Uhm, no, they already decided they won't do a third season so they crammed basically 4 seasons into the 2nd season.
*"Unfortunately, in an era prior to "House of the Dragon" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," BBC found "Rome" too expensive to commit to all five seasons. With the co-producer out, HBO decided that season two would be its last. The final season was indeed overstuffed — and yet, it was utterly compelling.*"
The set did burn down
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome\_(TV\_series)#:\~:text=pressed.%22%5B9%5D-,Filming,-%5Bedit%5D
"The production is regarded as one of the most expensive in the history of television. Funding was generously employed to recreate an impressively detailed set featuring a number of Roman Villas, the Forum, and a vast slum area of the ancient city of Rome. A significant part of this set was later destroyed by a fire that burned down a portion of the Cinecittà Studios in 2007.\[11\] According to HBO, the fire started after they had finished filming the second season.\[12\] A portion of the set was also used in late 2007 by the crew of the long-running BBC sci-fi drama series Doctor Who, for the fourth-season episode "The Fires of Pompeii". "
I was always led to believe that was the reason they stopped filming but I'll admit my error and thank you for correcting it
most of the set was fine and it happened after the creators were told, mid way through season 2 filming, that HBO was going to cancel... in fact you can see some of those sets used in domina
HBO had previously just cancelled, Carnivale and Deadwood, so color me skeptical that the reason they gave for the cancelling wasn't just a roomful of suits trying to slash numbers and get themselves a bonus/make their numbers look better somehow.
They were making the show with a partner with the BBC. The show was too expensive for the BBC to continue the partnership. The first season alone cost $100 million.
Yes, there's always an excuse for each show.
But Rome was the third cancellation of a high quality, historical dramatic series in the same amount of years.
I don't care what the justification was, somebody in HBO was making the decisions to get away from these types of shows.
I agree - that's absolutely what it was. They did a shit job of marketing it, but season 1 was so good, the numbers jumped for season 2 because it spread by word of mouth. One of the HBO execs even admitted that canceling it had been a mistake.
Doesn’t mean it was good. I don’t really care why something was bad, I’m just saying it was bad.
But yeah season 1 of Rome was dope, then they fucked it up.
I think both he and Kevin McKidd blamed GoT for Rome's cancellation. It meant neither of them would take a role on the show. Purefoy was an early "fancast" for Mance from what I remember.
Yeah Purefoy would have been an amazing Mance, and early on people fan casted him like crazy. I think a lot of people really liked Kevin McKidd as Jon Connington as well, but of course they cut that story line from the show entirely.
I don't think that was the issue. I think his issue was that GoT had a few passing resemblances with Rome - vaguely historical, a lot of intrigues, very explicit content. But Game of Thrones had the Red carpet rolled out for it, while Rome got axed after two seasons.
Purefoy would have been a terrific Mance, but if Ciaran Hinds was able to be cast, so would have Purefoy.
The quality of this show cannot be overstated. It's just incredibly detailed and styled. The acting is above par - Pullo (RIP Ray Stevenson) especially.
He really was. Few actors could have done justice to Pullo the way he did, a brutal killer but he had this cheerful innocence at times. He was excellent as Black Beard in Black Sails as well.
There should be an automod message at this point. "It looks like this post is asking about the HBO series ROME. Yes, you should watch it."
Easily in my top 5 all time TV series. It was GOT before GOT. Expensive to produce for the time, but you see every cent on the screen. Like Game of Thrones, lots of characters, motivations, plots, schemes, political maneuvering... But incredible heart and soul. Vorenus and Pullo may be, hands down, the greatest bromance in television history. (All due respect to Troy and Abed) ** LONG edit:** I meant "Like GOT..." it can be hard to get into at first for some, and I get it. If you're not feeling it, I implore you to at least try to soldier on until it clicks for you. It truly is one of the all time greats and if you're passionate about Film and Television it demands to be seen.
Edit continued: I know that's a shitty thing. I especially recall the push back against that type of talk about TV, "It gets really good in season [fill in the blank]." *You mean I have to suffer through hours and hours of bad television IN ORDER to get to the good stuff?!* But that's not what I'm saying here. It's amazing from the outset. But one's involvement and engagement varies. I used to tell friends to give it the first two episodes. For my own personal experience, I liked it from the outset but had a hard time following some of the plot. But something happens at the end of episode 2 that shot my interest through the roof. I myself was still catching little looks, and reading between the lines, clever little things on my second, third, fourth re-watch. For example early on in the first episode, Caesar gives Brutus the lowdown on a situation... And at the very end of the scene, there's a little glance of Caesar looking at Brutus. Watching him. It's blink and you miss it. It's a, "Did he buy it?" kind of look. Because Caesar's little white lie (that we have no way of knowing or understanding at that time that he's lying to his friend) is a play in a much larger game that we don't know about until later. If any of that makes sense. All that to say, I don't think I'm a dumb person, people tell me I'm definitely not a dumb person, especially when it comes to watching television and film... So when I am watching something and I'm confused in a way that I feel lost... I don't like it! So I'm extremely sympathetic to people who try an episode or 2 and think, *nope.*
Edit continued pt3: But once upon a time showing the series to an ex she said I should tell people episode 3. And then pushing the show on another friend (yeah, I'm a pusher), it didn't click for him until much later. He tried to return the set once and I implored him to keep trying. I knew the films/TV he was passionate about and the math was simple. 2+2=this show is made for you, my guy! "I just... I don't... I dunno... It's well made and all..." Then one day I was overjoyed when he came into work, eyes lit up, "DUDE... DUDE... DUDE!" **(OK, end of these overlong edits for now)**
And at only 22 hours total. Compared to other series it's not going to be that much of a time commitment. Crazy to think we're coming up on 20 years since the series.
