The history depicted in 'Rome' may not fully match the known details but given a little dramatic license it is close enough. Over the course of two seasons we see Roman history from the rise of Gaius Julius Caesar to the deaths of Antony and Cleopatra. Much of what we see is shown by looking at events as they impact on two soldiers; officer Lucius Vorenus and rough and ready Legionary Titus Pullo. Over the course of the two seasons this pair manage to be involved in just about every major event of the era! There is also a focus on the household of Julius Caesar's niece, Atia of the Julii, as she schemes to maintain a dominant position in Roman society.
This is definitely not a series for the easily offended. We don't get too much in the way of pitched battles, that would have been too expensive, but there is a lot of fairly brutal violence during frequent more small scale skirmishes. There is also quite a lot of sex and nudity, both male and female, as well as language that may offend some viewers. If all this doesn't bother you though this is a gripping series that is exciting and packed with interesting characters. The, mostly British, cast that includes plenty of familiar actors does a really good job; most notably Kevin McKidd and Ray Stevenson as Vorenus and Pullu, Polly Walker as Atia and James Purefoy as Mark Antony. Ciarán Hinds is also really good as Julius Caesar until his death at the end of the first season and Lyndsey Marshal is memorable as Cleopatra despite only appearing in five episodes. It is a shame that it only lasted two seasons, and because of this the second season does feel a little rushed as the creators pack in so much history that was intended to be spread over a longer time. Overall I'd heartily recommend this to anybody who likes things like 'Game of Thrones'; this may be more grounded in reality but it contains many of the elements that make that show so gripping and popular.
This is definitely not a series for the easily offended. We don't get too much in the way of pitched battles, that would have been too expensive, but there is a lot of fairly brutal violence during frequent more small scale skirmishes. There is also quite a lot of sex and nudity, both male and female, as well as language that may offend some viewers. If all this doesn't bother you though this is a gripping series that is exciting and packed with interesting characters. The, mostly British, cast that includes plenty of familiar actors does a really good job; most notably Kevin McKidd and Ray Stevenson as Vorenus and Pullu, Polly Walker as Atia and James Purefoy as Mark Antony. Ciarán Hinds is also really good as Julius Caesar until his death at the end of the first season and Lyndsey Marshal is memorable as Cleopatra despite only appearing in five episodes. It is a shame that it only lasted two seasons, and because of this the second season does feel a little rushed as the creators pack in so much history that was intended to be spread over a longer time. Overall I'd heartily recommend this to anybody who likes things like 'Game of Thrones'; this may be more grounded in reality but it contains many of the elements that make that show so gripping and popular.