Like Camelot, Rome has often been compared to the wildly popular Game of Thrones. Shot in Italy, the show adapted Julius Caesar's civil war of 49 BC against the traditionalist faction in the Roman Senate, touting complex set designs, beautiful costumes, and a well-stacked cast. Unfortunately, critical acclaim was not enough to keep it afloat. HBO let go of the show after its second season in order to save money on production resources in Italy.
Creator Bruno Heller admitted that his series paved the way for Game of Thrones' success. "They learned a lot from a business commercial sense, what not to do. Rome was the first show HBO shot out of country with large budget that was period. The mistakes we made are the mistakes Game of Thrones learned from," the writer and director explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.