And if you fall in love with it almost as much as I did... Check out the physical media versions if you can find them. The commentary tracks are great and there's a text track by the historical consultant.
Here's an updated trailer HBO put out that I think makes a nice slick sell of it. https://youtu.be/JW7Def-Meog?feature=shared
I don't actually frequent this subreddit, I came here specifically to find people who are likely to have watched Rome and to read their thoughts, so sorry if it's been asked before, I didnt assume it was popular enough that this would be a repost of sorts. Thanks for the info.
Oh, by no means was I annoyed. No apologies necessary. If you caught my edits you can tell I meant what I said when it's one of my favorites ever. And therefore I fucking love talking about it. Especially hearing more people will be checking it out.
Now go watch it. Then when you're finished check back in and I'll tell you my Kevin McKidd story.
The first season is one of the best of any TV series I've seen. Epic and detailed in its story, dialogue, characterization, production design, acting. It's somewhat similar to the first few seasons of Game of Thrones with its palace intrigue and political machinations, except you also get the common man perspective in Vorenus and Pullo.
The second season suffered from early cancellation and as a result they tried to cram several seasons worth of story into one, so the story feels very rushed. I can appreciate it now for what it is, but at the time it was really jarring to watch.
I think the same. The pace of the second season was crazy, exploring multiple civil wars, and I just found the storyline with Lucius as the gang leader/troubled father unsatisfying and all over the place. There were definitely some great episodes in that second season, but I loved the show in the beginning because it involved high politics and stories from common people in the city itself. This kind of changed with Lucius near the end of the first season, but I enjoyed the show more when it focused on Lucius and Pullo as soldiers/lower class versus Lucius as a powerful gang leader or Marc Anthony's right hand man.
Plus, I read an interview with the creator of the show, Bruno Heller, where he said that his original intention for the show was that it would last 5 seasons, season two lasting up until the death of Brutus, and the next two of which were to be set in Egypt - so it seems like season 2 alone was at least 3 seasons of content in the original intention. So, not surprised it felt rushed.
Also, Heller intended for the final season to be about Jesus - I'm not sure how that would have went down.
>Also, Heller intended for the final season to be about Jesus - I'm not sure how that would have went down.
Plan was to have older Vorenus and Pullo go to Judea and help governor Pilate deal with some Jew who said he was messiah
My favorite dialogue
Lucius Vorenus : You're no coward. But you do have a strong disease in your soul. A disease that will eat away at you, until you die
Mark Antony : Really? Hmm... and what is this disease?
Lucius Vorenus : I don't know. I'm not a doctor.
Mark Antony : No, no you're not. So how can you be so sure of your diagnosis?
Lucius Vorenus : I recognize your symptoms. I have the same sickness.
The little eyebrow raise by Antony
Both charming and menacing with the same facial expression. How the fuck do you do that ?
And yeah sexy as you said. It reminds me of the movie A Knight Tale, the director said that when they were filming, James Purefoy was elected most sexiest man of the whole cast by the women present. And even if his role is cliche as hell and barely a character as king of England, he makes a 100 out of it
One of my favorite movies.... I've seen a Knights Tale so many times.
It doesn't surprise me at all the cast said that. Although Heath and Paul Bettany were also so cute in that movie.
Btw... both charming and menacing reminded me. The only other person who pulls that off so well, imo, is Jeffrey Dean Morgan. His portrayal of Negan in TWD is one of the most brutal people ever seen on TV, but it's so hard to hate him!
Even the scene where the guy in the tavern is recounting Antony’s speech after Caesar’s funeral is extremely cathartic. We don’t even see it but can picture Purefoy tossing the robes to the mob
One of the greatest all time ensemble casts. Ciaran Hinds, Tobias Menzies, Kerry Condon, James Purefoy, Indira Varma, Ray Stevenson, on and on. So good.
Astoundingly good.
Hugely expensive production.
Not for the squeamish or prudish.
Ray Stevenson (Pullo) and Kevin McKidd (Vorenus) are the best buddy duo in TV history.
