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** Indeed, Augustus has to deal with one too, with his preferred heirs, his grandsons Lucius and Gaius, dead before the series begins. It's implied in the series and agreed by historical sources that Augustus didn't particularly like his stepson Tiberius but saw him as the only suitable heir. In the series, Tiberius himself bitterly remarks that he's been made into a placeholder until Augustus's grandnephew, Germanicus, is old enough to be emperor.
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* TheExile:
** At the time of "Augustus", the Emperor's grandson Agrippa Postumus has been banished from Rome to the island of Planasia as punishment for his drunken, hell-raising behaviour.
** In "Sejanus", Agrippina is exiled to the island of Pandataria as part of Sejanus' purge of his political opponents. As she has been a thorn in Tiberius' side since he became Emperor, he chooses not to end her exile even after Sejanus is executed for treason.
** After the title character in "Caligula" recovers from his fever and begins seeing enemies everywhere, he has two of his sisters, Julia Livilla and Agrippinilla, banished from Rome for supposedly plotting against him.
** At the time of "Augustus", the Emperor's grandson Agrippa Postumus has been banished from Rome to the island of Planasia as punishment for his drunken, hell-raising behaviour.
** In "Sejanus", Agrippina is exiled to the island of Pandataria as part of Sejanus' purge of his political opponents. As she has been a thorn in Tiberius' side since he became Emperor, he chooses not to end her exile even after Sejanus is executed for treason.
** After the title character in "Caligula" recovers from his fever and begins seeing enemies everywhere, he has two of his sisters, Julia Livilla and Agrippinilla, banished from Rome for supposedly plotting against him.
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* OpportunisticBastard: Sejanus eventually grows into this. In "Sejanus", Tiberius mostly reties to his villa in Capri and leaves the day-to-day running of the Empire in the hands of his right-hand man, who uses his authority to eliminate all of Tiberius' heirs except for his grandson Gemellus, so that he can marry the latter's mother Livilla and rule as regent with her when Gemellus succeeds Tiberius. He also has his political opponents arrested and executed on (mostly forged) treason charges. When Tiberius finds out what Sejanus is doing, he turns the tables on him and has ''him'' arrested and executed for treason.
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* OpportunisticBastard: Sejanus eventually grows into this. In "Sejanus", Tiberius mostly reties retires to his villa in Capri and leaves the day-to-day running of the Empire in the hands of his right-hand man, who uses his authority to eliminate all of Tiberius' heirs except for his grandson Gemellus, so that he can marry the latter's mother Livilla and rule as regent with her when Gemellus succeeds Tiberius. He also has his political opponents arrested and executed on (mostly forged) treason charges. When Tiberius finds out what Sejanus is doing, he turns the tables on him and has ''him'' arrested and executed for treason.
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* TorchesAndPitchforks: In "Germanicus", the PowderKegCrowd is transformed into this when Germanicus decides to have the rebellious legions round up and execute their own leaders for treason rather than doing so himself. They prove rather more overzealous than Germanicus expects; as he surveys the aftermath, he is told the troops took the chance to settle a few old scores with bloodshed in addition to killing the rebel leaders.
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* DoubleMeaning: At the beginning of "Caligula", Tiberius invites the title character to accompany Macro to visit Agrippina on Pandataria. Caligula declines, and when Tiberius remarks that Agrippina is his mother, he replies that he has never cared much for blood relationships. In a different sense, he doesn't care for the blood relationship he has with his sisters, Julia Drusilla, Julia Livilla, and Agrippinilla, as he has incestuous relations with all three.
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* DoubleMeaning: At the beginning of "Caligula", Tiberius invites the title character to accompany Macro to visit Agrippina on Pandataria. Caligula declines, and when Tiberius remarks that Agrippina is his mother, he replies that he has never cared much for blood relationships. In a different sense, he doesn't care for the blood relationship he has with his sisters, Julia Drusilla, Julia Livilla, and Agrippinilla, as [[BrotherSisterIncest he has incestuous relations with all three.three]].
