Roman Empire (TV series) explained

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]

The series was produced by Netflix as a Netflix original series, though it frequently reuses footage from other programs, including (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.

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.

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.

Historical people and events

Commodus: Reign of Blood

• Commodus was Roman Emperor from AD 180 to AD 192. 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

Caligula: The Mad Emperor

• Caligula
• Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12AD – 24 January 41AD)
• Claudius
• Cassius Chaerea

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.

External links

• Empire: Reign of Blood on Netflix

Notes and References

1. Web site: Roman Empire: Reign of Blood is an Uncensored Look at Ancient History . O'Keefe . Meghan . The Decider . November 11, 2016.
2. Web site: What's New on Netflix in November—and What to Watch Before It Disappears . October 25, 2016 . November 20, 2016 . Vanity Fair . Joanna . Robinson . Richard . Lawson.
3. Web site: Roman Empire Netflix Official Site. www.netflix.com. July 28, 2018.
4. Web site: 'Roman Empire' Season 3 Coming to Netflix in April 2019. March 13, 2019. What's on Netflix.
5. Web site: Bruttia Crispina. TV Maze. August 2, 2017.
6. Web site: 'Roman Empire: Reign of Blood': Who was the Real Lucilla? . November 15, 2016 . November 20, 2016 . The Decider . Meghan . O'Keefe.
7. Web site: Kiwi stars to get bloody in ancient Rome. July 28, 2018 . July 28, 2018 . spy.nzherald.co.nz .
8. Web site: Our Story . Studio West . 29 April 2023.