HBO’s Scrapped Series With 96% RT Score Is a Must-Watch For All Game of Thrones Fans

With a lore spanning 8 seasons, Game of Thrones has become one of the greatest things that happened to modern TV, despite all the harsh criticism the show’s last couple of seasons had to endure.

Based on George Martin ’s A Song of Ice and Fire, the series offered its audiences the most epic cinematic experience which, sadly, came at the cost of another and pretty similar show.

Launched years before HBO came up with an idea to adapt George Martin’s book series, the show had its first season released back in 2005, with the second and final one arriving roughly two years later.

Despite the series’ sad fate, it’s still a compelling watch, entertaining enough even for those who think they might be difficult to impress after what Game of Thrones had to show back in the day.

Rome Is Game of Thrones’ Predecessor in All Possible Senses

Cancelled after only 2 seasons back in 2007, Rome was HBO’s first show to stun its viewers with epic battles and entangled storylines, with Game of Thrones eventually coming off its predecessor’s success.

With the events unfolding ahead of the death of the republic and the rise of the Roman Empire, the show follows two soldiers navigating through the political mess, intrigues, assassinations and family tragedies; additionally, their journey will see them meeting prominent historical figures like Gaius Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Gaius Octavian and Cleopatra.

After having its first season premiered, Rome received raving reviews and was planned as a series that would expand to at least 5 instalments; however, this wasn’t a case anymore when HBO decided to adapt George Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire aka Game of Thrones, which, apparently, demanded the most of the budget that the studio had back in the day.

With no other option left, HBO opted for sacrificing Rome after all, wrapping things up after season 2. On Rotten Tomatoes, the show still holds solid scores of 86% and 96% from critics and viewers respectively.

At HBO, Rome Is Still a Higher-Rated Series Than Game of Thrones

Despite ceding its position to George Martin’s adaptation that would later on turn into one of the most successful shows on modern TV, Rome ranks higher than its successor, even considering that the show ended almost twenty years ago.

With its eighth and final season released back in 2019, Game of Thrones slowly went into disgrace over the years, receiving backlash from critics and fans for not following George Martin’s narrative and completely ruining several storylines.

Rome, in its turn, had one of the most satisfying finales among the shows that already wrapped things up, despite its plot line including events that were originally meant for seasons 3 and 4.

While Game of Thrones and Rome’s critical scores aren’t that different (89% and 86% respectively), fans weren’t that unanimous and gave the series 85% and 96%, proving that the latter could’ve had a successful TV run for years to come.

Rome’s both seasons are currently streaming on Max.