Catherine the Great premiere live stream: Watch online

Helen Mirren stars as the Empress of Russia in HBO’s splashy new period drama Catherine the Great. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the premiere online.

We truly are living in a glorious time for period dramas involving strong, complex women. In the past year alone, we’ve seen such gems as Gentleman Jack, The Spanish Princess and Harlots embrace new and intriguing ways of telling historical female stories. Now, HBO’s Catherine the Great looks to do the same – with one of the most powerful women in history.

In case you needed any more convincing that this show was going to be something special, HBO has tapped the incomparable Dame Helen Mirren to play the infamous Russian empress, notching the Oscar winner her fourth role as a major female monarch from history. (See also: England’s Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Charlotte.)

The real Catherine ruled Russia as its empress for almost thirty years, coming to power after organizing a coup d’etat against her husband, Peter III, which saw him overthrown and herself installed in his place. Her reign oversaw a massive expansion of Russian territories, and helped build her country into one of the world’s great powers.

The official synopsis for the first episode of Catherine the Great reveals where the series’ will take place in Catherine’s timeline, as well as what other familiar historical faces we can expect to see in the story.

"Following a palace coup that overthrew her unpopular husband, the Empress of Russia Catherine the Great faces challenges on all sides, including from her unfaithful lover Grigory Orlov, who’s trying to force her into an ill-advised marriage; her resentful son Prince Paul who looks for greater political power as he comes of age; and enemies who call for the restoration of former infant emperor Ivan VI, imprisoned for nearly two decades.Seeking to freshen things up, Catherine invites the charismatic Lieutenant Grigory Potemkin to Court and the two instantly connect, with Catherine drawn to Potemkin’s candor, integrity and vision. Later, Catherine must make a difficult decision regarding a disillusioned soldier who looks to oust her as war with the Turks looms."

The series’ lavish full trailer gives us a visual idea of what to expect over the course of the series and, spoiler alert, it looks incredible.

Mirren doesn’t exactly sport a German or a Russian accent in the series’ trailer, but we’re all probably willing to let it go. She’s Dame Helen Mirren, after all, and can pretty much do whatever she wants.

Here’s everything you need to know to watch Catherine the Great online.

"Date: Monday, October 21.Start Time: 10 p.m. ESTEpisode: “Episode One”TV Channel: HBOLive Stream: Watch live on Fubo TV. Sign up now for a free seven-day trial. You can also watch on HBO or HBO Go."

Catherine the Great begins Monday, October 21 on HBO.