User reviews

I found this easy to dive into and become addicted to. There are soulful details here and there, a piece of acting, a reply that add depth to the storytelling without adding weight. It moves along sprightly and makes sense psychologically, historically and even in the context of today, politically. The intimate players of the Russian court are shown in a swath of their lives which included periods of boredom, sadness, ambition, fear, powerlessness and also enormous power.

I'm not sure what some reviewers are complaining about here. No this is not some historical masterpiece but it is an enjoyable historical drama nonetheless with great costumes and scenery and the show portrays the characters with shades of light and dark so that they are not all good or all bad. I disagree with a previous reviewer who says the show portrays Peter III as only incompetent. If the reviewer had bothered to watch the full first series they would see that Peter is shown as trying to be a good emperor eventhough his judgement was misguided in some fatal aspects. It also shows the ruthless streak that Catherine herself had, which she needed to have in order to survive.

Apart from the first episode where the narrator is giving a historical overview of Russia at the time and says that Russia is feared by its weak neighbours, this show much less state propaganda than say a show like Madame Secretary (which I also enjoy) where America always saves the day and seems to have only a wholly altruistic foreign policy, which we all know not to be true. But as it's a tv show, and we should be discerning enough not to believe everything a tv program tells us, one can take it with a grain of salt and an eye roll.

The period of Catherine the great and her rise is very interesting and it is incredible how she managed to survive the odds against her and rise to be an empress, so I would definitely recommend this show. Oh and I am neither Russian or American so this is review is coming from a neutral territory!

I'm generally a fan of historical fiction and am not naive as to where most fall in terms of historical accuracy. For Ekaterina, I have heard it is much closer to history than most, though I cannot confirm it for myself as I personally have little knowledge of Russia's history. But the costuming and sets are stunning and the story feels more political with every choice having ramifications on the European field than most tend to go into. They tend to simply seek power for power's sake. But in Ekaterina, the political side feels much more relevant.

And if that's not enough to convince any fan of historical drams, then watch it simply for the character of Empress Elizaveta. The actress dominated every scene as the real Empress likely did in life.

Ekaterina (2014) Series-1 of Ekaterina has the sub-title "The rise of Catherine the great" I watched the Ekaterina Series-1 via Amazon-Prime-Video with English subtitles as I do not speak Russian or German.

The historical saga of Catherine The Great of Russia has been depicted on screen several times over the decades. Two recent Russian produced television series dating from 2014 (Ekaterina) and 2015 (Catherine the great) compete for viewers in the international content-streaming market. Additionally the American HBO and UK based Sky channels have a series (in English) telling this saga. But I only wanted to see the Russian productions because it is really a Russian story for Russians to tell. So I watched both series and both excelled in different ways. If you have the time then I recommend to try both series.

What follows below is a comparison between the 2014 (Ekaterina) and the 2015 (Catherine The Great). Both series come from different television channels in Russia and are in the Russian language. I cannot comment on the historical accuracy of either of the Russian produced TV series.

In short the 2014 series Ekaterina has a better script but less style than the 2015 series, it covers much more territory/history/characters in fewer episodes. The 2015 series is more lavish, has better locations, has a better score, slower pace, less geopolitical content and with stronger characterisations, despite relying on artifical devices such as Catherine's mother appearing in mirrors.

Ekaterina has more political substance but less style than the 2015 series. The series differ on which supporting characters get focus, they differ on implied paternity of the Catherine's first child and many other details. But the Ekaterina series is significantly more geopolitical in its content and scope, and portrays Pyotr III in a more sympathetic light than the 2015 series. Some sentiments echo to this very day. Ekaterina has some explanatory commentary (spoken delivery in English in my region). Ekaterina also devotes some time to Ivan VI in several scenes, which the 2015 series does not.

Ekaterina shows much more of empress Elizabeta backstory (compared to the 2015 series), details of her health struggles, her attempts to conceive and secret marriage, her penance for the victims of her own coup, her relations with the clergy and church, the awareness among her subjects of her imprisionment of the boy-emperor she usurped and imprisioned and her fearless autocratic rule.