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* RedshirtArmy: In "Tiberius", Germanicus tries to pitch the idea of a fourth campaign in Germany to push the frontiers of the Empire from the Rhine to the Elbe, and asks Tiberius for four legions to achieve this. When Tiberius asks for an estimate of the casualties, Germanicus, scarcely batting an eyelid, guesses between 40% and 50%. This, combined with the fact that, the following winter, they would likely lose any gains made, allows Tiberius to justify sending Germanicus to Syria instead of back to Germany.
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* RedshirtArmy: In "Tiberius", Germanicus tries to pitch the idea of a fourth campaign in Germany to push the frontiers of the Empire from the Rhine to the Elbe, and asks Tiberius for four legions to achieve this. When Tiberius asks for an estimate of the casualties, Germanicus, [[AMillionIsAStatistic scarcely batting an eyelid, guesses between 40% and 50%.50%]]. This, combined with the fact that, the following winter, they would likely lose any gains made, allows Tiberius to justify sending Germanicus to Syria instead of back to Germany.
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* KangarooCourt: Tiberius and Caligula's reigns are both marked with frequent trials for treason on weak to non-existent evidence simply because the "traitor" is a political opponent of someone in a position of power. After becoming Emperor, Caligula initially declares that treason will no longer be a crime in a bid to wipe the slate clean from Tiberius' reign, but after his fever he brings the show trials back with a vengeance.
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* RedshirtArmy: In "Tiberius", Germanicus tries to pitch the idea of a fourth campaign in Germany to push the frontiers of the Empire from the Rhine to the Elbe, and asks Tiberius for four legions to achieve this. When Tiberius asks for an estimate of the casualties, Germanicus, scarcely batting an eyelid, guesses between 40% and 50%. This, combined with the fact that, the following winter, they would likely lose any gains made, allows Tiberius to justify sending Germanicus to Syria instead of back to Germany.
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* BasedOnATrueStory: Although, for the most part, the series avoids the more salacious rumours spread by contemporary historians, the primary sources are still such classical accounts as those by Tacitus and Suetonius. Some details remain exaggerated (for example, most modern historians believe that if Caligula committed incest with any of his sisters, it was likely limited to Drusilla).
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* BasedOnATrueStory: Although, for the most part, the series avoids the more salacious rumours spread by contemporary historians, the primary sources are still such classical accounts as those by Tacitus Tacitus, Suetonius, and Suetonius.Cassius Dio. Some details remain exaggerated (for example, most modern historians believe that if Caligula committed incest with any of his sisters, it was likely limited to Drusilla).
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* ShownTheirWork: Philip Mackie's scripts were adapted from such classical sources as Tacitus and Suetonius, in some cases quoting (translations of) the dialogue (for example, Suetonius claims that Augustus said "Have I played my part well in the comedy of life? Then applaud!" on his deathbed, and this scene is recreated in "Augustus"). However, in contrast to ''Series/IClaudius'', some of the really juicy bits were omitted, perhaps in deference to the censors of 1968.
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* ShownTheirWork: Philip Mackie's scripts were adapted from such classical sources as Tacitus Tacitus' ''Annals'', Suetonius' ''Lives of the Twelve Caesars'', and Suetonius, Cassius Dio's ''Roman History'', in some cases quoting (translations of) the dialogue (for example, Suetonius claims that Augustus said "Have I played my part well in the comedy of life? Then applaud!" on his deathbed, and this scene is recreated in "Augustus"). However, in contrast to ''Series/IClaudius'', some of the really juicy bits were omitted, perhaps in deference to the censors of 1968.
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The more I look into the cast\'s other work, the more it seems to revolve around television rather than the stage. But they\'re definitely all of a type.
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A British mini-series shot entirely on studio sets, with a cast largely comprising well-known stage actors, focusing on the political intrigue surrounding the reigns of the Julio-Claudian Roman Emperors... [[Series/IClaudius sound familiar?]]
