Just finished 'Rome', marathoning the last 7 in the last day+. It was pretty evident that they knew they were cancelled, the timeline was so scrunched the last few eps, so many storylines wrapped up, and an awful lot of talking and emoting. While I appreciate the wrap-up, the show was much more enjoyable prior to the rush. It did get me to reading a bit about Roman history, which presently makes me think the Silmarillion was easy to follow. Maps and a timeline would be very helpful. But educational and entertaining nonetheless. And naked men. Many, many naked men. :D