I think Bob Guccione is the director! I can't believe people are defending this series. It is entertaining but it is GARBAGE! A friend of mine said that Cleopatra looked like a "Soho hooker with the short hair and earrings".
It seems that most HBO series use the same formula, which is a profuse use of the 'F' word, and lots of gratuitous and violent sex.
Actually the main director, producer, and creator of the show, is Bruno Heller, who I happened to have known some years back. A terrific writer. Not quite David Chase, but then, who is??