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A British mini-series shot entirely on studio sets, with a cast largely comprising well-known stage character actors, focusing on the political intrigue surrounding the reigns of the Julio-Claudian Roman Emperors... [[Series/IClaudius sound familiar?]]
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** Caligula is not shy about antagonising his subjects with insane decrees after becoming Emperor, but is determined that they will fear him too much to act against him.
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** Caligula is not shy about antagonising his subjects with insane decrees after becoming Emperor, but is determined that they will fear him too much to act against him. [[BodyguardBetrayal The Praetorian Guard don't fall in line with this.]]
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* SpeechImpediment: Claudius, especially when he is drunk (which he often is). Caligula taps his foot impatiently when Claudius stammers in front of him, which only makes things worse.
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* SpeechImpediment: Claudius, As he did in reality, Claudius has a severe stammer, especially when he is drunk (which he often is).is at least once an episode). Caligula taps his foot impatiently when Claudius stammers in front of him, which only makes things worse.
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[[Creator/{{Granada}} Granada Television's]] take on the early years of UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire comprised six episodes written by Philip Mackie (who went on to write ''Series/TheCleopatras'' for Creator/TheBBC in 1983) and directed by Derek Bennett, first airing in [[OlderThanTheyThink autumn of 1968.]] Rather than encompassing the entire Julio-Claudian dynasty, the series focuses primarily on the reigns of Tiberius and UsefulNotes/{{Caligula}}, beginning with the last days of Augustus in 14 AD and concluding with the declaration of Claudius as Emperor in 41 AD. Each of the six episodes is named for one of its primary characters: "Augustus", "Germanicus", "Tiberius", "Sejanus", "Caligula", and "Claudius", with the title characters played respectively by Roland Culver, Eric Flynn, André Morell, Barrie Ingham, Ralph Bates, and Freddie Jones.
The six episodes broadly cover three major plot arcs. In "Augustus", the dying UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}} ponders the question of whether to name as his heir his exiled, wastrel grandson Agrippa Postumus or Tiberius, his wife Livia's son by her first marriage. He settles on Tiberius, who will be succeeded by his nephew Germanicus, but in "Germanicus", the armies of the Rhine rise up against intolerable conditions and demand that Germanicus be made Emperor immediately; Tiberius successfully manipulates Germanicus into putting down the mutiny instead of using it to propel himself to the Imperial throne.
The next two episodes detail the SuccessionCrisis dominating Tiberius' reign and the rise and fall of Sejanus, his right-hand man. In "Tiberius", Germanicus is apparently murdered by the governor of Syria, Piso, allegedly on the Emperor's orders. More prospective heirs are cut down in "Sejanus", including Tiberius' son Drusus and Germanicus' son Nero, as Sejanus tries to manipulate his way into ruling Rome as a regent for Tiberius' young grandson Gemellus (whose mother Livilla is Sejanus' lover); the Emperor eventually catches on and has Sejanus arrested and executed.
The final two episodes cover the brief but chaotic rule of Tiberius' successor. When Tiberius dies in "Caligula", he names Germanicus' surviving son Gaius Caligula as co-heir with his grandson Gemellus. Caligula presents himself as sole ruler and initially rules benevolently, but after recovering from a severe fever, he becomes violently, even homicidally, insane and [[AGodAmI declares himself a god]] while massacring anyone he sees as a threat, including Gemellus. His murderous reign continues into "Claudius", but his enemies are finally multiplying faster than he can eliminate them, and he is [[BodyguardBetrayal assassinated by the Praetorian Guard]], who declare Germanicus' lame, stammering brother Claudius the new Emperor.
The series has been largely overshadowed by ''Series/IClaudius'' since the latter series aired in 1976, but it was a hit with critics and audiences during its original airing, with Freddie Jones' performance as Claudius being singled out for particular praise and being awarded the Monte Carlo Golden Nymph award in 1969. Among the differences in characterisation are a more sympathetic portrayal of Tiberius, a less sympathetic portrayal of Germanicus, Caligula's descent into madness beginning after his fever rather than at birth, and Messalina taking an almost instant dislike to Claudius rather than pretending to adore him while bedding countless other men behind his back.