Ekaterina makes it easier to identify characters because most of the time they are not wearning wigs (unlike in the 2015 series when characters are constantly begwigged or unwigged sometimes making recognition difficult and confusing when reading subtitles is necessary).

The score for Ekaterina is less powerful, less emotive, less stirring than the 2015 series, and both the title sequence and closing credits are very short indeed.

Ekaterina also has English subtitles with some disused English words for which a dictionary is sometimes necessary. Clearly the subtitles are not done by a native speaker of English, so that is an annoying distraction shared by both series. Ekaterina has interstitials between some scenes/locations with Cyrillic-only text and dates (no English translation on such scene transitions ) so English speaking viewers may not know the location name, or month name, even when it is important. Additionally there are a few scenes where characters are seen to write legible Cyrillic text on which the camera dwells - with no English translation of the depicted text.

For Ekaterina , the locations, interiors are less splendid, less lavish than the 2015 series, and some of the frozen snowbound or icebound St. Petersburg outdoor scenes or Peterhof background look rather faked on a big screen in 1080p resolution.

The episodes for Series-1 of Ekaterina number 10 each of varying duration (40mins - 65mins), while the 2015 series has 12 episodes each of approximately 48 minutes in duration.

Many negative reviews have nothing to do with the series but with hatred of Russians per say. As a native Russian speaker and a fluent English speaker, I can tell you that a lot of words in Russian can not be translated into English with the presice translation, for a mere reason that they don't exist in English. The series being set in Saint Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1711, and while being one of the youngest European capitals is still older then the whole country of United States of America. So before giving negative comments and low scores, read the history of Russian empire, and perhaps then you will comprehend the series.

Unbelievable great! Fascinating,the details,the costumes,the action...and Ecaterina is HUGE! Thank You Russia for this amazing series!

My review is based on s1 only. I know s2 is available but in the US. I was watching it in native Russian with English subs. I think subs were above average but still didn't portray the rich dialogue. Many words that I have long forgotten made me smile when they were spoken.

As far as story. I think ep 1 was a bit slow, after that it picked up the pace. I do not know how accurate it was historically as I am no expert, and I def think some things were romanticized, but overall I think it was well done. I also felt last ep could have been full length with much more detail on 2 main events, hence why it's 7/10 not 8/10.

As to what others been saying about the Petr the 3rd, his main undoing was clearly outlined and I have no pity for him for that reason. Whether he got a fair shake or not, who knows, but at least they dealt with it rather bluntly, which is not usual for such a series.

I'm a Englishman that loves the European royal family stories. This one is a fantastic Intoduction to the romanovs. It's cracks along at a good pace which works along the game of thrones theme treachery scheming, torture etc. Some licence with the truth as all these shows like the white queen or the Tudors, but helps the story lines. The second series has more money spent on it and looks like they have tried to use the original palaces, which gives it an authentic look. An advert to visit st Petersburg really rather than Russian propaganda...

Its basic gift - it is different. And use the differences in smart manner episode by episode. It is not a pledge but a precise and realistic portrait. The acting is solide, the atmosphere is seductive, the familiar manicheism is absent. A film about power and about a young woman leaning to obtain and manage it. For the admirers of Russian historical series from the last decade - nothing surprising. For the other- beautiful nuances of portraits and the vulnerability of characters. Short, an admirable work.