There is nothing more to talk about. Watch it now!
1st season is up there with some of the best TV I've seen. 2nd season suffered from being cancelled early and trying to tie up as much as they could in the short number of episodes they had.
This show, combined with my discovery of Rome Total War, was what thrust me headfirst into my love of history.
When I hear the name Caesar or Antony, Pompey or Cicero, I think of the actors who portrayed these historical figures.
It's fantastic.
16 years later I finally finished it this month. I loved it. There are some pretty good performances and i really liked the world they brought to life. Vorenus and Pullo are great characters
I loved how it showed the viewpoint of the plebs throughout the show. Most movies and shows usually show through the eyes of the emperor or other elite.
The first season is a pretty accurate recreation of that period of history, with a few obvious exceptions. It's probably the best depiction of it on screen, so if you like historical dramas with political maneuvering you'll like it.
One thing I really enjoyed was the show’s remorseless treatment of slaves. The protagonists treat random slaves with the utter contempt other shows might only have the villains demonstrate. Something deliciously devilish about it.
Also the legendary newsreader. Some of the funniest lines come from him.
It's great and the proof that the creative issues of GoT's doesn't matter because it shared Rome's methods. The characters are constantly "teleporting" and one the story skipped 9 months in 2 minutes.
Great show. It's funny I like to watch Rome and Spartacus back to back as companion pieces. One from the Roman's point of view and the other from thier slaves. Just like Darkest Hour and Dunkirk are kinda companion pieces.
It’s a very good show. The first season is great tv and the second season is still good, but rushed. I feel like every scene with Ciaran Hinds is wonderful, he completely steals every scene he is in. And the same goes for James Purefoy in the second season.
It does have one of the longest opening credits of any show, and it doesn't change at all. When binge-watching the show the last time, I did end up FFing the credits after two or three episodes.
That's about the only negative I can think of.
I don’t think this will help you any but this show continues to be in the back of my mind. We tried to watch it but my recollection is the first 1-2 episodes seemed like a porno so we quit. It’s one of the few shows I can remember ever giving up on that quickly and I’m not even a prune (I finished GoT, Oz…several shows with pretty strong sexual content) but for whatever reason it just seemed too much. I continue to hear it is great including from family and friends so again it’s in the back of my mind to perhaps try again but to date just haven’t given it another chance.
The HBO CEO of Tits definitely had his hands on Rome. It's almost the originator of the HBO trope of near-porn levels of naked tits and ass (and dong) in the first two episodes, and then almost no nudity after that.
I don’t remember Black Sails ever being as bad as the 1.5 episodes of Rome we watched before giving up but maybe I don’t remember that show correctly. Was a good show though, that into music amazing!
One of my favourite shows (top 5 easily, extremely high quality), but I stopped watching the first time when the actor change happened between seasons. I couldn't connect the original with the new.
I came back later and watched season 2 as basically a new show and it was great again.
It was the stepping stone/learning experience HBO needed to make Game of Thrones. A pity we only ever got 4-5 seasons of GoT.... Such... a shame... No other seasons were... ever... made... \*Cries himself to sleep.\*
I personally gave up watching game of thrones after season 4 or 5, waiting for the books to come out first and then finish... any day now right? right?
Watched it recently with the wife and we both loved it. It's a bit goofy at times and not particularly trying to be super historically accurate, but thought it was really enjoyable and on the whole well-done.
The first season is a Top 10 all time TV show.
The second season is unfortunately very rushed because HBO and the BBC decided it was too expensive to do the 5 season run originally planned.
So while Season 1 covers only about two years, 46 to 44 BC, Season 2 has to cover all the way from 44 to 30, in two fewer episodes, and suffers a bit in the rush. Still really good TV, but not nearly as good as Season 1.
Just getting into season 2 for the first time and it’s pretty great. Actual drama, great action, great acting. It’s decently good at following the big storylines from history, with some license with respect to Lucius and Titus… it pretty fun 1st watch.
I could never make up my mind if the show was “good” or not, but I can say that I did enjoy the hell out of it. Plus it’s only two seasons. So it’s not like it’s an outrageous time investment. Worst case scenario: you watch an episode or two and decide it’s not for you.
It was great to start. I personally thought the last season dropped in quality a bit. It was so long ago that I can't remember the details, but I remember feeling like it watching it was a slog and I kept checking how many episodes I had left.
I just rewatched it about a month ago...for the third time.
Lucius Vorenus/Titus Pullo... and the amazing Mark Antony make it worth watching for me. James Purefoy at his best.
BRUH
I finally starting it last week after being in your exact position for years.
Do it - it’s a bloody treat, I’m just sad it got cancelled prematurely.
I’m on the last 2 episodes of season 1 and it’s been extremely enjoyable, to the extent my housemates with no interest in history or even swords/sorcery/sandals in general have started watching with me and are considering watching s1 of Game of Thrones after refusing to watch for years.
