# Empire on ABC **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 28, 2005, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201 "2005-06-28T15:11:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201/1 "2005-06-28T15:11:30Z")
[http://channels.netscape.ca/entertainment/article.adp?id=20050623101109990009](http://channels.netscape.ca/entertainment/article.adp?id=20050623101109990009) Haven’t heard much about this, but I’m intrigued. First two hours are tonight. Has it been overshadowed by HBO’s _Rome_? I never watch ABC, so maybe I just missed all the hype. On the other hand, I haven’t seen any billboards or anything. Anyone hear anything about it? ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201/2 "2005-06-28T16:00:03Z")
I’m gonna watch, because lately I’ve been happy with ABC. I feel like I owe them something for Lost and Desperate Housewives. I haven’t heard anything about it, one way or the other. I looked at the listing at IMDB. The only familiar name is Colm Feore, from Storm of the Century. Kim Manners is a director, and there were a bunch of X-Files episodes in her credits. (I’m assuming Kim is a she, but I could be wrong.) I’m tickled about seeing some new faces. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201/3 "2005-06-28T17:58:33Z")
I tried to watch it first time around; I really tried. I mean, look at the cast if nothing else. I have to admit, though, that I gave up on it after about 45 minutes. It wasn’t bad so much as feeling mechanical in it’s structure. First 30 minutes: Exposition. Next 15 minutes: Setup, and so on. Again, it wasn’t _bad_. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for a leisurely drama with no car chases 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201/4 "2005-06-28T18:21:49Z")
How did you get to see it already? Or do you mean Empire Falls, the HBO movie? ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201/5 "2005-06-28T19:45:46Z")
First time around? I was under the impression this was brand new. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201/6 "2005-06-28T19:48:48Z")
I’m pretty sure he’s talking about Empire **Falls** , especially since he said “look at the cast” – Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Helen Hunt, Ed Harris. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201/7 "2005-06-28T19:48:56Z")
Empire (the Roman epic on ABC starting tonight) has actually received some pretty good reviews. Hollywood Reporter and even the New York Times give the series a decent review. Try Google and go to News and down to entertainment section to see all the recent reviews. Looks like the mini-series might be worth watching. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201/8 "2005-06-28T20:13:33Z")
Man, my apologies. Yes it was _Empire Falls_. That’ll teach me to try to post on the sly at work. Can’t wait to see _Empire_. If anybody can do it right, it’ll be HBO. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201/9 "2005-06-28T20:23:44Z")
sigh…Poor Yorik. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201/10 "2005-06-28T20:26:31Z")
I read that it was actually filmed on location in Italy, not on a sound stage somewhere. That had to be expensive! ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201/11 "2005-06-28T20:35:28Z")
I don’t expect anything of the quality of **I, Claudius** , but I’ll certainly give this a try. Colm Feore is one of my favorite actors, and I think he should make a marvelous Julius Caesar. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201/12 "2005-06-28T21:08:17Z")
> [@PoorYorick](#): > > Man, my apologies. Yes it was _Empire Falls_. That’ll teach me to try to post on the sly at work. > > Can’t wait to see _Empire_. If anybody can do it right, it’ll be HBO. ABC’s doing Empire. HBO’s doing Rome – it’s coming this fall sometime. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201/13 "2005-06-29T00:20:36Z")
No, I wasn’t drunk when I posted, but wish I had been, just for the excuse. I swear, I can usually hold my head up and be fairly aware of my surroundings. That’s what I get for skimming the board at work. :wally \<-- me ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201/14 "2005-06-29T00:25:16Z")
I’ve been hot for Ancient Rome ever since reading Colleen McCullough’s _Master of Rome_ series. Lady did **12 years** of research before she put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, as the case may be.) So I will be staying up past my bedtime to watch. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201/15 "2005-06-29T01:04:12Z")
It’s on in the Eastern timezone… the visuals are amazing (especially on HD). Filming in Italy really paid off so far. Though the one thing that made me cringe was the whole Caesar wants to take power ‘from the influential few and give it to the people’ crap. I mean why is it in every modern Roman tale, the protagonist wants to give power to the people. I doubt anyone close to power really thought much of the people. I’m sure the Senate didn’t turn on Caesar because he was trying to give power to the people. Ugh… hopefully they don’t play that up. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201/16 "2005-06-29T01:23:17Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > It’s on in the Eastern timezone… the visuals are amazing (especially on HD). Filming in Italy really paid off so far. Re: spoiler Boy are you outta luck. I’m watchng to see if they have any hot slavegirl action mixed in with all the epic stuff. SOMEBODY has to do it 0:) ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201/17 "2005-06-29T01:29:37Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > Re: spoiler > > Boy are you outta luck. Yeah, I noticed :(. That sucked. Hopefully HBO’s “Rome” doesn’t feel it has to do things like that. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201/18 "2005-06-29T01:39:41Z")
Oh, and Uber-gladiator is getting annoying. It’s like Jack Bauer in Roman slave garb! Have him take on the barbarians… Rome never had to fall!! ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201/19 "2005-06-29T01:50:21Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > Though the one thing that made me cringe was the whole Caesar wants to take power ‘from the influential few and give it to the people’ crap. I mean why is it in every modern Roman tale, the protagonist wants to give power to the people. I doubt anyone close to power really thought much of the people. I’m sure the Senate didn’t turn on Caesar because he was trying to give power to the people. Ugh… hopefully they don’t play that up. Well, he did want that. It’s just that the people he wanted to give the power to were all named “Caesar” ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201/20 "2005-06-29T01:57:40Z")
I switched channels at the first commercial break. I think HBO and PBS have spoiled me for drama. It’s the commercials. I don’t mind them during sitcoms or reality shows, but an epic, original, historical drama shouldn’t be interrupted every 10 or 15 minutes. Takes me right out of the story. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empire-on-abc/310201.md?page=2)