| The Great
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Season 1 Poster
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| Country
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 UK
 USA
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| Channel
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Hulu
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| Creator
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Tony McNamara
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| Genre
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Comedy
Historical
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| Broadcast
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2020
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| No. of Seasons
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1
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| No. of Episodes
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10
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| Main Cast
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| Character
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Actor
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|
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The Great is a British-American comedy "anti-historical" (as it is described by the releaser) TV series about the Russian Empress Catherine the Great. The series stars Elle Fanning as Empress Catherine II and Nicholas Hoult as Emperor Peter III.
Season 1 was released on Hulu streaming platform on May 15, 2020, and Season 2 on November 19, 2021. In January 2022, the third season was announced.
The following weapons were used in Season 1 of the television series The Great:
Overview
Considering the series takes place around the marriage of Catherine and Peter III it should be assumed the setting is around 1745 for chronological and historical context.
Pistols
A large number of various Flintlock Pistols are used throughout the series. In most cases the exact model can be identified. Of course, the screen guns are modern replicas. It should be noted that the majority of pistols used is of British or French origin which is historically inaccurate. For the Russian setting in this period, Russian or Germanic pistols would be more fitting.
British Heavy Dragoon Flintlock Pistol
Peter III (Nicholas Hoult) holds a pair of British Heavy Dragoon Flintlock Pistols during the rabbit hunt in "The Great" (S01E01).
British Heavy Dragoon Pistol - .62 caliber
Peter with the two British pistols which should have been Tula made ones instead.
Peter fires. The sparks on the flintlock look authentic.
The large flash on the flintlock looks more like a CGI effect. Funny, no muzzle flash is seen, so probably a CGI artist misplaced the flame.
Emperor's bodyguard Tartar Nick (Christophe Tek) fires at a crow in "Parachute" (S01E06). His pistol is seen in half-darkness but what is seen allows to guess that it's also a Heavy Dragoon.
British Light Dragoon Flintlock Pistol
General Velementov (Douglas Hodge) holds a British Light Dragoon Flintlock Pistol during Catherine's coup in "The Beaver's Nose" (S01E10).
British 1756 Light Dragoon Pistol - .68 caliber
A close-up of Velementov's pistol.
Velementov holds his pistol.
British Tower Sea Service Pistol
Peter III and King Hugo of Sweden (Freddie Fox) hold Tower Sea Service Pistols in "Meatballs at the Dasha" (S01E08). Peter also holds a Sea Service pistol in "The Beaver's Nose" (S01E10). Emperor's bodyguard Tartar Nick (Christophe Tek) carries a Sea Service pistol in "Love Hurts" (S01E09).
Tower Sea Service Pistol used by the Royal Navy
Peter III and King Hugo hold pistols when they shoot at fish, jumping from the water. The belt hooks are common feature of Navy service pistols of 18th-early 19th century. Judging by the length of ramrods, the pistols may be assumed to be Pattern 1716/77 while later models have shorter ramrods.
Another view of the pistols.
A Sea Service pistol is attached by the belt hook to the belt of Tartar Nick in "Love Hurts" (S01E09).
Peter III holds a Sea Service pistol during the attempt to kill Leo Voronsky on hunt in "The Beaver's Nose" (S01E10).
Prussian Dragoon 1731 Flintlock Pistol (replica)
Count Arkady (Bayo Gbadamosi) shows several long flintlock pistol to Peter III in "The Great" (S01E01). He explains that the sights of such pistols allow to hit the target as far as 50 meters (nearly twice in comparison with common flintlock pistols of 18th - early 19th centuries). Judging by the length and details of these pistols, they are Prussian Dragoon 1731 model or more precisely a non-firing replica misnamed as "M-1780".
Authentic Prussian Dragoon 1731 Flintlock Pistol for comparison
"Prussian M-1780 Flintlock Horse Pistol" non-firing replica which appears to be a misnamed replica of the M1731 shown above
Arkady shows a Potzdam flintlock pistol to Peter III. The appearance of Prussian guns in Russia in this era is actually plausible.
Another view of the pistol in Arcady's hands.
Peter III tests one of these "wondrous" pistols. The large flash on the flintlock lightens another pistol of same type in Arcady's hands. Since these appear to be non-firing replicas, the flash is probably CGI or some effect.
Peter holds a pair of these long pistols.