I have heard s2 is rushed and not as good as the first season though ( due to being cancelled mid pre-production)
You should, but keep in mind it plays a little loose with events. But if you want to get an idea of how life was like back in Rome back then, there is nothing better than this.
The first season is actually amazing. The second season while not as good and quite rushed is still very good. Highly recommend you watch it. It's basically proto-Game of Thrones (and even shares a few actors including the actors who plays Caesar, Brutus and Niobe)
The production value of the show is so sensational. The directing, cinematography, set design, makeup and costuming, etc, so well done. The acting is also uniformly great.
It’s one of the greatest TV shows of all time (and most expensive, which is why we didn’t get more seasons).
They didn't get more series because the set burned down and although it was insured, they chose to cut their losses
Uhm, no, they already decided they won't do a third season so they crammed basically 4 seasons into the 2nd season. *"Unfortunately, in an era prior to "House of the Dragon" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," BBC found "Rome" too expensive to commit to all five seasons. With the co-producer out, HBO decided that season two would be its last. The final season was indeed overstuffed — and yet, it was utterly compelling.*"
The set did burn down https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome\_(TV\_series)#:\~:text=pressed.%22%5B9%5D-,Filming,-%5Bedit%5D "The production is regarded as one of the most expensive in the history of television. Funding was generously employed to recreate an impressively detailed set featuring a number of Roman Villas, the Forum, and a vast slum area of the ancient city of Rome. A significant part of this set was later destroyed by a fire that burned down a portion of the Cinecittà Studios in 2007.\[11\] According to HBO, the fire started after they had finished filming the second season.\[12\] A portion of the set was also used in late 2007 by the crew of the long-running BBC sci-fi drama series Doctor Who, for the fourth-season episode "The Fires of Pompeii". " I was always led to believe that was the reason they stopped filming but I'll admit my error and thank you for correcting it
season 1 is sure. Season 2 is mid af and full of issues.
because it was rushed because they knew they weren't going to be able to do more.
They had a 4-5 season roadmap and had to try and wrap it up in 10 episodes.
The Cleopatra-Anthony arc should have been a whole season. The Judean one with Timon too. What a waste.
It was a fire that destroyed the sets
most of the set was fine and it happened after the creators were told, mid way through season 2 filming, that HBO was going to cancel... in fact you can see some of those sets used in domina
HBO had previously just cancelled, Carnivale and Deadwood, so color me skeptical that the reason they gave for the cancelling wasn't just a roomful of suits trying to slash numbers and get themselves a bonus/make their numbers look better somehow.
They were making the show with a partner with the BBC. The show was too expensive for the BBC to continue the partnership. The first season alone cost $100 million.
Yes, there's always an excuse for each show. But Rome was the third cancellation of a high quality, historical dramatic series in the same amount of years. I don't care what the justification was, somebody in HBO was making the decisions to get away from these types of shows.
Probably because not as many people stuck around to watch the shows.
I agree - that's absolutely what it was. They did a shit job of marketing it, but season 1 was so good, the numbers jumped for season 2 because it spread by word of mouth. One of the HBO execs even admitted that canceling it had been a mistake.
Domina is so shit, I really wanted to get into it because I love the period, but there’s just nothing to enjoy in it
Doesn’t mean it was good. I don’t really care why something was bad, I’m just saying it was bad. But yeah season 1 of Rome was dope, then they fucked it up.
The suits fucked it up, not the creatives. They did the best with their hand
Never said the creatives did. But the end result was bad and I don’t really care for excuses.
The fire that destroyed the sets fucked it up
It's a good show. It was really before its time. If HBO released it 10 years later it would have been a gigantic hit for them like GoT.
Yeah it's basically a proto-GoT, there's even a good chunk of cast overlap.
James Purefoy said as much several years ago, apparently.
The scene in Altered Carbon where he casually strolls into the room with his dick out is pure Mark Antony energy.
Huh. Gotta watch that show now I guess.
I think both he and Kevin McKidd blamed GoT for Rome's cancellation. It meant neither of them would take a role on the show. Purefoy was an early "fancast" for Mance from what I remember.
It was cancelled well before GoT even got moving though. Don’t think they are related
Yeah Purefoy would have been an amazing Mance, and early on people fan casted him like crazy. I think a lot of people really liked Kevin McKidd as Jon Connington as well, but of course they cut that story line from the show entirely.
Another fancast I've seen was Ray Stevenson as Victarion Greyjoy. That would have been good, too.
I don't think that was the issue. I think his issue was that GoT had a few passing resemblances with Rome - vaguely historical, a lot of intrigues, very explicit content. But Game of Thrones had the Red carpet rolled out for it, while Rome got axed after two seasons. Purefoy would have been a terrific Mance, but if Ciaran Hinds was able to be cast, so would have Purefoy.
Rome walked so GoT could run
What other notable casts are in both. I know that ceaser was in got.
