Wednesday, June 22, 2011

TV Series of the Month - Rome

This month’s series is Rome (2005-2007).

The show is about the last days of the Roman Republic, focusing both on historical figures like Gaius Julius Caesar, Marcus Tullius Cicero, Marcus Junius Brutus, and Mark Antony and fictional characters created to show the underworld and day-to-day life in Rome. The show came at the end of HBO’s first dramatic golden period (with shows like Deadwood, Six Feet Under, Band of Brothers, The Sopranos, and The Wire), ultimately being cancelled (like Deadwood) because it was too expensive to produce. However (unlike Deadwood), the writers and producers of the show were able to give it an ending. Rome’s creators are Bruno Heller (who now runs The Mentalist), William MacDonald (who is trying to get a The Saint TV series on the air) and John Milius (who has written many classic films like Red Dawn, Conan the Barbarian and Apocalypse Now). The show though somehow seems better than the sum of its creative contributors. That is probably due to the phenomenal cast: Kevin McKidd, Ray Stevenson (both of whom I will forever enjoy thanks to this show), Polly Walker, Kerry Condon, James Purefoy, Tobias Menzies, Indira Varma, Max Pirkis, Ciaran Hinds, Lyndsey Marshall, Camilla Rutherford, Simon Woods, David Bamber, Kenneth Cranham, and many more. The acting and technical aesthetics (some of the best sets in TV history) are what makes this show so special. It is a must see for fans of the more recent cable shows Game of Thrones and Spartacus: Blood and Sand and those who (like I) love the best that HBO has to offer. Check out the trailer.


Available on Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming, and to Rent

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