HBO wasn’t built in a day, and neither was “Rome.”

If there’s two things the Emmys love, it’s HBO and historical dramas. That’s as true today as it was 20 years ago, when the premium cable network led the pack with 26 Emmy Awards, including nine for a miniseries starring Helen Mirren. Elizabeth I And four l Rome. The latter, a historical drama chronicling the fall of Julius Caesar and the political battles that followed, eschewed hollerism to depict the melancholy of the ancient capital with anesthesia-free surgeries, realistic crucifixions and nobles having sex in front of slaves. The $100 million gamble was co-produced by the BBC which spent seven years in development before broadcasting its 12-episode first season. Given the stakes, a media consensus was reached that the show had a mandate to repeat the appeal The sopranoBut Chris Albrecht, then HBO CEO, responded by saying: THR“The biggest challenge for HBO is frankly not recreating the success The soprano. It continues to grow by double-digit profit margins every year, which requires developing ways to generate revenue beyond subscriptions.

Albrecht proved that it is wise to avoid associating financial success with financial success RomeDisplay capabilities when the display fails to match The soprano‘ performance. still, Rome It received widespread acclaim for its originality, detailed sets, and costumes. Emmy Award-winning costume designer April Ferri said her team used natural materials such as cotton, linen, silk and wool to create more than 4,000 costumes, each of which was custom-dyed in Rome’s Cinecittà studios naturally. They outfitted 250 soldiers wearing 36-pound mail jackets and used 1,250 pairs of shoes and sandals, dressing more than 100 people for the scene in which Caesar returns in triumph to Rome. “These days are really fun,” Ferry said. THR at that time. “Do you think, ‘Oh my God, I wore all those costumes?’” ”

The first season also won Emmys for its visual effects, hairstyling, and art direction. However, the show was canceled after two seasons. In an astonishing coincidence shortly thereafter, RomeSets in Cinecittà, like the series’ namesake town, were destroyed in a fire.

This story first appeared in the June standalone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To obtain the magazine, click here to subscribe.

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