Who is running the world? Watching "The Great" online today on Hulu, the answer is (yes, as Beyonce would say) the girls In this case, it is one particular woman, namely Catherine the Great

Hulu's new drama is loosely based on the life of the Russian ruler, with Elle Fanning playing the titular character, Princess Catherine The satirical comedy follows Queen Catherine's journey from outsider to the longest reigning female ruler in Russian history Season 1, consisting of 10 episodes, follows her idealistic and romantic marriage arranged with the capricious Tsar Peter (Nicholas Hoult)

The official synopsis for Hulu's The Great says, "Expecting love and sunshine, she instead finds a dangerous, corrupt, and backward world and is determined to change it All she has to do is kill her husband, overthrow the church, embarrass the military, and get the courts on her side Yes, that's it The Great contains historical facts, but Hulu calls it an "occasional true story"

Yekaterina the Great has been portrayed on screen many times before In fact, just last year Helen Mirren played the Empress in a Sky/HBO miniseries

Here's everything you need to know about how to watch "The Great" online worldwide

If you are in a country with regional restrictions, you don't have to miss out on watching "The Greatest" online With the right VPN (Virtual Private Network), you can easily stream it from anywhere

Our pick for best VPN is ExpressVPN It meets the VPN needs of most users, offers excellent compatibility with most devices and great connection speeds, and if you sign up for a year, you get an additional three months free, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee if you want to give it a try

If you're in the US, you can watch the entire first season of "The Greatest" on Hulu It was released today, Friday, May 15, at 12:00 am Eastern time, so West Coast viewers will be able to watch it starting at a more acceptable time, 9:00 pm Pacific time on Thursday

Sorry, Brits The Greatest is a Hulu original, so it is not available on UK channels or services For Americans, please see above for instructions on how to use ExpressVPN

Bad news for Canadians, too: Hulu is not in Canada, but you can still watch The Great See how to use ExpressVPN above

Australians can't watch The Great online, and they don't feel too good about it If you're an American abroad, like the Brits and Canadians, see how to watch using ExpressVPN above

For a taste of the wit, hilarity, and satire to be found in Hulu's new show, just watch the trailer for The Great Fanning plays Catherine, who seems like an earnest young woman who just wants to help the world Unfortunately, her coarse husband and his courtiers seem to see her only as a vessel to bear their children

Hulu's cast of The Great includes Elle Fanning as Princess Catherine and Nicholas Hoult as Emperor Peter

They are joined by the following regular cast members:

Overall, reviews of The Great are mixed Comparisons with "The Favourite," written by show creator Tony McNamara, are favorable Most praised the acting, especially Fanning and Holt's performances However, they also pointed out the awkwardness of the tonal transitions and the room for more humor The following is a summary of the reviews of "Great"

Hollywood Reporter: "'The Great's' deliberate anachronisms, surreal exoticism, and justifiably cynical observation that privilege breeds corruption recall Yorgos Lanthimos' 'The Favourite'" - Not a surprising comparison, given that Oscar-nominated co-writer Tony McNamara is the film's creator

Indiewire: "The performances by Fanning, Foxx, and Holt provide just enough humor to ship things off However, when the series tries to engage in political gamesmanship, such as the war with Sweden and internal strife, the wry humor doesn't work as well Almost like an R-rated parody, it is covered in breathtaking set and costume designs

Time: "Hardly the perfectly paced masterpiece that The Favourite is, some episodes are stretched out, such as the smallpox fiasco that is more tiresome than timely Still, witty dialogue and lively performances make for sharp, enjoyable drama"

Variety With its sly and hilarious eye for court intrigue, The Great is a wickedly funny piece of historical deception that lays bare the myopic nature of the aristocracy, the root causes of the rebellion, and the dangers inherent in a thoughtless leader surrounded by unsuspecting yes-men"