French Charleville Model 1777 Cavalry Officer Flintlock Pistol
Count Alexei Rostov (Abraham Popoola) is armed with an anachronistic Charleville Model 1777 Cavalry Officer Flintlock Pistol in "Love Hurts" (S01E09).
French Charleville Model 1777 Cavalry Officer Flintlock- .69 cal
Rostov holds a pistol and a dagger when he makes an attempt to kill the Emperor.
Another view of the pistol. Considering the mid-18th century setting, the 1777 model gun is anachronistic.
Another view of Rostov's pistol.
French Model 1763/66 Flintlock Pistol
Leo Voronsky (Sebastian De Souza) is armed with an anachronistic French Model 1763/66 Flintlock Pistol in "The Beaver's Nose" (S01E10). This model is anachronistic by more than a decade.
French Model An IX Cavalry Flintlock Pistol - .69 cal. The Model 1763/66 is a direct predecessor for An IX and looks similar except it's slightly longer.
Leo Voronsky (at the left) holds a Model 1763/66 pistol. The pistol has steel furniture that was used on some versions of Mle 1763/66 but never on An IX. Next to him Peter III holds a Tower Sea Service Pistol.
A close view of Leo Voronsky's pistol.
The pistol is seen on the ground.
Hadley of London 1760 Flintlock Pistol (replica)
What appears to be some kind of a replica of Hadley of London 1760 Flintlock Pistol is used by General Velementov. It looks like replicas made by Denix or Kolser.
"1830" marked flintlock pistol non-firing replica by unknown Spanish manufacturer. Most likely Denix. It appears to be one of the many "Hadley of London 1760 Flintlock Pistol" replicas.
During the coup, General Velementov's (
Douglas Hodge) Light Dragoon pistol (see above) switches to a Hadley of London 1760. Note the "bird's-beak" grip that looks more similar to Kentucky flintlock pistol and Denix replicas and differs from standard grip of Kolser replicas.
Another view of Velementov's pistol.
The pistol is seen on a promotional image. The smoke around the non-firing gun appears to be special effect.
Flintlock Pistol
More Flintlock Pistols of unclear models are used.
Two courties hold flintlock pistols in "The Great" (S01E01). Count Arkady (Bayo Gbadamosi) (at the background center) holds a nondescript pistol, while Count Grigor Dymov (
Gwilym Lee) (at the right) holds a long pistol, resembling British Tower Sea Service Long Model.
Another view of Dymov's pistol. While it resembles Tower Sea Service, the barrel is even longer, and the head of the ramrod looks different, more in French style.
Dymov holds a pistol (possibly same gun that he had in earlier episodes) during the attempt to kill Leo Voronsky on hunt in "The Beaver's Nose" (S01E10).
Arkady fires at Leo Voronsky in the same scene.
Long Guns
Flintlock Blunderbuss
Peter III (Nicholas Hoult) holds a flintlock Blunderbuss in "A Pox on Hope" (S01E07).
Peter III holds a blunderbuss.
For the amusement of the courtiers, Peter III loads the blunderbuss with a live frog.
Charleville Flintlock Musket
Russian soldiers are armed with French Charleville Muskets. This is actually wrong as the design of Russian Army muskets in the 18th century was different and unique. The muskets should have been the Russian Model 1737 or earlier but since these are rare and obscure several different versions of Charleville Musket are seen instead.
Charleville Mousquet Mle 1777 - .69 caliber
Charleville Musket (Denix reproduction) - 69 caliber
A close-up of a Charleville musket in hands of Peter III (
Nicholas Hoult) on deer hunt in "The Beard" (S01E02). The muzzle cap matches Mle 1777 model.
The stock of Peter III's musket is seen in the same scene.
A close-up of a musket in hands of a palace guard during the coup in "The Beaver's Nose" (S01E10). The shape and the color of the muzzle cap identify it as the Denix made replica.
The palace guards hold Denix replicas of Charleville muskets during the coup. Unlike Peter's musket, these guns doesn't fire on screen.
The palace guards, convoying Leo Voronsky, carry muskets with bayonets.
The Life Guards soldiers, supporting Catherine's coup, hold muskets. These guns, judging by the shape and color of muzzle caps and other visible details, are supposed to be Mle 1777.
Peter III holds a Charleville flintlock musket, probably an Mle 1777, on a promotional image for the 2nd episode.
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