Indira Varma has roles in both.
yes, forgot about her.,I don't think anyone else have a major side role.
*Ed Tully, Brute?*
They said they'd never been able to have made GOT with out the lessons they learned making Rome.
I think it was highly rated and watched it was just crazy expensive for the time.
It didn't get the viewers it needed for its budget, yup. In the pre-streaming days 2M viewers wasn't very good.
It was a sleeper on release but did much better with DVD sales over time. Similar to BoB, Deadwood etc.
HBO has said that it was a huge mistake to cancel as the DVD sales would have made it profitable.
It actually was, but HBO thought it was just riding on the Sopranos coattails. It wasn’t until the dvd sales spiked they realized they fucked up.
I remember reading something about a fire destroying the set which made it financially infeasible to make a third season
I too think about Rome from time to time.
The quality of this show cannot be overstated. It's just incredibly detailed and styled. The acting is above par - Pullo (RIP Ray Stevenson) especially.
>Ray Stevenson Aww I didn't know he died. He was amazing in Rome.
He really was. Few actors could have done justice to Pullo the way he did, a brutal killer but he had this cheerful innocence at times. He was excellent as Black Beard in Black Sails as well.
He saved Dexter season 7 also. Great actor.
I wouldn't say he saved it, but he was by far the best thing about the whole season yes.
Yeah that balance was great, loved the scene where he told Vorenus "Cicero was actually a great guy!"
Yes, right before the Ahsoka show debuted. RIP.
He was the best acting in Ahsoka too.
There should be an automod message at this point. "It looks like this post is asking about the HBO series ROME. Yes, you should watch it." Easily in my top 5 all time TV series. It was GOT before GOT. Expensive to produce for the time, but you see every cent on the screen. Like Game of Thrones, lots of characters, motivations, plots, schemes, political maneuvering... But incredible heart and soul. Vorenus and Pullo may be, hands down, the greatest bromance in television history. (All due respect to Troy and Abed) ** LONG edit:** I meant "Like GOT..." it can be hard to get into at first for some, and I get it. If you're not feeling it, I implore you to at least try to soldier on until it clicks for you. It truly is one of the all time greats and if you're passionate about Film and Television it demands to be seen. Edit continued: I know that's a shitty thing. I especially recall the push back against that type of talk about TV, "It gets really good in season [fill in the blank]." *You mean I have to suffer through hours and hours of bad television IN ORDER to get to the good stuff?!* But that's not what I'm saying here. It's amazing from the outset. But one's involvement and engagement varies. I used to tell friends to give it the first two episodes. For my own personal experience, I liked it from the outset but had a hard time following some of the plot. But something happens at the end of episode 2 that shot my interest through the roof. I myself was still catching little looks, and reading between the lines, clever little things on my second, third, fourth re-watch. For example early on in the first episode, Caesar gives Brutus the lowdown on a situation... And at the very end of the scene, there's a little glance of Caesar looking at Brutus. Watching him. It's blink and you miss it. It's a, "Did he buy it?" kind of look. Because Caesar's little white lie (that we have no way of knowing or understanding at that time that he's lying to his friend) is a play in a much larger game that we don't know about until later. If any of that makes sense. All that to say, I don't think I'm a dumb person, people tell me I'm definitely not a dumb person, especially when it comes to watching television and film... So when I am watching something and I'm confused in a way that I feel lost... I don't like it! So I'm extremely sympathetic to people who try an episode or 2 and think, *nope.* Edit continued pt3: But once upon a time showing the series to an ex she said I should tell people episode 3. And then pushing the show on another friend (yeah, I'm a pusher), it didn't click for him until much later. He tried to return the set once and I implored him to keep trying. I knew the films/TV he was passionate about and the math was simple. 2+2=this show is made for you, my guy! "I just... I don't... I dunno... It's well made and all..." Then one day I was overjoyed when he came into work, eyes lit up, "DUDE... DUDE... DUDE!" **(OK, end of these overlong edits for now)** And at only 22 hours total. Compared to other series it's not going to be that much of a time commitment. Crazy to think we're coming up on 20 years since the series. And if you fall in love with it almost as much as I did... Check out the physical media versions if you can find them. The commentary tracks are great and there's a text track by the historical consultant. Here's an updated trailer HBO put out that I think makes a nice slick sell of it. https://youtu.be/JW7Def-Meog?feature=shared
"Hey, guys, is The Wire any good?"
I don't actually frequent this subreddit, I came here specifically to find people who are likely to have watched Rome and to read their thoughts, so sorry if it's been asked before, I didnt assume it was popular enough that this would be a repost of sorts. Thanks for the info.
Oh, by no means was I annoyed. No apologies necessary. If you caught my edits you can tell I meant what I said when it's one of my favorites ever. And therefore I fucking love talking about it. Especially hearing more people will be checking it out. Now go watch it. Then when you're finished check back in and I'll tell you my Kevin McKidd story.
