The series finale of Rome airs tomorrow. HBO decided against a 3rd season due to cost when season 2 was greenlighted, but suppose it was brought back for a 3rd season. What would you like to see? Should the show just pick after Octavian becoming Augustus? Or skip ahead a few decades (or centuries)? What era should be shown; Caligula, Nero, the 5 Good Emperors, Crisis of Third Century (that would be hard to pull off), the Tetrachy, Constintine to name a few? Major cast changes would be involved (or should a few actors be kept playing their own “descendants”).
I wouldn’t be interested if it wasn’t about Pullo and Vorenus so no skipping ahead, just keep telling their story.
I’m really not seeing a third season continuing with Augustus’ rather peaceful and unclimatic establishing of the Pax Romana. That’d be . . . unspectacular.
I acknowledge that I’m not well versed in Roman history, but maybe there’s materiale that can be used one or two hundred years down the line, but I would be more than happy to see a prequel-type show revolving around one of the Legions or even the early Vorenus and Pullo. Those two actors really made the show, for me.
(The other thought was perhaps following the Legia XIII or the Maecedonian Legion, or perhaps Agrippa)
Just watch **I, Claudius ** again, instead.
Or reshoot it using Rome’s sets, real nudity and a budget. Derek Jacobi can play Augustus, though Sian Phillips must still be Livia.
Really sad to see the show ending - it was very good and sorry it didn’t get the ratings to have another season.
However, in a true “soap opera” scenario, Caesar would not really be dead, but it was his evil twin brother who died, and Cleopatra would marry Richard of Burton, Octavia would have Kato move in before murdering his wife with the Jew at the doorway, and Vorenus and Pullo would get naked and romp together just as Nero picks up his his violin and starts to fiddle…and that would just be episode one of the third season.
The previews for episode two would show Mt. Vesuvius start smokin’ and some naked people starting to cuddle…
It’s coming up on my Netflix rotation. 