The six episodes broadly cover three major plot arcs. In "Augustus", the dying UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}} ponders the question of whether to name as his heir his exiled, wastrel grandson Agrippa Postumus or Tiberius, his wife Livia's son by her first marriage. He settles on Tiberius, who will be succeeded by his nephew Germanicus, but in "Germanicus", the armies of the Rhine rise up against intolerable conditions and demand that Germanicus be made Emperor immediately; Tiberius successfully manipulates Germanicus into putting down the mutiny instead of using it to propel himself to the Imperial throne.
The next two episodes detail the SuccessionCrisis dominating Tiberius' reign and the rise and fall of Sejanus, his right-hand man. In "Tiberius", Germanicus is apparently murdered by the governor of Syria, Piso, allegedly on the Emperor's orders. More prospective heirs are cut down in "Sejanus", including Tiberius' son Drusus and Germanicus' son Nero, as Sejanus tries to manipulate his way into ruling Rome as a regent for Tiberius' young grandson Gemellus (whose mother Livilla is Sejanus' lover); the Emperor eventually catches on and has Sejanus arrested and executed.
The final two episodes cover the brief but chaotic rule of Tiberius' successor. When Tiberius dies in "Caligula", he names Germanicus' surviving son Gaius Caligula as co-heir with his grandson Gemellus. Caligula presents himself as sole ruler and initially rules benevolently, but after recovering from a severe fever, he becomes violently, even homicidally, insane and [[AGodAmI declares himself a god]] while massacring anyone he sees as a threat, including Gemellus. His murderous reign continues into "Claudius", but his enemies are finally multiplying faster than he can eliminate them, and he is [[BodyguardBetrayal assassinated by the Praetorian Guard]], who declare Germanicus' lame, stammering brother Claudius the new Emperor.
The series has been largely overshadowed by ''Series/IClaudius'' since the latter series aired in 1976, but it was a hit with critics and audiences during its original airing, with Freddie Jones' performance as Claudius being singled out for particular praise and being awarded the Monte Carlo Golden Nymph award in 1969. Among the differences in characterisation are a more sympathetic portrayal of Tiberius, a less sympathetic portrayal of Germanicus, Caligula's descent into madness beginning after his fever rather than at birth, and Messalina taking an almost instant dislike to Claudius rather than pretending to adore him while bedding countless other men behind his back.
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[[Creator/{{Granada}} Granada Television's]] take on the early years of UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire comprised six episodes written by Philip Mackie (who went on to write ''Series/TheCleopatras'' for Creator/TheBBC in 1983) and directed by Derek Bennett, first airing in [[OlderThanTheyThink autumn of 1968.]] Rather than encompassing the entire Julio-Claudian dynasty, the series focuses primarily on the reigns of Tiberius and UsefulNotes/{{Caligula}}, beginning with the last days of Augustus in 14 AD and concluding with the declaration of Claudius as Emperor in 41 AD. Each of the six episodes is named for one of its primary characters: "Augustus", "Germanicus", "Tiberius", "Sejanus", "Caligula", and "Claudius", with the title characters played respectively by Roland Culver, Eric Flynn, André Morell, Barrie Ingham, Ralph Bates, and Freddie Jones.
AD.
The six episodes broadly cover three major plot arcs. In "Augustus", the dying UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}} (Roland Culver) ponders the question of whether to name as his heir his exiled, wastrel grandson Agrippa Postumus orTiberius, Tiberius (André Morell), his wife Livia's son by her first marriage. He settles on Tiberius, who will be succeeded by his nephew Germanicus, Germanicus (Eric Flynn), but in "Germanicus", the armies of the Rhine rise up against intolerable conditions and demand that Germanicus be made Emperor immediately; Tiberius successfully manipulates Germanicus into putting down the mutiny instead of using it to propel himself to the Imperial throne.