Season 1. This might better be called "Elizaveta" as it focusses more on the reign of the daughter of Pyotr the Great as Empress of all the Russias. Yuliya Aug ably portrays this shrewd and calculating woman who has realised that her nephew and heir Pyotr (Aleksandr Yatsenko) isn't quite the full shilling, but nevertheless must succeed her if the Romanov dynasty is to continue. To that end she picks a princess from a small German principality to marry the man and so enter the timid Princess Sophia (Marina Aleksandrova). She arrives with her mother (Isabel Schosnig) and is soon getting used to a deferential court rife with machinations and schemes whilst learning to appreciate that her potential marriage to a man at best indifferent to her is going to present challenges. With the Empress becoming more and more frustrated that a pregnancy isn't manifesting, the first series depicts the precarious existence of the now Grand Duchess Ekaterina as she learns to tread adeptly on the eggshells around her. Her increasing desparation to avoid the vengeance of Elizaveta and a life in a remote Siberian convent sees her develop skills of ingenuity that, with the tacit complicity of the Empress, see her turn to the dashing Prince Saltykov (Rinal Mukhametov) and next thing there's a Prince called Pavel and a Grand Duke called Pyotr taking the plaudits for something in which he most definitely didn't have an hand. The Empress has all she wants and so the rest of the series sees out her reign and the start of that of the new Czar Pyotr III who has his new mistress Elizaveta Vorontosva (Anastasia Korolokova) in tow and wishes to be shot of his now inconvenient Empress. It's all history this, so little room for jeopardy. What it does provide us with is a sumptuously staged drama depicting a speculative glimpse of life at a Russian Imperial court where life firmly revolved around the person of the Empress. The characterisations are solid with a strong performance from an Aleksandrova (who did remind me often of Rebecca Ferguson) and though the pace does get a bit soapy to pan out ten episodes when probably eight would have done, it keeps moving engagingly. The narrative concentrates more on the domestic goings-on rather than really developing the state of the kingdom's international affairs and conflicts, so that means it's opportunity to develop the other prominent characters from this time - "Potemkin" (Vladimir Yaglych); Bestuzhev (Vladimir menshov) and latterly Orlov (Artyom Alekseev) is limited and they don't really make much impact. Elizaveta, herself, arrived on the throne via a mini-coup and there's also an undercooked side story surround the rather sad life of the very young, imprisoned, Ivan VI that meanders throughout the main thread as does one of the increasing factionalising at the court as the Empress becomes ever more frequently ill. There's some ropey CGI used for many of the establishing shots that is unnecessary and rather compromises the otherwise high-end production values, and with some solid dialogue evoking plenty of the perils that went with the curtseys and the tiaras, this is an entertainingly lavish drama that makes for an easy watch reminding me a little of Marvin Chomsky's more condensed dramatisation of the life of Pyotr the Great made in 1986. It's not an history so best not be doing too much fact-questioning, but if you can overlook that then it's an enjoyable period drama.

I've been compelled to watch a few of these historical series about royal houses because my wife likes them. Versailles was OK but this is very poorly executed. The costumes are good and the backdrops pretty but these are the only redeeming features as the script is poorly put together and much of the acting as wooden as I've seen for quite some time. You are left with an impression that the Russian state has heavily influenced the production. For instance Peter III is portrayed as an incompetent and immature fantasist when in reality he tried to implement some rather enlightened reforms. I'm frankly amazed its rated 8.2 on IMDb.

EKATERINA (2014-2023) is a historical semi-biographical Russian drama about the renowned historical figure of Ekaterina II, Catherine the Great and her glorious reign over the Russian Empire, from naive girl to powerful ruler.

"The life of Russian Empress Ekaterina II (Catherine the Great), a German-born princess who came to Russia as the wife of Peter III, chosen by her aunt Elizabeth, and who, once in power, transformed the Russian empire."

This series had excellent sets and costumes, and was pretty well acted overall, although at times it did felt a bit dry and stuffy. On the bright side though, it's definitely not the typical overly-dramatic and hyper sensationalist kind of dramas we normally see in the West. A bit more subtle and slow paced though perhaps. Immediately you feel interested in Ekaterina herself, as she portrays an innocent and naive girl and her gradual transition into power and reknown. A very interesting subject.

Overall, this series was a pretty well-made drama as well as intriguing story, especially if you are into historical costume period dramas, featuring powerful female rulers, as well as the "golden age" of Russian history, pre-soviet-communist revolution era. Very watchable.

It's worth watching even if the sound and subtitles are off!

Beautiful sets, great views of Russian landscape, terrific acting and gripping story.

Warning - May be addicting and cause binge watching.

