Review
And if the premiere episode is any indication you WILL want to. Leave it to HBO to replace the dearly departed SIX FEET UNDER with a worthy substitute already. And considering how outstanding that series was thats saying something for ROME that it may be able to measure up to how far the bar has been raised for dramatic series in a premium cable format.
Ten years in the planning and production as lavish sprawling deep dark and deviously deliciously decadent as anything of its like ROME combines historical figures with equally compelling fictional side characters many of whom show us what it was like through their eyes to bear witness to the heady rise and staggeringly shocking fall of one of the greatest empires in history.
For those who like their summaries simple you only need to know that the core of the doings in ROME is comprised of three major stories the contentious relationship between Roman movers and shakers Magnus Pompey (Kenneth Cranham) and Gaius Julius Caesar (Ciaran Hinds) which grows even more fractious when Pompeys wife Julia also Caesars daughter dies in childbirth. Then theres Roman centurions Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson) two complex men struggling to do their duty and buck their fates as pawns in the machinations of the two leaders to which each is separately loyal while testing the bond of their own tentative friendship as much as the complications within their lives will allow.
And oh yes what would any man be without the support of a good woman behind him...hopefully not with a dagger in her hand In this case the women would be Atia (Polly Walker) an ambitious socialite and political strategist who makes Lady Macbeth look like a rank amateur and Servilia (Lindsay Duncan) whose sweet and civilized demeanor more than likely hides the cunning and ruthlessness of a cobra. Oh and does it bode well that Caesar is her secret lover and that his confidant and friend Cassius Brutus is also Servilias son
Webs are being woven and plots are being planned even in the first few moments and the mostly British cast is well up to the task (the series is produced in conjunction with the BBC). Its also a great sign that not all the heavy hitters are among the cast of characters but also behindthescenes as well (Michael Apted and John Milius are vital parts of the creative team and directorial chores are being handled by everyone from Allen Coulter (THE SOPRANOS) to Alan Poul (SIX FEET UNDER).) Plus the sets which dominate the bulk of the worldrenowned Cinecitta Studios in Rome itself have a startlingly authentic feel. Every penny of the $100 millionplus budget is apparent on screen and was well worth spending.
Speaking of which my TiVo is already set for the next episodes. Looks like Sundays will be well worth spending here too.