The next two episodes detail the SuccessionCrisis dominating Tiberius' reign and the rise and fall ofSejanus, Sejanus (Barrie Ingham), his right-hand man. In "Tiberius", Germanicus is apparently murdered by the governor of Syria, Piso, allegedly on the Emperor's orders. More prospective heirs are cut down in "Sejanus", including Tiberius' son Drusus and Germanicus' son Nero, as Sejanus tries to manipulate his way into ruling Rome as a regent for Tiberius' young grandson Gemellus (whose mother Livilla is Sejanus' lover); the Emperor eventually catches on and has Sejanus arrested and executed.
The final two episodes cover the brief but chaotic rule of Tiberius' successor. When Tiberius dies in "Caligula", he names Germanicus' surviving son Gaius Caligula (Ralph Bates) as co-heir with his grandson Gemellus. Caligula presents himself as sole ruler and initially rules benevolently, but after recovering from a severe fever, he becomes violently, even homicidally, insane and [[AGodAmI declares himself a god]] while massacring anyone he sees as a threat, including Gemellus. His murderous reign continues into "Claudius", but his enemies are finally multiplying faster than he can eliminate them, and he is [[BodyguardBetrayal assassinated by the Praetorian Guard]], who declare Germanicus' lame, stammering brother Claudius (Freddie Jones) the new Emperor.
The series has been largely overshadowed by ''Series/IClaudius'' since the latter series aired in 1976, but it was a hit with critics and audiences during its original airing, with Freddie Jones' performance as Claudius being singled out for particular praise and being awarded the Monte Carlo Golden Nymph award in 1969. Among the differences in characterisation are a more sympathetic portrayal of Tiberius, a less sympathetic portrayal of Germanicus, Caligula's descent into madness beginning after his fever rather than at birth, andMessalina taking an almost instant dislike to Claudius preferring that Rome be an empire rather than pretending to adore him while bedding countless other men behind his back.
a republic.
The six episodes broadly cover three major plot arcs. In "Augustus", the dying UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}} (Roland Culver) ponders the question of whether to name as his heir his exiled, wastrel grandson Agrippa Postumus or
The next two episodes detail the SuccessionCrisis dominating Tiberius' reign and the rise and fall of
The final two episodes cover the brief but chaotic rule of Tiberius' successor. When Tiberius dies in "Caligula", he names Germanicus' surviving son Gaius Caligula (Ralph Bates) as co-heir with his grandson Gemellus. Caligula presents himself as sole ruler and initially rules benevolently, but after recovering from a severe fever, he becomes violently, even homicidally, insane and [[AGodAmI declares himself a god]] while massacring anyone he sees as a threat, including Gemellus. His murderous reign continues into "Claudius", but his enemies are finally multiplying faster than he can eliminate them, and he is [[BodyguardBetrayal assassinated by the Praetorian Guard]], who declare Germanicus' lame, stammering brother Claudius (Freddie Jones) the new Emperor.
The series has been largely overshadowed by ''Series/IClaudius'' since the latter series aired in 1976, but it was a hit with critics and audiences during its original airing, with Freddie Jones' performance as Claudius being singled out for particular praise and being awarded the Monte Carlo Golden Nymph award in 1969. Among the differences in characterisation are a more sympathetic portrayal of Tiberius, a less sympathetic portrayal of Germanicus, Caligula's descent into madness beginning after his fever rather than at birth, and
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** In "Tiberius", Piso is told by the Emperor that while he will dismiss many of the charges against him, he will not dismiss or defend him against the charge of treason for his armed re-entry into Syria. When his wife Plancina then tells him that Livia has intervened on her behalf but not on Piso's, he decides that it is BetterToDieThanBeKilled and stabs himself.