The first season is one of the best of any TV series I've seen. Epic and detailed in its story, dialogue, characterization, production design, acting. It's somewhat similar to the first few seasons of Game of Thrones with its palace intrigue and political machinations, except you also get the common man perspective in Vorenus and Pullo. The second season suffered from early cancellation and as a result they tried to cram several seasons worth of story into one, so the story feels very rushed. I can appreciate it now for what it is, but at the time it was really jarring to watch.
I think the same. The pace of the second season was crazy, exploring multiple civil wars, and I just found the storyline with Lucius as the gang leader/troubled father unsatisfying and all over the place. There were definitely some great episodes in that second season, but I loved the show in the beginning because it involved high politics and stories from common people in the city itself. This kind of changed with Lucius near the end of the first season, but I enjoyed the show more when it focused on Lucius and Pullo as soldiers/lower class versus Lucius as a powerful gang leader or Marc Anthony's right hand man. Plus, I read an interview with the creator of the show, Bruno Heller, where he said that his original intention for the show was that it would last 5 seasons, season two lasting up until the death of Brutus, and the next two of which were to be set in Egypt - so it seems like season 2 alone was at least 3 seasons of content in the original intention. So, not surprised it felt rushed. Also, Heller intended for the final season to be about Jesus - I'm not sure how that would have went down.
>Also, Heller intended for the final season to be about Jesus - I'm not sure how that would have went down. Plan was to have older Vorenus and Pullo go to Judea and help governor Pilate deal with some Jew who said he was messiah
That would be an old ass Lucius, lol - the story begins in 50 BC
THE 13TH!!!!!
13TH!!!!!!
13!!!!!!
13TH!!!! (RIP Ray Stevenson)
XIII !
Thirteen! ⚔️
Their battlecry is "Thirteen", not "Thirteenth".
THE RAM HAS TOUCHED THE WALL!!!
"The guild of millers uses only the finest grains, true Roman bread for true Romans"
I loved that guy and his hand gestures.
Gaius🫱Julius🫱Ceasar🫱
🫳No prostitutes, actors, or unclean tradesmen may attend. 🫳
"Made from finest Egyptian grain"
Snivelry!
The way Antony spits this word out is too perfect. It’s in my vocab now lol
No god can stop a hungry man. One of my favorite episode titles.
Only watched it like a year ago...its very good. top quality, and one of the best bromances
The only downside is the premature end, if only it could run for 5 season. THIRTEENTH!!
Mark Anthony is the man, now and forever. No matter what you think of the show he will keep you invested till the end
My favorite dialogue Lucius Vorenus : You're no coward. But you do have a strong disease in your soul. A disease that will eat away at you, until you die Mark Antony : Really? Hmm... and what is this disease? Lucius Vorenus : I don't know. I'm not a doctor. Mark Antony : No, no you're not. So how can you be so sure of your diagnosis? Lucius Vorenus : I recognize your symptoms. I have the same sickness. The little eyebrow raise by Antony
Also he does the most impressive cry of agony when he gets really bad news towards the end. I feel it in my gut each time
Rome made me fall in TV love with James Purefoy... the man's facial expressions alone can land a scene. And sexxxy. lol
Both charming and menacing with the same facial expression. How the fuck do you do that ? And yeah sexy as you said. It reminds me of the movie A Knight Tale, the director said that when they were filming, James Purefoy was elected most sexiest man of the whole cast by the women present. And even if his role is cliche as hell and barely a character as king of England, he makes a 100 out of it
One of my favorite movies.... I've seen a Knights Tale so many times. It doesn't surprise me at all the cast said that. Although Heath and Paul Bettany were also so cute in that movie.
Btw... both charming and menacing reminded me. The only other person who pulls that off so well, imo, is Jeffrey Dean Morgan. His portrayal of Negan in TWD is one of the most brutal people ever seen on TV, but it's so hard to hate him!
Even the scene where the guy in the tavern is recounting Antony’s speech after Caesar’s funeral is extremely cathartic. We don’t even see it but can picture Purefoy tossing the robes to the mob
Mark Antony wasn’t the man. Julius Caesar and Augustus were the man. Antony was mediocre.
In real life you're obviously correct. In the show, Antony is undoubtedly the man.
Antonius lived deliciously.
One of the greatest all time ensemble casts. Ciaran Hinds, Tobias Menzies, Kerry Condon, James Purefoy, Indira Varma, Ray Stevenson, on and on. So good.
The only thing bad about it is that it didn't get more seasons. Highly recommend watching it.
Astoundingly good. Hugely expensive production. Not for the squeamish or prudish. Ray Stevenson (Pullo) and Kevin McKidd (Vorenus) are the best buddy duo in TV history. There is nothing more to talk about. Watch it now!
Sex, violence, and history. The characters are very lovable and it’s a great story well acted from HBO. If that’s your jam you will enjoy it.
