Spartacus and Rome are beautifully-shot, well-acted, adults-only historical drama series that are both set in the days of Roman Empire, both featuring some familiar faces among the cast, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end.
Rome was HBO’s baby, and it ran for only two seasons. Featuring such well-known and award-winning actors as Ciaran Hinds, James Purefoy, Polly Walker and Kevin McKidd, the series ran on HBO in 2005-2007 and has remained popular on DVD, Blu-ray and via streaming ever since. The series itself won numerous awards during its run, including some Emmys and a Director’s Guild award, and it snagged some BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations, too. The show contains scenes of graphic violence and sex, though not quite so graphic as that same kind of content is in Spartacus.
Rome attempts to hew fairly close to history, at least in the broad strokes. Season one (4.75/5 stars, currently priced at 99 cents for the first episode, $1.99 per additional episode or $12.99 for the entire season to own) focuses on Julius Caesar’s battles to wrest power from Pompey Magnus, and then maintain it while surrounded by the conspiracies and secret agendas of seemingly everyone around him. Meanwhile, soldiers Titus Pullo and Vorenus provide insight into the lives and pressures of lower-class Roman citizens. Season one ends with Julius Caesar’s death in a series of events that match historical accounts pretty closely.
In season two (4.75/5 stars, currently priced at $1.99 per episode or $12.99 for the entire season to own), newly-empowered Mark Antony is set up as the power behind Octavian, the teenager who succeeds Julius Caesar. Antony is soon beset on all sides by ambitious politicians and scheming members of noble families, much like Julius Caesar before him, and the infamous Cleopatra enters the series in episode two of the second season, as well. Vorenus and Pullo are still there, slightly elevated from the military ranks they held in season one but still providing a very interesting and insightful counterpoint to the goings-on at the highest levels of power in the Empire. The series ends with the deaths of Mark Antony and Cleopatra in Alexandria.
Spartacus mimics the look and tone of the Zack Snyder epic 300, and it’s every bit as graphically violent and bloody. The cast includes such familiar faces as John Hannah, Lucy Lawless and Craig Parker.
This show tries to get the look and feel of the era more or less right, and it’s based on the historical tale of Spartacus, the slave/gladiator who led a major slave uprising against the Romans in The Third Servile War. However, since there are virtually no surviving accounts of the life of Spartacus or his comrades outside accounts of the war itself, the rest of the content of this series is largely speculation.
In season one, Spartacus: Blood and Sand (4.75/5 stars, first episode is currently FREE, $1.99 per additional episode or $24.99 for the entire season to own), the Thracian warrior who will take on the name of Spartacus is captured and forced to become a gladiator. He immediately sets his mind to escape and plans to rescue his captured wife, and soon learns the key to his success lies in climbing the ranks of the gladiators and earning the trust of Batiatus, the man who owns both Spartacus and the ludus where Spartacus and other gladiators are housed and trained.
A kind of prequel, mini-series was released after season one, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (4.75/5 stars, first episode is currently FREE, $1.99 per additional episode or $10.99 for the entire season to own) tells the story of Gannicus, the gladiator hero who preceded Spartacus in Batiatus’ ludus. This mini-season includes only 6 episodes, and was shot to keep the series’ momentum going while Andy Whitfield, who played Spartacus in season one, underwent cancer treatments.
Sadly, Whitfield ultimately did not recover from his illness. Liam McIntyre takes over the role of Spartacus in season three, Spartacus: Vengeance. In this season, Spartacus has realized his ambition to overthrow Batiatus but now finds himself the reluctant leader of a full-blown slave rebellion and hotly pursued by Claudius Glaber, a Roman general tasked with crushing Spartacus’ uprising. Gannicus is here also, joining forces with Spartacus to take on Rome.
The series will conclude with a final season entitled Spartacus: War of the Damned, which is currently in production. In the meantime, series network Starz! has launched an online game based on the show, Battle For Nuceria.
My Take
While I enjoyed both of these series, I’d have to classify Spartacus as more of a guilty pleasure than Rome. For one thing, where Rome includes full nudity and scenes of simulated sex, those same kinds of scenes in Spartacus are more like soft-core porn: much more graphic and lengthy. Rome has much more historical fact to draw from in its storylines, and it does attempt to relate that history fairly accurately. Spartacus, on the other hand, seems to be mostly comprised of battle and sex scenes. It’s very entertaining, but not very educational.
If you prefer your historical dramas a tad more highbrow, then Rome is the show for you. If you’re looking for pure, adrenaline-fueled entertainment and a bit of shock value, and don’t mind very graphic scenes of sex and violence, then Spartacus will suit you fine.