Roman Empire (TV series)
Roman Empire is a television docudrama based on historical events of the Roman Empire. The show is in the anthology format with each season presenting an independent story. Season 1, "Reign of Blood", is a six-part story about Emperor Commodus.[1] Jeremiah Murphy and Peter Sherman collaborated on writing the first season, with Richard Lopez directing. It premiered on Netflix on November 11, 2016.[2] Season 2, "Master of Rome", premiered on July 27, 2018; it is a five-part story about the rise of Dictator Julius Caesar and the fall of the Roman Republic.[3] Season 3, "The Mad Emperor", premiered on Netflix on April 5, 2019, and is a four-part story about Emperor Caligula.[4]
Roman Empire | |
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Genre | Historical drama Documentary |
Written by |
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Directed by | Richard Lopez John Ealer (season 2) |
Starring | Sean Bean Aaron Jakubenko Ditch Davey Ido Drent |
Country of origin | United States Australia |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 3 |
No. of episodes | 15 |
Production | |
Cinematography | Miltj on Kam |
Production company | Stephen David Entertainment |
Release | |
Original network | Netflix |
Original release | November 11, 2016 – April 5, 2019 |
The series was produced by Netflix as a Netflix original series, though it frequently reuses footage from other programs, including Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire (2006).
Episodes
As Roman Empire is an anthology series, each season tells its own story, and each season has its own title.
Season 1 (2016)
The first season is named Commodus: Reign of Blood, and consists of six episodes. It became available for streaming on November 11, 2016.
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
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1 | 1 | "Born in the Purple" | Richard Lopez | Jeremiah Murphy | November 11, 2016 |
2 | 2 | "The Making of an Emperor" | Richard Lopez | Peter Sherman | November 11, 2016 |
3 | 3 | "Enemy of the Senate" | Richard Lopez | Jeremiah Murphy | November 11, 2016 |
4 | 4 | "Rome is Burning" | Richard Lopez | Peter Sherman | November 11, 2016 |
5 | 5 | "Fight for Glory" | Richard Lopez | Jeremiah Murphy | November 11, 2016 |
6 | 6 | "14 Days of Blood" | Richard Lopez | Peter Sherman | November 11, 2016 |
Season 2 (2018)
The second season is named Julius Caesar: Master of Rome, and consists of five episodes. It became available for streaming on July 27, 2018.
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
7 | 1 | "The Triumvirate" | John Ealer | Steve Loh | July 27, 2018 |
8 | 2 | "The Great Conqueror" | John Ealer | Steve Loh | July 27, 2018 |
9 | 3 | "Crossing the Rubicon" | John Ealer | Steve Loh | July 27, 2018 |
10 | 4 | "Queen of the Nile" | John Ealer | Steve Loh | July 27, 2018 |
11 | 5 | "The Ides of March" | John Ealer | Steve Loh | July 27, 2018 |
Season 3 (2019)
The third season is named Caligula: The Mad Emperor, and consists of four episodes. It became available for streaming on April 5, 2019.
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 | 1 | "The Rightful Heir" | John Ealer | Steve Loh | April 5, 2019 |
13 | 2 | "A New Hope" | John Ealer | Steve Loh | April 5, 2019 |
14 | 3 | "In Search of an Heir" | John Ealer | Steve Loh | April 5, 2019 |
15 | 4 | "Descent into Madness" | John Ealer | Steve Loh | April 5, 2019 |
Historical people and events
Commodus: Reign of Blood
- Commodus was Roman Emperor from 180AD to 192AD. He also ruled as co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until his father's death in 180.
- Marcus Aurelius was Roman Emperor from 161 to 180. He ruled with Lucius Verus as co-emperor from 161 until Verus' death in 169. Marcus Aurelius was the last of the so-called Five Good Emperors. He was a practitioner of Stoicism, and his Greek-language writing, commonly known as the Meditations, is the most significant source of the modern understanding of ancient Stoic philosophy.
