Rome

HBO's "Rome" is perhaps one of the best historical TV shows there ever was and one of the best HBO has ever produced.

Set during the first century B.C., this TV show tells the tale of two Romans serving in the army, Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pollo. Vorenus in a strict, humorless and hard-working centurion, expecting his troops to obey him and is a loyal citizen of Rome. Pollo is muscular, carefree, party-loving, and womanizing, yet he is also a faithful, trustworthy friend, loyal companion, and overall lovable character. These two military men serve in Julius Caesar's army and live during a time of turmoil in Rome.

Originally planned as a TV miniseries, "Rome" has become an actual TV show. This TV show is mostly fictional, but it incorporates historical characters like Caesar, Pompey, Cato, Mark Anthony, and Atia, the most of Octavian, soon to become Rome's first emperor, Augustus. It is a time when the Roman Republic is corrupt, and high-ranking Romans like Julius Caesar and Pompey fight for power. The historical events in Rome are told thru the eyes of Vorenus and Pollo.

The script is intelligent and realistic, with some profanity, violence, and decadence. Unlike most portrayals of Rome, which tend to be clean and sanitize things, this is a graphic portrayal of Ancient Rome, complete with drunkards, brawlers, womanizers, prostitutes, adulterers, fornication, and loads of sexual acts. This TV series do not attempt to hide the dirty aspects of the Roman Empire. Rather, it is a honest depiction of the Empire, portraying its decadence and wickedness.

As for the production, one word - great! The sets are huge and realistic, with the viewer feeling as if he/she is in the middle of the scene. The costumes, too, are realistic and accurate. The sets, props, and costumes, etc. show signs of research. The actors and actresses did a great job, too, portraying their characters realistically.

Overall, this is a great series. I will be expecting more seasons of this.

Great. Loving classical literature and history, and the sometimes ridiculous film genre known as Sword and Sandal, I was thrilled by the first episode - I really feel like I'm getting something very like the grit and feel of the place and the politics for the first time. I've read some stupid comments here that somehow the series is less than authentic because these Romans speak English - and most absurd - that the actors are all too old because the average male died in his 40's. That figure - If true - is skewed tremendously by the fact that many died of childhood maladies that are easily treated today. Many men lived in to their 70's and 80's, especially in the aristocracy. Pompey - one of the oldest in the series - died at something like 58, and his death was anything but natural. Look, some suspension of disbelief is required every time you turn the TV on. I think they've done a great job with this series and I look forward to future episodes.

Even though there has been only one episode so far, I have to say that "Rome" looks to be the best production of ancient Rome I have seen yet. Yes, Gladiator was a cool movie, but it lacked was historical accuracy. "Rome" has brought together what no one though possible: historical accuracy and good production. Octavian is an snide little wimp, but with political brilliance. Marc Antony is an arrogant and drunken man who has a love for brutality. Caesar is cunning and insightful. It's all there! The costuming is great, the dialog is crisp, the character interaction spot on and the plot flows smoothly. What more could you want!? This series is far and above that ABC knock-off "Empire", which couldn't even get Roman troops in proper costume. Every penny of this record-budget ($12 million for 12 episodes I think) series was well spent.

Just watched the third episode of ROME and I love it!! I was surprised to read some of the negative reviews on this forum.

Political intrigue, great acting, sex, violence (the hand to hand type not the I'll shoot ya from a mile away kind), booze, gambling, prostitution, HOT HOT women, macho guys, murder, what's there not to like?!

Not to go into all the details, but getting to know the characters is crucial. And after three episodes, We know the players. The actors are real good, thanks to the producers to go and get real actors not some pretty boy talentless losers. I read that the actors were mostly Brits and that is key. Most American Actors wouldn't be able to pull off the roles. Some of the acting is flawed but hey, it's a TV show and a darn good one. Being a history buff and after watching Collin Farrell and Angelina Jolie embarrass themselves in Alexander and Brad Pitt in Troy, Rome is quite a refreshing period piece.

Liking a TV show has a lot to do with connecting with the characters. And there are a lot of them, about 12 main characters.1st of all Polly Walker as Atia is incredible!! This show was made for her. She's so hot and devious, and cunning, and okay hot, and such a strong personality, absolutely radiant woman, Wow.Then there's Ray Stevenson as Titus, he's like a Bullet Tooth Tony from Snatch. Macho, whoring, gambler type, a mans' man tough guy. Kevin McKidd is real good as a complex quiet type. Really good cast of fine actors. Indira Varma (plays Niobe)- SIZZLING HOT and she can act a little too. Not to mention Ciaran Hinds, he plays Caesar, absolutely believable, thank goodness. Kenneth Cranham (Pompey)-Fine, the actor that plays Cato (Karl Johnson)is also good.

The set is legit. I feel like we're in Rome and not some Hollywood Movie set. I'm not sure if they're are using 3D MAx (or some other computer engineered set) but it works.

Then there's the story line. A lot of evil doings going on and political maneuvering, love affairs of course, surely Rome was like that 2000 years ago! Obviously they have their history consultants, they are using the names of real people of Rome who lived 50 BC or there abouts and of course most is fictionalized to entertain us, so the plots are thick.

Anyway, thumbs up from me, THIS IS A DON'T MISS SHOW.

After seeing the first episode, the show promises to be an excellent production showing the civilization and intrigue of the Rome of Julius Caesar. We can't place our own moral code on these characters. They had their own, and are shown living it. When your life depended upon position and knowledge, you did everything you could to put yourself in the best position possible. In an "about the show" program that I saw about "Rome", the actress who plays Atia says that she doesn't feel her character is evil. The character is doing what she has to in order to keep her position and stay alive in that time. Life was hard, and so one didn't have the luxury of being soft.

To those who complain about the accents, so what? Why would someone from ancient Rome speak with an Italian accent? Language and dialect evolve over time. Who knows what an ancient Roman accent sounded like? They aren't Italians speaking in English, they are Romans speaking their own Latin dialect. Latin is not Italian. Just ask my old High School Latin teacher. We just happen to have the movie magic version of a Universal Translator, so we can understand them.

The sets are perfect, showing a bustling city, full of activity. To those who complain about them, they have to remember that the ruins of ancient Rome that we see today have been scoured clean by the progression of time. The filmmakers felt that ancient Rome would have been more like Bombay, India, and I tend to agree with them.

The series shows life as it was in those days. I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops further.