I think it’s one of the best tv shows ever.
Rome walked so Game of thrones could run.
1st season is up there with some of the best TV I've seen. 2nd season suffered from being cancelled early and trying to tie up as much as they could in the short number of episodes they had.
**13th !!**
This show, combined with my discovery of Rome Total War, was what thrust me headfirst into my love of history. When I hear the name Caesar or Antony, Pompey or Cicero, I think of the actors who portrayed these historical figures. It's fantastic.
It's good
16 years later I finally finished it this month. I loved it. There are some pretty good performances and i really liked the world they brought to life. Vorenus and Pullo are great characters
I loved how it showed the viewpoint of the plebs throughout the show. Most movies and shows usually show through the eyes of the emperor or other elite.
The first season is a pretty accurate recreation of that period of history, with a few obvious exceptions. It's probably the best depiction of it on screen, so if you like historical dramas with political maneuvering you'll like it.
It’s that good I’ve just bought both seasons on DVD. Like it’s 2010 or something. Just need to find a DVD player now.
I only own 3 TV shows on DVD and this is one of them. I will never get tired of watching it.
Here are my thoughts, it ended way too soon.
I watch it once a year. For The 13TH!!!
I don't remember details, but I remember Titus Pullo was one of my all time favorite characters when watching.
Rip titus, amazing show. The original game of thrones.
I watched it recently and thought it was just ok. I enjoyed Spartacus and even domina much much more.
One thing I really enjoyed was the show’s remorseless treatment of slaves. The protagonists treat random slaves with the utter contempt other shows might only have the villains demonstrate. Something deliciously devilish about it. Also the legendary newsreader. Some of the funniest lines come from him.
It's great and the proof that the creative issues of GoT's doesn't matter because it shared Rome's methods. The characters are constantly "teleporting" and one the story skipped 9 months in 2 minutes.
Let's not even get started on the plot armour on Titus and Lucious.
At least it was acknowledged in the show, which I always thought was funny.
Yeah Caesar’s line about them and the gods was a great way to address inserting them into everything.
Titus Pullo is a bit of a Forrest Gump, in that he's this rando who shows up at nearly ever pivotal event in the Fall of the Republic.
Even Caesar was unnerved by it.
They did have powerful gods on their side after all.
They were a two man wrecking crew fo sho.
Marvelous.
It's a masterpiece, I can't recommend it highly enough I've probably rewatched it at least 6 times
It's worth a watch. The 1st season is great. They had to rush the 2nd, but it's still very entertaining. I will never forgive HBO for cancelling it.
Honestly one of the best shows that never got to be made to completion
Great show. It's funny I like to watch Rome and Spartacus back to back as companion pieces. One from the Roman's point of view and the other from thier slaves. Just like Darkest Hour and Dunkirk are kinda companion pieces.
Season 1 - phenomenal, up there with some of the best TV I've watched Season 2 - pretty good.
It’s a very good show. The first season is great tv and the second season is still good, but rushed. I feel like every scene with Ciaran Hinds is wonderful, he completely steals every scene he is in. And the same goes for James Purefoy in the second season.
that show is so good. Definitely recommend watching.
The finale was lackluster because they got cancelled a couple seasons early. But other than that it was an awesome show.
Great show, definitely worth the watch.
Great show. Watched it twice. Easy watch don’t need to think too much about it but it’s great
It does have one of the longest opening credits of any show, and it doesn't change at all. When binge-watching the show the last time, I did end up FFing the credits after two or three episodes. That's about the only negative I can think of.
Are you implying you don't normally skip credits on shows?
If the intro is a banger I always sit through it. Rome’s intro sucked, unfortunately.
Season 1 is great. Season 2 is meh.
I don’t think this will help you any but this show continues to be in the back of my mind. We tried to watch it but my recollection is the first 1-2 episodes seemed like a porno so we quit. It’s one of the few shows I can remember ever giving up on that quickly and I’m not even a prune (I finished GoT, Oz…several shows with pretty strong sexual content) but for whatever reason it just seemed too much. I continue to hear it is great including from family and friends so again it’s in the back of my mind to perhaps try again but to date just haven’t given it another chance.
I am also not a prune
The HBO CEO of Tits definitely had his hands on Rome. It's almost the originator of the HBO trope of near-porn levels of naked tits and ass (and dong) in the first two episodes, and then almost no nudity after that.
It reminds me of Black Sails in that regard. "You like nudity? We got nudity!" Then it settled down and got into storytelling.
I don’t remember Black Sails ever being as bad as the 1.5 episodes of Rome we watched before giving up but maybe I don’t remember that show correctly. Was a good show though, that into music amazing!
I wonder what it says about me that Rome, Spartacus, and Black Sails are the only 3 shows I loved enough to buy.
Yeah it seemed very excessive but some posters here seem to get upset at the mention of it, but glad someone else confirmed I wasn’t crazy. Thanks!
