It was an enormously expensive series. I read an interview with an HBO exec who said it was one of their biggest mistakes in prematurely cancelling the series (primarily because of its huge budget -- they actually filmed in Rome; they recreated the Forum!) because the DVD sales were really good, more than enough to justify future seasons. If there's a silver lining in its cancellation, it encouraged HBO to seek out similarly ambitious series, most notably Game of Thrones. As big budget as that show is, it only costs about half as much as Rome, because of tax breaks from filming primarily in Northern Ireland.MkmBandit wrote: ↑It's safe to say Rome is likely the biggest budget show I've ever seen. But where Rome really shines is it's intricate storyline. Everything is woven together in a way that will leave your impression feeling complete. One thing that the annals conclude is that while the men held the power, it was the women who shaped the outcome of the empire. Rome follows this trend.
While James Purefoy (Mark Anthony) was likely the most convicted in his role, and Ciaran Hinds (Julius Caesar) was likely the most memorable, I think it was Polly Walker (Atia, niece of Caesar) who was the real star of the show. Like I said it was the women who shaped Rome, so pay attention to her role. You will LOVE to hate her, but you will always want her to win. Always. Rome is a masterpiece in this aspect. I could also talk about Max Pirkis (Octavian Caesar), but for me to praise his role would be to spoil a bit of the storyline. So... just watch the show, and be amazed.
I think HBO should go really for it and create a space-based scifi series. Can you imagine a big budget show like that with top notch production values that would make BSG and Star Trek look like amateur hour?