Ekaterina

A while back I saw the Russian TV series «Екатерина» (“Ekaterina”) about Catherine the Great  (portrayed by Marina Aleksandrova) coming to Russia and having to deal with the Russian Court under Empress Yelizabeta Petrovna and then marrying and having to deal with her husband, Pyotr III Fyodorovich. I thought that season was really well written and had everything (romance, corruption, greed, battles, scandals, etc.) that you expect from a period-piece like this. 

I just recently finished watching the second season of this series called «Екатерина: Взлёт» (Ekaterina: The Rise) which deals with Catherine the Great’s early reign. It has the same aspects as the first season, but there are a lot more battles – with other countries as well as inside the palace. Her husband is dead and Catherine the Great takes on several lovers (like Count Grigory Orlov and Prince Grigory Potemkin.) Catherine the Great also wants to modernize Russia (expanding its borders, creating new institutions, etc.) while also trying to hold on to power since she is not part of the Romanov Dynasty by blood (only through marriage) and at the same time prepare her son (who will become Emperor Pavel I) for when he will rule. The series does an excellent job of showing how far from reality the Russian nobility was from the common Russian as well as showing how much influence both the Emperor/Empress and the Russian Orthodox Church had throughout the Russian Empire – for better or for worse. 

I am very surprised at how much time, money and research went into creating these two seasons  - especially since they were for made for TV and not a film a movie theater. I know they are making a third season that will air in 2019 and can’t wait to see it. I also know that it can be seen with English subtitles on Amazon. I had to buy the DVDs and they are only in Russian.