Oscar? winner* Helen Mirren stars in the enthralling HBO? drama Catherine the Great, delivering a regal performance as the brilliant monarch who ruled the Russian empire and transformed it's place in the world in the 18th century. Over the course of four hour-long episodes, this limited series charts Catherine's tumultuous reign as the cunning and ambitious empress fights off threats to her crown, wages war with the Ottoman Empire and expands Russia's borders as far as the Black Sea and Crimea. Beyond it's tale of a political success story against all odds, the series chronicles the passionate love affair between Catherine and Russian military leader Grigory Potemkin. Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty) costars in this sweeping historical epic.