When HBO released Rome in 2005, it redefined what historical drama could be. With its blend of raw storytelling, bold production, and historical grit, the series reshaped expectations for the genre and set a new benchmark for everything that followed. Though short-lived, its influence continues to ripple across television.
Reimagining the Ancient World
Earlier portrayals of Rome often felt either sterile or overly theatrical. Rome disrupted that. The series presented the ancient city not as a grand monument to history, but as a dirty, chaotic, and brutal place. Crowded alleys replaced pristine forums. Religion was shown as superstition woven into daily survival. This wasn’t a glorified civilisation; it was a living, breathing mess of ambition and fear.
Grounding History in Human Lives
The show’s success lay in its decision to focus on both the mighty and the marginal. Historical figures like Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Octavian were given depth and contradiction. Their ambitions played out alongside the fictionalised stories of Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, two soldiers caught between duty, honour, and personal failure. The result was a story that felt intimate, even when it unfolded against the backdrop of empire.
Rome avoided the usual reverence found in historical dramas. Its characters weren’t ideals; they were impulsive, cruel, loyal, self-serving, and vulnerable. That humanisation made the politics of the late Republic more than just a backdrop. It became personal.
Accuracy Without Obsession
Although not always strictly accurate, the series paid serious attention to historical detail. Its sets, costumes, and rituals were shaped by genuine research. Toga colours signified status. Hairstyles reflected social norms. Domestic interiors were modest and dark, echoing archaeological finds.
What made Rome different was its refusal to explain or justify its setting. Slavery, public executions, and arranged marriages were shown as part of life, not filtered through modern values. This unflinching approach made the past feel distant but recognisable, forcing viewers to sit with their discomfort.
Cinematic Television Before Streaming Took Hold
At the time of its release, Rome was one of the most expensive TV series ever made. Shot at Cinecittà Studios in Italy, it featured vast physical sets rather than green screens. Its production team built entire Roman streets with working fountains, crumbling plaster, and realistic grime. This level of investment was rare, especially for a genre often confined to staged interiors and limited battle scenes.
The scale allowed for an immersive experience that rivalled cinema. Crucially, it proved that television could do justice to historical epics, provided it had the ambition and budget to match.
A Short Life with a Long Shadow
Despite its innovation, Rome was cancelled after just two seasons. Rising costs and the BBC’s withdrawal of funding ended the project earlier than planned. Still, its legacy endures.
Later series such as The Tudors, Vikings, Spartacus, and Game of Thrones borrowed heavily from Rome’s template, gritty realism, complex characters, and an unromanticised past. It helped establish the idea that historical fiction on television could be as morally rich and narratively ambitious as any contemporary drama.
The Seven Swords takeaway
Rome changed the landscape of historical TV not by rewriting history, but by refusing to soften it. Its characters were difficult, its world uncomfortable, and its vision uncompromising. It captured the chaos of a dying republic not through dates and battles, but through loyalty, betrayal, and the burden of power.
Two decades on, the series remains a turning point. It showed that television could handle history without reverence or restraint. That alone marks it out as a landmark in the genre.
