Summary
Those About to Diehas become a hit on streaming despite having a 50% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Created by Robert Rodat and featuring Roland Emmerich as the director of multiple episodes, the new epic explores the dark underbelly of how the masses were entertained in Ancient Rome, including bloody gladiator battles. The show, which stars Anthony Hopkins andGame of Thronesstar Iwan Rheon, released its entire 10-episode season 1 on Peacock on July 18, butThose About to Die’s reviewsweren’t overly positive out of the gate.
New data fromReelgoodnow reveals thatThose About To Dieranks as the sixth most popular TV show on streaming in the U.S. for the week of July 18 – 24. The Ancient Rome drama beats the likes ofLady in the Lake, Cobra Kai,Sunny, andEvil, but falls short of other titles likeThe AcolyteandThe Bear. Check out the full top 10 list below:
Why Those About To Die’s Reviews Are So Mixed
What The Peacock Show Gets Right & Wrong
In addition toThose About to Die’s lowRotten Tomatoes' critics' score, the show only has a 57% from audiences. OnMetacritic, the show fared even worse, sporting a 49/100 Metascore and a lackluster 3.9/10 from users. The strongest platform for the show appears to beIMDb, with the user score on that website sitting at a more respectable 6.5/10. Generally speaking, though, the reception to the show can be considered mixed to negative.
Every Character In Those About To Die Based On A Real Historical Figure
The historical epic series Those About to Die features several characters based on people from real life, namely Emperor Vespasian and his two sons.
A common point of praise in the reviews is that the world is fairly well-realized and there’s lots of violence. This violence comes in the form of quiet backstabbings as characters betray one another, but can also be seen on a much more grand scale as chariot races and other deadly forms of Ancient Roman sport are brought to life.Where the show falls short, however, is with its under-developed charactersand its overall depth. Some have criticized theThose About to Diecastof characters for being too large, with not enough attention paid to individual storylines.
Those About to Die’s cast also includes: Sara Martins, Jojo Macari, Moe Hashim, Tom Hughes, Gonçalo Almeida, Dimitri Leonidas, Gabrielle Pession, and Rupert Penry-Jones.
There’s a compelling story to be told about the steady decline of Rome during this time, butThose About To Die’s real historyoften takes a back seat to melodrama. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this approach andthere’s enjoyment to be had if one is looking for sword-and-sandal content that’s more disposable than something likeGladiatoror HBO’sRome, but it’s evidently missing the mark for many viewers and critics. While not everyone is enjoyingThose About to Die, the show is clearly drawing viewers in, helping it to become one of last week’s most popular streaming titles.
Those About To Die
Cast
Set in the year 79 AD in Rome, “Those About to Die” dives into the brutal and complex world of gladiatorial combat. The series explores the dark underbelly of Roman entertainment, where the promise of free food and blood-soaked spectacles keep the restless population in check. The narrative focuses on various characters from all corners of the Roman Empire, whose lives intersect in the grand arena.
