Within the spectacular, complex and corrupt world of gladiatorial sports in Ancient Rome, follow an ensemble of diverse characters across the many layers of Roman society where sports, politics and business intersect and collide.
Ratings
Curator score: 2.7/10
IMDb: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 46%
Metacritic: 49
TMDB: 7.4/10
Production
Hollywood Gang Productions, Street Entertainment, Centropolis Entertainment, AGC Studios
Cast
Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hughes, Jojo Macari, Iwan Rheon, Gabriella Pession, Rupert Penry-Jones, Lara Wolf, Sara Martins, Kyshan Wilson, Alicia Ann Edogamhe, Moe Hashim, Dimitri Leonidas, Emilio Sakraya, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Eneko Sagardoy, Pepe Barroso, David Wurawa, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Angeliqa Devi, Liraz Charhi
Where to watch
Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
A lavish but uneven Roman spectacle with strong production value, a big cast, and plenty of arena-pageantry, but the writing often feels blunt and the drama can be overstuffed. It’s worth it if you want a glossy, adult historical series about power, corruption, and bloodsport; less so if you need sharp character work or the polish of top-tier prestige TV.
Best for
Viewers who enjoy sword-and-sandal historical drama
Fans of political intrigue mixed with action and spectacle
People looking for a fast, bingeable limited-series experience
Viewers who can overlook uneven dialogue for big production design
Skip if
You want tightly written prestige drama
You prefer historically grounded realism over pulpy excess
You’re looking for a deeply character-driven ensemble with consistent emotional payoff
You dislike graphic violence and arena combat
Overview
Those About to Die aims for the scale of a Roman epic and often delivers on the visual side: the sets, costumes, and crowd scenes give it real sweep, and the gladiatorial machinery is easy to get swept up in. The premise naturally supports a mix of class conflict, corruption, and spectacle, and the show leans hard into all of it.
Worth noting
The problem is that the series can feel overloaded, with many moving parts but not always enough depth behind them. Some storylines play like efficient genre beats rather than lived-in drama, and the tonal shifts between palace plotting and arena brutality can be uneven. It’s watchable, sometimes entertainingly so, but not consistently sharp.
Bottom line
As a one-season historical binge, it works best as a guilty-pleasure epic rather than a prestige benchmark. If you’re in the mood for Roman decadence, violence, and power games, there’s enough here to keep you going; if you want the genre at its best, there are stronger alternatives.
2005 · Curator 8.8/10 (204.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
The gold standard for Roman television: politically sharp, richly textured, and far more character-driven while still delivering sex, violence, and imperial intrigue.
2010 · Curator 6.7/10 (298.1K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Starz, Philo, Spectrum On Demand, Netflix Standard with Ads
If you want arena combat, betrayal, and maximalist pulp energy, this is the closest high-intensity companion piece, with a more committed style and momentum.
A broad historical saga of ambition, corruption, and power struggles with a strong sense of period scale.
Topics
historical drama, ancient rome, political intrigue, ensemble cast, sword and sandal, violent spectacle, corruption, prestige-adjacent, bingeable, period epic