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** Agrippina commits suicide by voluntary starvation in "Caligula" when it becomes apparent that Tiberius has no plans to end the exile to Pandataria with which Sejanus had her sentenced. When Tiberius' friend Nerva hears the news, it pushes him to commit suicide as well, distraught at what Rome and Tiberius have become.
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** Agrippina commits suicide by voluntary starvation in "Caligula" when it becomes apparent that Tiberius has no plans to end the exile to Pandataria with which Sejanus had her sentenced. When Tiberius' friend Nerva hears the news, it pushes him to commit suicide as well, [[DespairEventHorizon distraught at what Rome and Tiberius have become.become]].
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* BlueBlood: Livia takes great pride in being a member of the Claudians, one of Rome's oldest and most influential families (many of her descendants, including Tiberius and Claudius, seem more indifferent to being blue bloods). In "Tiberius", she refuses to talk in the presence of Sejanus, as he was born a commoner.
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* DespairEventHorizon:
** Tiberius crosses this in the final scene of "Sejanus" when Macro hands him Apicata's suicide note implicating Sejanus and Livilla in the murder of Tiberius' son Drusus. The revelation that the man he trusted more than anyone was responsible for killing his only son causes him to break down crying, and in the following episode, he has lost all interest in running the Roman Empire and is just waiting to die.
** Agrippina's suicide in the first act of "Caligula" drives Tiberius' friend Nerva past the point of no return. After years of watching Tiberius turn into the ruthless Emperor he was initially only pretending to be, Nerva finally loses all hope for both his friend and the Empire he governs, and after delivering a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Tiberius, he shuts himself up in his room and [[DrivenToSuicide commits suicide]].
** Tiberius crosses this in the final scene of "Sejanus" when Macro hands him Apicata's suicide note implicating Sejanus and Livilla in the murder of Tiberius' son Drusus. The revelation that the man he trusted more than anyone was responsible for killing his only son causes him to break down crying, and in the following episode, he has lost all interest in running the Roman Empire and is just waiting to die.
** Agrippina's suicide in the first act of "Caligula" drives Tiberius' friend Nerva past the point of no return. After years of watching Tiberius turn into the ruthless Emperor he was initially only pretending to be, Nerva finally loses all hope for both his friend and the Empire he governs, and after delivering a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Tiberius, he shuts himself up in his room and [[DrivenToSuicide commits suicide]].
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* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: Subverted; following the murders of Caligula and Caesonia, Claudius hears the Praetorian Guard approaching and scurries across the room to hide behind a curtain. The guards pull him out of hiding, and he grovels in front of them, sobbing and begging to be spared... and is stunned when they declare "Hail Caesar!" and salute him. The final scene of the series has Claudius, still reeling a bit, receiving his first audience as Emperor.
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* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: Subverted; following the murders of Caligula and Caesonia, Claudius hears the Praetorian Guard approaching and scurries across the room to hide behind a curtain. The guards pull him out of hiding, and he grovels in front of them, sobbing and begging to be spared... and is stunned when they declare "Hail Caesar!" and salute him. The final scene of the series has Claudius, still reeling a bit, receiving his first audience as Emperor.telling a delegation from the Senate that he is Emperor now.
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* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Tiberius ultimately resigns himself to this after Piso's trial (see MortonsFork); Caligula is determined to fight it with fear.
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* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: ZeroPercentApprovalRating:
** In "Tiberius", after Piso commits suicide rather than face certain conviction for treason while Plancina is absolved of all responsibility for Germanicus' murder, Tiberiusultimately resigns himself sombrely observes to this after Piso's trial (see MortonsFork); Sejanus that he will now be universally detested by the Roman people.
** Caligula is not shy about antagonising his subjects with insane decrees after becoming Emperor, but is determined that they will fear him too much tofight it with fear.act against him.
