# Those About to Die (2024)

> A Peacock drama set in ancient Rome follows a cast of gladiators, schemers and nobles whose lives collide in the arena and the corridors of power.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/138495

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 10
- Episode runtime: 57 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: drama, history
- Created by: Robert Rodat
- Network: Peacock
- Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hughes, Jojo Macari, Iwan Rheon, Gabriella Pession, Rupert Penry-Jones, Lara Wolf, Sara Martins
- TMDB rating: 6.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10569934/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: sensational, brutal, melodramatic, sweeping

## What critics say

Mixed audience response: viewers credit the spectacle and the Anthony Hopkins-led cast but fault the dialogue, the uneven acting, and the loose handling of history.

## Synopsis

Those About to Die (2024) is a US period drama series created by Robert Rodat for Peacock. Anthony Hopkins plays Emperor Vespasian, while Tom Hughes plays Titus Flavianus, Iwan Rheon plays the gladiator Tenax, and Gabriella Pession plays Antonia, with Jojo Macari as Domitian. Set in ancient Rome, the ten-episode single season follows an ensemble of characters across the many layers of Roman society, where the gladiatorial games, imperial politics and private business deals intersect and collide. Each episode weaves arena combat with backroom bargaining, ambition and rivalry, so that the sporting spectacle and the scheming of the powerful feed one another. The tone is sweeping and sensational, with brutal bouts, lavish sets and a heated, melodramatic register. Viewers who enjoy the bloody ambition of Spartacus, the political texture of Rome, or the sword and sandal spectacle of Gladiator will find much to recognize here. The series was canceled after its first season, leaving its central storylines unfinished.

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