I have long been a student of Russian history and have seen a few Catherine II projects over the years. Catching Ekaterina on Amazon Prime was an incredible treat. My husband loved it as well and knows nothing of Russian history.

It's gripping, haunting, and some scenes will just stick with you (namely, in Season 3). The casting is fantastic: Catherine's many lovers are appropriately, sublimely sexy and Yuliya Aug is FANTASTIC as Empress Elizaveta. She really sets the tone as this powerful, intense presence throughout Catherine's introduction to Russia.

Season 2 features Sergei Kotalkov as advisor Nikita Panin who is the powerhouse of the season. Less scenery chewing than Elizaveta but engrossing. The world expands beyond Catherine to include others such as her illegitimate child, Alexei; Catherine's Lady in Waiting, Sofia Stepanova (played by Lyubava Greshnova) is the other MVP.

The problem with Season 2 is it covers a VERY large part of Catherine's reign, so much so Season 3 is actually a flashback which is very jarring at first.

Season 3 takes some strong historical liberties to expand our characters and humanize them. Nikita Panin has another stellar season with a softer side, Catherine has a couple of stellar(!) scenes, Alexei Orlov gets his time to shine, and they try to retcon Paul's wife (hideous villain in S2!) which makes no sense with how they portrayed her in S2, but I'll take it.

The most powerful performance is that of the "second" Elizaveta Peteovna, played by Angelina Strechina. Incredible. The finale of S3 will leave you feeling something, that's for sure.

I also liked how they would dub the actors in different languages appropriate for the location: Frederick II of Prussia would speak German. In Naples it's dubbed in Italian. The Poles in Polish, et cet. It adds a bit of immersion and I enjoyed it; in fact there is a funny and heartwarming scene between a Russian and German character in S3 that plays on this fact. So you're watching it subtitled one English but can hear the two different languages.

Only criticisms are that the special effects/fighting scenes are pretty weak, even by S3 when you can tell they got a better budget. Also, the Potemkin+Catherine love theme is waaaaay overused. They needed a second theme in S2. :)

You'll learn a lot and enjoy the show along the way. If you enjoyed the intrigue of Game of Thrones, you'll enjoy Ekaterina.

This is an enjoable show. I am now a few episodes into second season and I am loving it. Strongly recommend and I envy those that have not seen the first season yet.

The TV series paints a loving picture of Ekaterina II, with flaws. And a splendid picture of Tsarist Russia. The show does not show social strife. The nobility, or at least rulers, have fear of the sentiment of common folks. It is a check on their behavior. But we see no meanness or abuse against common people. Rather, the relationship is paternalistic, a wish to protect. We also see a romanticization from the nobility towards common Russians. As how Potemkin is portrayed and related.

Another pleasent theme of the show is how people defer to authority, station, duty. While the series always show the characters maintain themselves, like if they were in two paralell universes, one where they are people, one where they are functionaries of the state. Unlike what we would see in a contemporary Anglo show, there is no conflict between these universes. People just do their duty to the letter, good or bad, true or just, clever or stupid. While being people wherever duty does not mandate. The Tsar(ina) obviously struggles a bit more with this. Power corrupts. But even she ends up on the straight and narrow.

Another theme is how the Tsar(ina) is bigger than life, when she has to be. I just watched the part where she defeated the religious fanatic accosting her in the street just after she met the patriarch early episode of season 2. It is as if a higher spirit descends into her and fills her with power. I think it is a way to touch upon the holyness of Tsardom, rulership, royalty.

Obviously this is a highly idealized and stylized picture of history. But if we are to tell stories of the past, why not tell the most noble and beautiful stories that history will let us? And maybe in so doing, make our life and our land just a little bit better today? As Herodotes once replied, I have been told four versions of the death of Cyrus the great. And I choose the best one.

This is a masterpiece of television: scenery, costumes, plot, drama. Perhaps not 100% historically accurate, but beautiful and very entertaining. Season 1 is very fast-paced, with the producers seemingly unaware it would be renewed. Season 2 starts off at a much slower pace, but once it "moves", it draws the viewer in as never before.