** In "Tiberius", after Piso commits suicide rather than face certain conviction for treason while Plancina is absolved of all responsibility for Germanicus' murder, Tiberius
** Caligula is not shy about antagonising his subjects with insane decrees after becoming Emperor, but is determined that they will fear him too much to
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* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Though Tiberius is not portrayed as heroic as such, he is treated much more kindly than he is by Tacitus, Suetonius, or [[Literature/IClaudius Robert Graves]]. His reluctance to accept the title of Emperor and his sad resignation to the hatred of the Roman people as he eliminates his political opponents are emphasised, while his sexual depravities are only hinted at in a single line in "Sejanus".
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* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Though Tiberius is not portrayed as heroic as such, he is treated much more kindly than he is by Tacitus, Suetonius, or [[Literature/IClaudius Robert Graves]]. His reluctance to accept the title of Emperor and his sad resignation to the hatred of the Roman people as he eliminates his political opponents are emphasised, while his sexual depravities are only hinted at in a single line in "Sejanus".the odd throwaway line.
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** Livilla plays Lady Macbeth to Sejanus' Macbeth during "Sejanus", as she encourages him to eliminate her son (and Tiberius' grandson) Gemellus' competition for the position of Tiberius' successor, so that they may rule Rome as regents when Tiberius dies and the young Gemellus becomes Emperor. (While we - and Tiberius - only have Apicata's word that Sejanus and Livilla poisoned Drusus, Sejanus unambiguously ordered the arrest of Germanicus' son Nero on false treason charges, then had him starved to death while imprisoned.)
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** Livilla plays Lady Macbeth to Sejanus' Macbeth during "Sejanus", as she encourages him to eliminate her son (and Tiberius' grandson) Gemellus' competition for the position of Tiberius' successor, so that they may rule Rome as regents when Tiberius dies and the young Gemellus becomes Emperor. (While we - and Tiberius - only have Apicata's word that Sejanus and Livilla poisoned Drusus, Sejanus unambiguously ordered orders the arrest of Germanicus' son Nero on false treason charges, then had has him starved to death while imprisoned.)
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* MortonsFork: Two noteworthy examples:
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* MortonsFork: Two noteworthy examples:MortonsFork:
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* ThePurge: Two of them.
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* ThePurge: Two of them.ThePurge:
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* UglyGuyHotWife: Claudius and Messalina; each [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] the other's contribution to this when Caligula orders them to marry.
* UnexpectedSuccessor: No-one thought Claudius would ever become Emperor, least of all Claudius himself, even though he was technically in the line of succession when both Augustus and Tiberius died. However, following Caligula's murder, he is one of the few remaining male members of the Imperial family, and when the Praetorian Guard find him [[CurtainCamouflage hiding behind a curtain]], they declare him the new Emperor.
* UnexpectedSuccessor: No-one thought Claudius would ever become Emperor, least of all Claudius himself, even though he was technically in the line of succession when both Augustus and Tiberius died. However, following Caligula's murder, he is one of the few remaining male members of the Imperial family, and when the Praetorian Guard find him [[CurtainCamouflage hiding behind a curtain]], they declare him the new Emperor.
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* UglyGuyHotWife: Claudius and Messalina; each [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] the other's contribution to this when Caligula orders them to marry.
marry in "Claudius".
* UnexpectedSuccessor: No-onethought thinks Claudius would will ever become Emperor, least of all Claudius himself, even though he was is technically in the line of succession when both Augustus and Tiberius died. die. However, following Caligula's murder, murder at the end of "Claudius", he is one of the few remaining male members of the Imperial family, and when the Praetorian Guard find him [[CurtainCamouflage hiding behind a curtain]], they declare him the new Emperor.
* UnexpectedSuccessor: No-one
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* HoistByHisOwnPetard: In "Germanicus", the title character puts down the rebellion among the Rhine armies by letting them round up and execute the ringleaders themselves, so that such rabble-rousers as Calusidius are killed by the very rabble they were previously rousing.
