An incredibly raunchy and incredibly brutal historical series is making a comeback on streaming, 20 years after it was first released. The historical action genre is making a welcome return on TV. Spartacus (arguably the pinnacle of steamy historical shows) returned with a spin-off, Spartacus: House of Ashur, last year. Meanwhile, Vikings is getting an unofficial sequel in Prime Video’s Bloodaxe. In 2005, another historical action series that didn’t hold back was released. It might not have been as popular as Spartacus, but it has since become a cult classic thanks to digital streaming. HBO’s version of Spartacus and Gladiator should have been a major hit. However, Rome only received two seasons in the mid-2000s. The show has been all but forgotten about until now. As well as streaming on HBO Max, Rome is available to purchase digitally on the Apple Store (and other popular digital stores). It’s on that platform that Rome has officially earned its cult status. Plenty of HBO’s classic shows have recently found renewed success on the Apple Store, including The Sopranos and The Wire. But Rome has proven to be one of the most popular, as it is currently the #2 series on the Apple Store. The Sopranos holds the top spot right now, with Ash vs Evil Dead in third, and Six Feet Under in fourth. Also in the top 10 are The Wire, True Detective, Barry, and True Blood.
‘Rome’ Is the Perfect ‘House of Ashur’ Replacement

It’s safe to say that Spartacus: House of Ashur wasn’t exactly the spin-off we were hoping for. The show was okay, but it was a serious downgrade from Spartacus in terms of quality, writing, and action. Plus, its alternate-timeline concept annoyed a lot of people. Enter: Rome.

Rome isn’t just a great House of Ashur replacement; it’s a bloody and steamy series set in ancient Rome (if the title didn’t make that obvious) with the HBO treatment. HBO is renowned for throwing the kitchen sink at its shows, and Rome was no different. It starred Polly Walker, Ciaran Hinds, the late Ray Stevenson, James Purefoy, Simon Woods, Tobias Menzies, Kerry Condon, Indira Varma, Kenneth Cranham, and so many more exceptional actors. It’s no wonder the series earned an 86% Rotten Tomatoes rating and a near-perfect 96% audience score. So what happened to the show?
Why Was ‘Rome’ Canceled?

HBO

Unlike House of Ashur and most other shows, Rome wasn’t canceled because of poor viewership or bad reviews. Instead, HBO threw a bit too much at the series to be able to keep it going. By Season 2, Rome cost an estimated $10 million per episode. That figure might be more normalized nowadays. But back in 2005, that was a ridiculous amount for a single episode of TV, let alone a 12-episode season. So, purely for financial reasons, Rome was given the thumbs down and executed midway through its second season.