Note that my 10-star rating is for the above. Season 3 is altogether different ... I was unable to continue after the first ten minutes, as in my opinion it just did not "work".

This TV series is marvelous. Its music is astonishing, the playing with very high standarts and the locations (many of them from Saint Perersburg) are magnifiques. I have acquired knowledge from this TV series. Also it fits the fashion of making films about Russian history(at that time). Regarding history facts, I have not checked them (as should be done with all non-documentary films), but many of them appeared to be correct, but also one should acknowledge the fact that it was shown and produced on formal Russian Tv state channel. It means that, it contains also patriotic values to show to its viewers.

Great historic interpretation of 18th century Russia and Germany - and the bond of Love between those great countries, due to Catherine the Great.

I also liked the vivid portrayal of the vulnerability of the Russian royals - who were just normal People - like you and me :)

Most of the Russian aristocratic ladies in this factual historic drama, are portrayed not so much as power hungry people, but rather as demure and refined ladies; who only venture into sexual affairs with the utmost delicacy and elegance.

In fact, I think this is still the case today; most Russian ladies being of a very sensitive, demure and gentle disposition; which is often overlooked by the western female establishment; due to their jealousy of the chic Russian woman :)

I also liked the accurate historic portrayal of Peter III of Russia - who reminded me of my dear friend Vladimir Putin; who is responsible for the killing of Russian soldiers and the unjust imprisonment of Russian human rights activists; waging an inhuman and illegal war on Ukraine, that could have easily been avoided.

In fact, Putin has become a lame duck president, because he made some very bad political decisions, and therefore must be replaced with a new leader.

Once Putin has been replaced with a decent leader, we will support Compromise and Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine 100%.

In the meantime Russia will be led by the NGO BTB-Global Peacebuilding; to restore Human Rights, International Law, Civilization and Happiness in Russia.

Our capital will be Saint Petersburg; in honor of Catherine the Great.

NB: The Putin regime is responsible for the killings of Human Rights Defenders and critics of the corrupt and evil egime; such as Alexei Navalny. We declare all perpetrators of the Putin regime 'Persona non grata' - and order their arrest by the Global Community.

Love and Light / Peace Profound.

Mark - PRESIDENT OF THE MIDDLE EAST / IPA - INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT - UNITED NATIONS - RUSSIA - AU/EU/UK - USAN - IRAN - SOUTH AFRICA - ISRAEL-PALESTINE - POTUS - THE PENTAGON.

The cinematography and costumes are justly praised. Wonderful! But the CGI is positively awful! So many set shots of the palace and the "flowing Neva" are extremely annoying. Nowhere near the quality of everything else. Secondly, the subtitles are horrible! The English is stilted and often completely ungrammatical. The reviewer who commented that certain Russian words cannot be translated into English doesn't know what he is talking about (I too speak both languages) The translation job gets worse as the episodes wear on, by the way. It is truly a subpar job. Rather disappointing

Quality of script, casting, acting/directing, budget, historical accuracy and believability of the plot and costumes. MARIA, lead role of Ekaterina is magnetic on the screen and she can absolutely carry every scene even when it's ladened with royal jewels and costume designs that rival houte couture qualities. Every single actor has strength to portray the depth of their character but they also were quite adept and displaying sensitive, weak or blemished characters as the roles dictate. I have binged watched this period piece over and over and over and over and over again. In fact, I purchased my own personal copy of the entire set for this masterpiece. I have cinducted investigative research into the facts and gictional aspwcts of this offering, and find it right a bit of center with actual plot givings compsred to historical facts. I must say, that I am a purveyor of British, European, French, Spanish, Roman, Greek, Asian and World and Film History, with special emphasis on the American Revolutionary and Civil Wars. This fits my personality like a chef's kiss.

The actress is so bad, that it seems like Catherine the Great was a woman with two face expressions only - puzzled and silly. The actress creates a figure of the empress as of a dumb woman who was just going with a flow.