The HBO Television Series Rome

With the second season premiere tonight, I figured I would go On Demand and take a gander at HBO's Rome, a series that had never interested me for whatever reason despite my huge interest in ancient civilizations and politics. Someone had told me the show sucked and for some reason I engrained that in my head, which is a silly thing to do. One thing I have learned is to never doubt an HBO series (at least an HBO dramatic series).
Rome is not as good as HBO's best shows, like Sopranos, Deadwood and Carnivale. It has a lot of characters, and it took me a long time (a.k.a. the entire first season) to figure out who they were. The series is also slightly predictable, at least if you've ever read anything about the rise and fall of Julias Caesar.
Still, like most HBO shows, Rome is still one of the best series on TV. The acting is terrific, the sets well designed, and the bloodshed is shamelessly wonderful. In one of the final episodes of the first season, a main character gets sentenced to death via gladiator fight, and he ends up taking down all the other gladiators who are sent against him. One man gets a spear through his shoulder and down through his body so that it parallels his spine. Yuck.
Wonderful. I have now realized that this is yet another television show I am going to watch. With American Idol, 24, and The Apprentice kicking into high gear, and Lost, Battlestar Galactica and Heroes returning soon, I am in for a lot of productive evenings...