There’s probably something meaningful to say about the current state of politics and the seeming revival of the swords and sandals genre; unfortunately, Peacock’s new series Those About to Die engenders very little desire to engage with its material on any deeper level. Created by Robert Rodat and directed by Roland Emmerich and Marco Kruezpaintner, Those About to Die is a historical drama centered around the fading rule of Emperor Vespasian (Anthony Hopkins), his sons Titus (Tom Hughes) and Domitian (Jojo Macari, eating every piece of available scenery), and the bloody and politically treacherous world of chariot racing. 

Set in 79 AD (reading up on that year will provide some spoilers if history is a spoiler), Those About to Die wants to have it all. It’s a drama! It’s an epic! It’s historical fiction! It’s sexy! It’s violent! Well, sure, it’s all of these things, but sadly none are enough to raise it above its vaguely ‘90s television miniseries feel. The series sags under the weight of its scale. Feeling at times like nothing so much as “James Michener’s ROME,” Those About to Die features no fewer than 15 primary characters, many of whom fade into the background and reappear with such little fanfare that the audience struggles to keep track.

Though the storylines blend fairly swiftly after an overpacked premiere, the characters make so many rash and death-defying decisions per episode that nothing seems to carry any sort of weight. Anything dramatic that can happen does but with varying (and unearned) degrees of consequence. There are attacks on characters but then they’re fine; characters lose money and then get more. When it feels like everyone has plot armor until a “surprise,”  nothing is a surprise anymore. 

The possibility of more power tempts star chariot racer Scorpus (Dimitri Leonidas) away from his lucrative racing position with the Blue faction (other factions include Red, White, and Green) by friend/enemy/all-around self-interested Tenax (Iwan Rheon), whose plans also envelop a trio of Spanish brothers, a collection of rowdy, streetwise children, and various displeased members of upper Roman society.

Though the ostensible focus of the show is on Tenax, the narrator and hub around which much of the chaos ensues, the true heart of the series is Cala (Sara Martins). Forced to travel to Rome from Numidia when her children are sold into slavery, Cala finds work with Tenax and navigates Rome’s (frankly terrible) society to try to secure her children’s freedoms. Regal and self-possessed, Martins embodies a mother undeterred by rank or title; knowing her worth and that of her family, she is little swayed by threats, more threatening herself by far. Cala’s Roman foil is meant to be Antonia (Gabriella Pession), an owner of the winning Blue faction and a senator’s wife, who is at times so comically cruel that her entire storyline falters. 

Both of these women’s stories feature (because they must) sexual violence. A slaver subjects an enslaved woman to a humiliating and painful “virginity test,” and a villain can’t help but threaten a woman (whom he is already attacking physically) with rape. In a move that can’t help but feel as though it’s meant to handwave the above, male characters are also threatened with sexual violence or punished for sexuality in general; but these scenes sting with a sense of “Look what we can do on streaming! Risque!” rather than legitimate plot movements.

Indeed, much of Those About to Die feels like there was no easier shorthand for “Rome is decadent!” than nudity. People have sex, so show sex in your stories, but it has to feel like it’s doing something more than just showing naked women. Sexuality is an uneasy theme throughout the series.  The show presents second Imperial son Domitian’s homosexuality as a character quirk, like so many villainous characters before him; a woman purchases a slave specifically as a sexual gift for her husband; a character in a seemingly loving relationship is nevertheless frequently called a whore. In 2024, there has to be a better use of sex on television than as a weapon of any kind.

Visually, Those About to Die is loveliest in closeup. There’s beautiful detail in the hair, makeup, and costumes (sans one in-universe wig that is never explained and haunts me to this day), but long shots suffer. Backgrounds never quite lose their CGI gleam; the less said about any CGI animals, the better. This especially stings in later episodes where animals play major roles. Fortunately, the myriad scenes with horses are either real horses or much more carefully rendered stand-ins, making the chariot race sequences some of the best of the series. Humankind has never turned down an opportunity to watch people go fast and possibly get hurt. 

The series could use more of a look at the crowds away from the chariot track, while there are scenes of betting and a few moments of fans chatting about their faves, we’re mainly treated to the behind-the-scenes drama of the chariot racing scene and frankly, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. It’s Footballers’ Wives with horses: players spend too much, drink too much, sleep around too much. We know. Show us what these races mean to the average Roman, show us that it’s an escape from the monotony and hardship of their daily lives, that they channel their frustrations through blood.

The background scenes of the gladiatorial games are much more interesting and, unfortunately, receive less screen time. Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson and Moe Hashim (as Viggo, Kwame’s trainer and friend, and Kwame, Cala’s son) showcase the terror of being thrust into armed deadly combat for others’ entertainment while still maintaining their hopes and dreams for a better future. 

Ultimately, Those About to Die never manages to rise above its bread and circuses to tell the audience anything more than “This is what you want to see!”. It’s an entertaining ride, but a shallow one.

Those About to Die premieres on Peacock July 18th.

Those About to Die Trailer: