A rare collaboration between HBO and BBC, Rome charted the historical events that saw the birth of the Roman empire and featured both historic figures like Julius Caesar and Mark Antony as well as fictional characters like Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo.
If you’d like to see one of the most famous historical narratives brought to life on the small screen, first you’ll need to know where to watch Rome online.
Key Takeaways: Watch Rome on HBO Max
- Rome is available for streaming on HBO Max and various local distribution partners such as Sky in Europe and Disney+ Hotstar in India.
- If you want to watch Rome outside of these areas, you’ll need a VPN to do so. ExpressVPN is the best option, but NordVPN or Surfshark are great budget-friendly alternatives.
Even though it aired all the way back in 2005, before the “new” golden age of television really got going, it remains one of the most expensive television productions ever made. The ambitious epic was supposed to run for five seasons, but the high production costs forced it to conclude after only two, despite critical acclaim.
Even though it ended early, Rome is definitely worth adding to your watchlist if you’ve never seen it, or worth revisiting if you watched it almost 20 years ago when it first aired. Without further ado, let’s take a look at where you can find this underappreciated epic series if you want to stream it online.
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Yes, Rome is available for streaming on HBO Max.
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Yes, HBO Max is the only international streaming service where you can watch Rome legally.
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Yes, but only if you add HBO Max to your Hulu subscription.
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Where to Watch Rome
The only international streaming service that has Rome in its library is HBO Max. Unfortunately, HBO Max is only available in select countries in the Americas and Europe, meaning there’s no way to watch Rome legally if you’re outside this zone.
If you already have an HBO Max account, all you need to do to stream Rome from anywhere is connect to a VPN, but signing up is a little more complicated, since you need a local payment method to do so.
Luckily, you can follow our guide on how to watch HBO Max from anywhere to create your account. If you already have one, then you can keep reading to learn how to use it no matter where you’re located.
Which Streaming Services Have Rome?
HBO also has various distribution deals with local broadcasters in a number of countries. If you’re located in any of the places listed below, it might be easier to simply sign up for your local option, which may even offer a free trial (though you’ll need a local payment method).
The full list of these are:
- ITVX and BritBox in the U.K.
- Local Sky Platforms in Italy, Germany and Switzerland
- Disney+ Hotstar in India
- Neon in New Zealand
- Binge in Australia
- Crave in Canada
If you’re willing to purchase or rent Rome, you can do so through the usual digital venues — namely, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Apple TV and Vudu.
How to Watch Rome for Free
Unfortunately, HBO Max doesn’t have a free trial. That means the only way to watch Rome without paying anything is to either torrent it (check out our torrenting guide) or use one of the many illegal streaming sites available online. Make sure to check out our best VPNs for torrenting if you’re planning to go this route.
Note that if you live in any of the countries listed in the last section, it’s possible that your local provider is currently offering a free trial, but these often change.
How to Watch Rome With a VPN
Luckily, a VPN makes your physical location irrelevant — you can always watch Rome on HBO Max, despite the regional restrictions. We’ll use ExpressVPN as an example for these instructions, but any of the best VPNs for HBO Max will do well.
- Sign Up for a VPN
Go to the ExpressVPN website, click on the “get ExpressVPN” button, choose the length of plan you want and complete the signup process by entering your email and payment details.
- Download the VPN Client and Install
Go to the download page for your VPN (in this case, ExpressVPN) and download the installation file for your operating system. Run the file and follow the instructions to install the client, then use it to log in to your account.
- Connect to a U.S. Server
Select any U.S. server in the server list and then click the “on” button to connect.
- Start Streaming Rome
Log in to your HBO Max account, either through one of the apps or on the website, search for Rome and start streaming. Enjoy!
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The Best VPNs for Watching Rome
Before we wrap up, let’s take a brief look at the two best VPNs for streaming Rome (or anything else on HBO Max).
1. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is the best VPN on the market, with its only drawback being a slightly higher price than its competition.
Not only is ExpressVPN the best VPN to stream Rome on HBO Max, it’s also the best VPN overall, owing to its no-compromise approach to security, features and performance. Besides letting you stream Rome on HBO Max, ExpressVPN also lets you get into any streaming library in the world, unlocking a treasure trove of entertainment.
Unfortunately, ExpressVPN is somewhat more expensive than the norm at $6.66 per month on its 15-month plan. That said, you definitely get what you pay for, and we have next to nothing to complain about with the service, as you can see from our ExpressVPN review. If you’re not quite sure, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee that should ease your worry.
ExpressVPN Plans
2. NordVPN
NordVPN is an excellent VPN both for streaming and torrenting, so no matter how you get your content, it’s a good choice.
By a hair’s breadth, NordVPN is our second choice. Like ExpressVPN, it comes packed with advanced features and excellent security measures, including a solid no-logs policy. In fact, it’s even faster than ExpressVPN on most servers, which can make it an even more appealing choice than our number one pick, depending on where you are.
Another bonus of NordVPN compared to ExpressVPN is the price. The cheapest plan, called Standard, includes the full VPN experience for just $4.19 per month on the two-year plan.
Once again, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re feeling uncertain and you can check out our full NordVPN review for more details.
Rome Plot, Cast & Characters
Rome primarily focuses on the furious historical events that saw the complete downfall of the Roman Republic and transition into the Roman Empire. Starting with Julius Caesar returning from Gaul and being proclaimed Emperor, the show follows a huge cast of characters as their fortunes grow and shrink in the tumultuous events that follow.
Opposing Caesar in the show are a number of Patrician families in the city of Rome itself, but his cousin, Atia, schemes to further their family’s interests.
Besides the bigger historical narrative that plays out between the likes of Caesar, Pompey and Antony, Rome also zooms in on the more personal stories of characters like Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, two legionaries we meet when they are tasked by Caesar with recovering their legion’s stolen eagle.
Despite their humble stations, they too have to grapple with events and choose sides as Rome descends into civil war. Below, we’ve included a full list of main characters and the actors who play them:
- Kevin McKidd as Lucius Vorenus
- Ray Stevenson as Titus Pullo
- Ciarán Hinds as Julius Caesar
- Kenneth Cranham as Pompey Magnus
- Polly Walker as Atia of the Julii
- James Purefoy as Mark Antony
- Tobias Menzies as Marcus Junius Brutus
- Max Pirkis (season 1) and Simon Woods (season 2) as Gaius Octavian/Augustus
- Lindsay Duncan as Servilia of the Junii
- Lyndsey Marshal as Cleopatra of Egypt
- Indira Varma as Niobe
- Nicholas Woodeson as Posca
- Kerry Condon as Octavia of the Julii
- Rick Warden as Quintus Pompey
- Karl Johnson as Cato the Younger
- David Bamber as Marcus Tullius Cicero
- Lee Boardman as Timon
Final Thoughts: Streaming Rome
That brings us to the end of our streaming guide for HBO’s Rome. Now that you know how and where to watch the show, it’s time to enjoy an epic story of civil war, triumph, fortunes reversed, ever-shifting allegiances and secrets.
What did you think of our guide? Did you get to watch Rome using our instructions and a VPN? If so, which VPN did you use? Did you enjoy the two seasons of Rome or do you agree with the general consensus that it fell off after the first? Let us know in the comments below, and as always, thank you for reading.
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