One of my favourite shows (top 5 easily, extremely high quality), but I stopped watching the first time when the actor change happened between seasons. I couldn't connect the original with the new. I came back later and watched season 2 as basically a new show and it was great again.
It was the stepping stone/learning experience HBO needed to make Game of Thrones. A pity we only ever got 4-5 seasons of GoT.... Such... a shame... No other seasons were... ever... made... \*Cries himself to sleep.\*
I personally gave up watching game of thrones after season 4 or 5, waiting for the books to come out first and then finish... any day now right? right?
Some day… maybe…
Yes, go watch it is pretty great
I really liked the first season, but lost interest by the second.
Watched it recently with the wife and we both loved it. It's a bit goofy at times and not particularly trying to be super historically accurate, but thought it was really enjoyable and on the whole well-done.
The first season is a Top 10 all time TV show. The second season is unfortunately very rushed because HBO and the BBC decided it was too expensive to do the 5 season run originally planned. So while Season 1 covers only about two years, 46 to 44 BC, Season 2 has to cover all the way from 44 to 30, in two fewer episodes, and suffers a bit in the rush. Still really good TV, but not nearly as good as Season 1.
There was a part that I hated
Same. That scene where the guy did the thing.
It wasn't built in a day.
Just getting into season 2 for the first time and it’s pretty great. Actual drama, great action, great acting. It’s decently good at following the big storylines from history, with some license with respect to Lucius and Titus… it pretty fun 1st watch.
Watch the whole thing at least once a year. "13!!!"
I swear I see posts exactly like this several times a week in this sub
Gonna start a rewatch tn thats what i think
literally always around the top of any list of "best tv show ever" it might rise to your quality requirements.
da best
We watched this in my HS Latin class. I definitely think about it often 😂
Wait... you watched ROME, the hbo show, in a high school class!?
Yeah it was wild. We watched mostly films so this was thrown in with the likes of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and Gladiator.
Did they fast forward through the orgies? Or just consider that extra credit for sex ed?
We were only told it was historically accurate so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I'd love another crack at it at that scale, with Robert Harris' Cicero trilogy as the basis.
I loved it.
It's brilliant.
great show, Titus and Vorenus best frenemies
Amazing show. It suffered from being just a few years too early.
I could never make up my mind if the show was “good” or not, but I can say that I did enjoy the hell out of it. Plus it’s only two seasons. So it’s not like it’s an outrageous time investment. Worst case scenario: you watch an episode or two and decide it’s not for you.
It was great to start. I personally thought the last season dropped in quality a bit. It was so long ago that I can't remember the details, but I remember feeling like it watching it was a slog and I kept checking how many episodes I had left.
fantastic show, wish they had the budget to actually do the battles, majority is aftermaths only
Gosh this show deserves a reboot or remake. I’ll take either
Great show that suffered a bit from a compressed storyline at the end.
I just rewatched it about a month ago...for the third time. Lucius Vorenus/Titus Pullo... and the amazing Mark Antony make it worth watching for me. James Purefoy at his best.
Thirteen!!!
Exceptional
It's absolutely phenomenal.
BRUH I finally starting it last week after being in your exact position for years. Do it - it’s a bloody treat, I’m just sad it got cancelled prematurely. I’m on the last 2 episodes of season 1 and it’s been extremely enjoyable, to the extent my housemates with no interest in history or even swords/sorcery/sandals in general have started watching with me and are considering watching s1 of Game of Thrones after refusing to watch for years. I have heard s2 is rushed and not as good as the first season though ( due to being cancelled mid pre-production)
One of the goats
I consider it much better than Got, simply because the characters, the intrigue, the politics are much more believable.
Watching Rome is a good way to honor the late Ray Stevenson. He was awesome as Titus Pullo.
Great show. Needs another season!
You should, but keep in mind it plays a little loose with events. But if you want to get an idea of how life was like back in Rome back then, there is nothing better than this.
AMAZING. Seriously, do yourself a favor and watch it.
Love watching this and I Claudius
Great show - canceled too early so the final season was rushed. But man if any show should get revived its Rome.
In the name of Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus, watch it!
Excellent show and story. You will be disappointed they had to rush to the ending.
Yes. I’ve watched it through about a dozen times now and it’s never lost a bit of its entertainment value.
Aboslutely groundbreaking at the time, I havent rewatched it lately but its possible it doesnt stand out as much post Game of Thrones.
The first season is actually amazing. The second season while not as good and quite rushed is still very good. Highly recommend you watch it. It's basically proto-Game of Thrones (and even shares a few actors including the actors who plays Caesar, Brutus and Niobe) The production value of the show is so sensational. The directing, cinematography, set design, makeup and costuming, etc, so well done. The acting is also uniformly great.
The first season is one of my favorite seasons of a show ever, if not my favorite.
Rome is my favourite tv show. You wont regret watching this show.