‘Lavish’ period miniseries hailed masterpiece as fans say ‘forget The Crown’

A glossy period drama from a few years back is suddenly enjoying a major revival — and fans are urging viewers to “forget The Crown” and dive into the sumptuous world of Catherine the Great instead. The Sky Atlantic and HBO miniseries, starring Dame Helen Mirren as Russia’s formidable Empress, has quietly surged back into conversation as audiences rediscover its opulence, political intrigue and unapologetically fierce heroine.

While the series originally debuted in 2019, new viewers say it feels strangely fresh again — and some are calling it superior to almost every recent royal drama. One fan raved: “A forgotten masterpiece — one of the best period dramas I’ve ever watched.” The renewed buzz has sent viewers back to Mirren’s four-part portrayal of Catherine II, charting her reign from 1764 until her death in 1796. Rather than softening the Empress, the series leans into her power: her battles, her lovers, her relentless grip on the Russian throne.

It’s a sprawling chronicle of a woman who shaped history, and Mirren’s performance is front and centre.

The cast reads like a who’s who of prestige television. Jason Clarke plays Grigory Potemkin, Catherine’s military strategist and tempestuous lover, while Rory Kinnear, Gina McKee, Richard Roxburgh, Joseph Quinn, Kevin R. McNally and Paul Ritter round out the political and personal forces surrounding her.

Multiple characters orbit Catherine’s court — allies, rivals, confidantes — but the miniseries never forgets who its star is.

Much of the show’s renewed acclaim stems from its sheer visual scale. Filmed across Lithuania, Latvia and Russia, including the breathtaking Rundāle Palace and Trakai Island Castle, the production leaned heavily into authenticity and grandeur.

Lavish costume design, vast palace corridors, and sweeping battle scenes give the drama a cinematic punch that viewers say rivals the biggest streaming epics. Not all critics were convinced at the time.

Reviewers praised Mirren’s commanding performance but questioned the storytelling, calling it “seductive but scattershot” or “ambitious but slightly distant.”

Others argued the directors relied too heavily on Mirren to carry the emotional weight. Still, audiences seem to care far less about the critiques now than they do about the show’s mood, its ambition and — above all — its star.

One viewer said simply: “Forget The Crown — this has everything you want from a royal saga.” Another called it “lavish, addictive and criminally overlooked.”

The miniseries earned multiple nominations, including Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Emmy nods for sound, design and Mirren herself. It never quite dominated the awards circuit, but its second life online suggests many believe it deserved far more recognition.

With interest spiking again, Catherine the Great looks set to reclaim its place as a standout royal epic — the kind that reminds viewers why they fell in love with period drama in the first place.