From Lizzie Bennet and Mr Darcy to Ross and Rachel, we’ve enjoyed the drama of on-off, bickering, mismatched couples over the years. In The Great, however, Catherine and Peter take that to another level.

It’s not just that they were pushed into an arranged and loveless marriage. It’s not just that they delight in making each other’s lives miserable. More than anything, it’s that they’re the Emperor and Empress of Russia, and they have pretty much unlimited resources to make each other’s lives miserable… in the most entertaining way possible.

That’s right, The Great – back for a third season on LIONSGATE+ – isn’t your average period drama. It gives the barest of nods to historical accuracy but it’s not here to tell you the true story of this real-life royal couple. Instead its raison d’être is to be as outrageous, scandalous, shocking, preposterous and raucously funny as possible.

As season 3 arrives, Catherine (Elle Fanning, Maleficent) and Peter (Nicholas Hoult, Renfield) are, ahem, working on their relationship. Well, fair play to anyone who makes a genuine effort to do that, but somehow we don’t think any amount of talking therapy and trust exercises is going to bring them closer together,  considering the approach they’ve taken to their marriage over two seasons of this uproarious show.

Frankly, anyone who took their advice would end up divorced (or widowed) in no time at all. Does any of this sound like good advice? Well, if you’re Catherine or Peter, perhaps…

When Catherine first realises her new husband is spiteful, foolish and weak, she despairs of her life – until she discovers that if the Emperor dies without producing an heir, the Empress will inherit the realm. Cue plots aplenty as the warring poshos trade a Midsomer’s worth of murder attempts. 

Peter’s aunt Elizabeth (Brenda Bromilow) and half-brother Ivan (Charlie Price), who reside in the palace, have their own agendas. For Catherine, they could be dangerous enemies or powerful allies. Naturally, she recruits them to her cause, manipulating them into thinking it’s for their own good, and then plays them off against each other – with bloody results. 

Peter is baffled at Catherine’s shock and anger when she learns about his mistress Georgina (Charity Wakefield). That’s just the way things work, he assures her, and would she like him to find her a lover as well? Even more appalled, the Empress refuses the offer. Cut to two episodes later and she is embroiled in a passionate affair with Leo (Sebastian de Souza). 

Devious noblewoman Lady Svenska (Danusia Samal) is the one who starts the rumours about Catherine’s fondness for, ah, equine companionship. Realising that denying it would simply fuel the fire of prurient speculation, Catherine instead attempts to use it to her advantage and harness the power of Lady Svenska‘s chicanery. Ultimately, this works out better for Catherine. 

A baby on the way! How exciting! Unless it means you’ll no longer be the heir to the Empire and will lose your grip on power. Catherine might have grown fonder of Peter since their initial clash, but she can’t stand for that. It’s time for a coochie-coochie-coup!  

She is passionate about education for women and thinks serfs should be treated as humans. He is happy to enact any laws the conservative religious patriarchs tell him to, as long as he stays rich and has plenty of leisure time. It’s the classic political disagreement! Will this bickering pair ever agree on the right way to govern? Unlikely, and it’ll be the serfs who pay the price. 

It was Catherine’s scheming mother Princess Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp – a brilliant guest appearance from Gillian Anderson – who arranged her daughter’s marriage to Peter. And when she arrives at the Russian court for a visit, it’s no surprise that she decides her most advantageous course of action is to seduce her son-in-law. To Peter’s credit, he resists. For a while.

We can all agree on this. It’s the sort of thing that really puts a strain on any relationship. 

When is LIONSGATE+’s The Great season 3 on TV?

Season 3 will be available in Box Sets > LIONSGATE+ from Friday 14 July. Seasons 1 and 2 are available now.