Domina

Just finished watching the final episode of the first series of Domina, a very smart new show from Sky, based on the life of Liva Drusilla - wife of Augustus Caesar. I really liked it, mainly because it continued the theme of complexity and double-dealing initiated in the character by Sian Phillips, who played Livia in the series I, Claudius. I saw that when it originally broadcast in 1976, and have seen it a couple of times since.. This version of her story presents a much younger version of Livia, but I found many similarities and links which enhanced both series. You do need to concentrate to keep up with her, but its a worthwhile effort . . . Give her a watch!

Starts out the first couple episodes and looks like it's going to be some millennial thing for the CW, but then it gets pretty good. Historical femme fatale material, but of course they have to make her less vicious and give her a cause being the woke era and all. Still pretty good though since she is one of the more overlooked historical women and there is a lot of story left if they continue on until her end. They could get a good 3 or 4 seasons out of this at least at the pace they are going and still keep things alive.

Deals with the tough time Livia and her son Tiberias had before her rise. And believable.

Not always accurate. Freed slaves were Freemen or Free-women and Roman citizenship was not lightly given. Also Dictator was a respectable office held for a limited period to overcome great dangers. It ended after Julius Caesar made himself Dictator for Life.

Octavius was probably more dependent on Agrippa than is shown, but is a convincing character.

It needlessly skips over the complex politics that had Cicero sponsoring Octavian against Marcus Antonius, before they became allies.

But it's the most accurate drama I've seen. Much more so than the earlier series Rome.

Each episode is better than the next. As an Ancient Roman (amateur) historian, this uses actual events to create a gripping narrative of the lives of the characters surrounding Livia Drusilla of the Claudii. Thie writing is as phenomenal as the acting. This cast is AMAZING! Edge-of-your-seat, non-stop intensity. This is officially my favorite show right now. Because of the plethora of instrumental characters with similar sounding names and appearances, sometimes it's difficult to keep track of who's who. This is the only reason I'm not giving this 10 stars. But each character is so engaging, and historically accurate.

Started out okay. Stuck with it as it gradually got better and better. I found it both clever and entertaining. At the end and I'm already anxious for the next season. I've seen some criticism concerning language. Seems a silly critique. They are speaking English for a modern audience. I can't imagine sitting through a lengthy series listening to the entire cast speak Latin just for the sake of being historically correct.