Rome (TV Series) – A Review

Posted in Critiques | 3 comments

What a show! The best part of it all, is that I bought this series by mistake as I wanted to get my hands on “Spartacus” instead but could not recall its name when I was browsing through the DVD stalls at Batu Feringghi in Penang.

Thankfully, as I did a quick wiki on my Nokia X6, I found out that this series is only 2 seasons long and was cut short due to budgeting issues. It’s good news because I save on budgets too, as I’m already a addict of “House MD”, with “Prison Break” ended, and my interest in “Smallville” evaporated.

Although I’m 5 years late with “Rome”, it’s a perfect case of better late than never. Set in 1st century BC in Rome, it showcases the transition from a Republic to an Empire, with Caesar, Cleopatra, Augustus all playing pivotal roles.

The series primarily chronicles the lives and deeds of the rich, powerful, and “historically significant,” yet it also focuses on the lives, fortunes, families, and acquaintances of two common men: Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, two Roman soldiers mentioned historically in Caesar’s Commentarii de Bello Gallico.

Both HBO and BBC were joint-producers of the show, although shortly after its first season, HBO announced that the second season would be its last, citing the series as ”notoriously expensive”.

This show is not for kids, as it has a fair share of nudity, sex scenes, and crazy acts of violence.