This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Created and executive produced by Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Tony McNamara (The Favourite), “THE GREAT” is a satirical comedy—and occasionally true story—about the rise of Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning) from outsider to the longest reigning female ruler in Russia’s history. With Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult reprising their Golden Globe®-nominated roles, Season Two finds Catherine finally taking the Russian throne for her own. But if she thought coup-ing her husband was difficult, it’s nothing compared to the realities of liberating a country that doesn’t want to be. She’ll battle her court, her team, even her own mother (played by two-time Emmy Award®-winning actress Gillian Anderson) in a bid to bring the Enlightenment to Russia.

For thoughts on The Great: The Complete Second Season, please check out my previous piece here.

Video Quality

The Great: Season 2 arrives on Blu-Ray less than a year after its initial DVD release with a sumptuous AVC encoded 1080p transfer. We were disappointed that the show did not originally receive a Blu-Ray release, so now that this decision has been reversed we could not be more thrilled to indulge in this visual feast. The ten episodes are spread across three discs, allowing for a favorable amount of room for the episodes to breathe and avoid compression artifacts. The detail that the series is able to provide in high definition continues to inspire awe with all of the minute details in the production design and costumes on full display.

Throughout this season, there are some striking instances of colors radiating off the screen thanks to the landscapes and costumes. Black levels are nice and deep as they give way to a strong amount of detail in shadows. Highlights do not get too hot or fall victim to any blooming in this presentation. Skin tones appear very natural and consistent across the entire cast with strong facial texture in close-ups. The color palette unlocks much more nuance on Blu-Ray which the DVD could not deliver as well. With a series this skillfully crafted, you want the best visual presentation possible, and Paramount has finally given that to fans on Blu-Ray.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with an enjoyable DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that brings this world to life flawlessly. A notable standout along this sonic experience is the series music from Nathan Barr. His work establishes a playful tone for the story, and it creates a nicely immersive soundscape that lures you further into the show. Ambient sounds are carefully placed in the rear channels to ground you in place. Dialogue comes through clearly without being overshadowed by this score or any sound effects. The occasional kinetic moments are given the correct weight in the mix, but the low end response is not the main feature of the show. The audio presentation delivers by every metric. There are English and English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Deleted Scenes: There is 15 minutes of unused material provided here including some scenes with unfinished special effects.

Blooper Reel: A six-minute collection of flubbed and forgotten lines, ruined takes, uncontrollable laughter and more. This is a lot of fun, and one of my favorite features included in the set.

Final Thoughts

The Great builds on the success of its debut season with an even more skillfully crafted and wickedly hilarious sophomore outing. The leads and the remainder of the ensemble are fully intertwined with their characters for an impeccably realized portrayal that never fails to entertain. The shifting power dynamics open up even more narrative opportunities to go to some surprising and entertaining places throughout these ten episodes. This is a series that just keeps getting better and better. Paramount Home Entertainment has given the second season a Blu-Ray upgrade with a fabulous A/V presentation and a couple of fun special features. If you have not tried this series out yet, now is the time to fix that. Recommended

The Great: The Complete Second Season can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Paramount Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.