[Paal Gulli]

HBO’s ‘Rome’ was the 2nd greatest “TV” drama series ever, right behind HBO’s ‘Deadwood.’

David Milch had devised ‘Deadwood’ as a buddy-cop drama set in ancient Rome. When he shopped it to HBO execs they told him, “Sorry, we’ve already got a Rome-based drama in the works” (which was the McKidd/Stevenson vehicle, Rome). So Milch moved the setting to Deadwood in the Dakota territory, begetting Timothy Olyphant’s and Ian McShane’s brilliant ‘Deadwood.’

Kevin McKidd badly wanted to be cast as Titus Pullo but the producers or ‘Rome’ said the role of stiff-necked Legionary Lucius Vorenus demanded his range of acting skills.

Ray Stevenson was brilliantly cast as the brutish, somewhat dim-witted, often murderous, and occasionally kind-to-a-fault Titus Pullo, the anti-hero who regularly falls face-first into a pile of steaming horse dung but always comes out smelling like petunias.

Bon voyage, mon ami. You’ve left us too son.

[pierrem15]

Thanks for the extra info on the casting. I thought Rome was probably one of the best historical series I've ever seen, although I think a lot of details such as the mafia-like collegium were cribbed from McCullough's First Man in Rome novels.

Stevenson and McKidd were great in their roles, but Ciaran Hinds' portrayal of Caesar was probably the best I can recall, with the perfect combination of icy, barely repressed violent ambition and Don Corleone like oily charm.

[Pelham]

Thanks for posting that.