- Faustina the Younger was a daughter of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius. She was a Roman Empress and wife to her maternal cousin Marcus Aurelius. Though Roman sources give a generally negative view of her character, she was held in high esteem by soldiers and her own husband and was given divine honors after her death.
- Lucilla was the second daughter and third child of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and an elder sister to future Roman Emperor Commodus.
- Avidius Cassius was a Roman general and usurper who briefly ruled Egypt and Syria in 175.
Julius Caesar: Master of Rome
- Julius Caesar (12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), a politician, general, and later, dictator; the season's central argument is that Julius Caesar was assassinated because wealthy and conservative elites wanted to block Caesar's reforms.
- Pompey, politician and military leader who, while as ambitious as Caesar, and despite having been his son-in-law, chose to ally himself with the optimates in opposing Caesar and supporting the traditional Roman Republic.
- Crassus, the richest man in Rome, who rose to political prominence following his victory over the slave revolt led by Spartacus, sharing the consulship with his rival Pompey
- Servilia, the mother of Marcus Junius Brutus and former lover of Caesar
- Brutus, a Roman politician whose relationship with Caesar is deeply complex
- Mark Antony, an hedonistic Roman general and politician; while Caesar was away in Egypt, Antony remained in Rome to restore order but quickly caused Rome to fall into a state of anarchy.
- Cleopatra, the last ruler of Egypt
- Vercingetorix, king of the Arverni tribe; he leads the Gauls in a revolt against Rome
Cast
Season 1: Reign of Blood
- Sean Bean as Narrator
- Aaron Jakubenko as Commodus
- Lisa Chappell as Faustina the Younger
- Ella Becroft as Bruttia Crispina[5]
- Edwin Wright as Cassius Dio
- Genevieve Aitken as Marcia
- Jared Turner as Cleander
- John Bach as Marcus Aurelius
- Tai Berdinner-Blades as Lucilla[6]
- Calum Gittins as Saoterus
- Mike Edward as Narcissus
Season 2: Master of Rome
- Steve West as Narrator
- Ditch Davey as Julius Caesar
- Tim Carlsen as Mark Antony
- Natalie Medlock as Servilia
- Ben Black as Brutus
- Stephen Lovatt as Pompey
- Wesley Dowdell as Crassus
- Andrew Robertt as Cato
- Taylor Hall as Young Caesar
- Jessica Green as Cleopatra
- Errol Shand as Vercingetorix
- Phoenix Connolly as Julia
Season 3: The Mad Emperor
- Steve West as Narrator
- Ido Drent as Caligula[7]
- Craig Walsh-Wrightson as Tiberius
- Kelson Henderson as Claudius
- Colin Moy as Cassius
- Teressa Liane as Agrippina
- Leon Wadham as Tiberius Gemellus
- Michael Morris as Naevius Sutorius Macro
- Molly Leishman as Livilla
- Elizabeth Dowden as Drusilla
- Jay Simon as Senator Regulus
Production
The first series was filmed in 2015 at Studio West in West Auckland, New Zealand. Filming for the second season took place in 2017.[8]
See also
- Gladiator, a 2000 fictionalized film telling of the life of Commodus.
- Rome, a fictional account of the fall of the Republic.
- The Fall of the Roman Empire, another fictionalized telling of the life of Commodus.
References
- O'Keefe, Meghan (November 11, 2016). "Roman Empire: Reign of Blood is an Uncensored Look at Ancient History". The Decider.
- Robinson, Joanna; Lawson, Richard (October 25, 2016). "What's New on Netflix in November—and What to Watch Before It Disappears". Vanity Fair. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
- "Roman Empire | Netflix Official Site". www.netflix.com. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
- "'Roman Empire' Season 3 Coming to Netflix in April 2019". What's on Netflix. March 13, 2019.
- "Bruttia Crispina". TV Maze. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
- O'Keefe, Meghan (November 15, 2016). "'Roman Empire: Reign of Blood': Who was the Real Lucilla?". The Decider. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
- "Kiwi stars to get bloody in ancient Rome". spy.nzherald.co.nz. July 28, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
- "Our Story". Studio West. Retrieved 29 April 2023.