see how easy velcro makes undressing.

* SilkHidingSteel: Most of the women at court, but special mention goes to Catherine and Georgina.