* IdleRich: This is essentially Claudius' role during the reign of Tiberius. Though he desperately wants a job, and begs Tiberius to give him some sort of responsibility as a member of the Imperial family, the Emperor thinks him too much of a buffoon to trust him with any authority, and any titles he is given are purely honorary. When Caligula becomes Emperor, whether or not Claudius fits the "idle" or "rich" part of this description changes frequently, as Caligula confiscates and/or restores his fortune, or decides he would like someone he can push around easily in one place of responsibility or another - at least until he changes his mind for whatever reason (or no reason at all) and gives Claudius the sack.
* IdleRich: This is essentially Claudius' role during the reign of Tiberius. Though he desperately wants a job, and begs Tiberius to give him some sort of responsibility as a member of the Imperial family, the Emperor thinks him too much of a buffoon to trust him with any authority, and any titles he is given are purely honorary. When Caligula becomes Emperor, whether or not Claudius fits the "idle" or "rich" part of this description changes frequently, as Caligula confiscates and/or restores his fortune, or decides he would like someone he can push around easily in one place of responsibility or another - at least until he changes his mind for whatever reason (or no reason at all) and gives Claudius the sack.
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* RichIdiotWithNoDayJob: This is essentially Claudius' role during the reign of Tiberius. Though he desperately wants a day job, and begs Tiberius to give him some sort of responsibility as a member of the Imperial family, the Emperor thinks him too much of a buffoon to trust him with any authority, and any titles he is given are purely honorary. When Caligula becomes Emperor, whether or not Claudius fits the "rich" or "with no day job" part of this description changes frequently, as Caligula confiscates and/or restores his fortune, or decides he would like someone he can push around easily in one place of responsibility or another - at least until he changes his mind for whatever reason (or no reason at all) and gives Claudius the sack.
* SecretTestOfCharacter: When Augustus visits his grandson Agrippa Postumus in "Augustus", he appears to be softening on the idea of keeping him exiled, and asks him what his first act would be if he were made Emperor. Postumus replies that he would personally execute the colonel of his guards in revenge for years of rudeness. Unbeknownst to Postumus, Augustus has asked this question to see if he would be a worthy successor in spite of his hell-raising past, and is so disappointed by his answer that he names Tiberius his successor and leaves deathbed orders that the colonel should personally execute Postumus.
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* UriahGambit: Tiberius observes that, since the more popular Germanicus was considered his main rival for the Imperial throne after the deaths of Augustus and Postumus, he will be accused of having pulled one of these following Germanicus' death in Syria. (Although he did send Germanicus to Syria to get him far away from Rome, he had no intention of sending him to his death.)
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* UriahGambit: Tiberius observes that, since the more popular Germanicus was considered his main rival for the Imperial throne after the deaths of Augustus and Postumus, he will be accused of having pulled one of these following Germanicus' death in Syria.Syria in "Tiberius". (Although he did send Germanicus to Syria to get him far away from Rome, he had no intention of sending him to his death.)
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* WhatTheHellHero: In "Germanicus", the title character's chief of staff, Ennius, tells him that he has two options to deal with the rebellion: either stamp it out in a display of strength or use their support to make a case that he should be Emperor instead of Tiberius. When he instead has the rebellious troops round up and execute their own ringleaders and asks Ennius to confirm that he was right to do so, Ennius bitterly tells Germanicus that he has done neither of the things he suggested, and only Tiberius has come out ahead from the whole affair.
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Sejanus is more opportunistic than manipulative, on reflection.
* TheChessmaster: Tiberius has an episode of this in "Germanicus". With the legions rebelling against his being named Augustus' successor ahead of Germanicus in both Pannonia[[note]] Now part of eastern Austria, western Hungary and Slovakia, and northern Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Serbia.[[/note]] and Germany, and concerned that if he goes to quell one mutiny personally the other might flare up while his back is turned, Tiberius manages to squash both of them without leaving Rome. He sends Drusus and Sejanus to put down the Pannonian rebellion, while he manipulates Germanicus into putting down the German rebellion by sending Crispus to tell him that Tiberius is gravely ill, thus making him decide that instead of marching on Rome with his rebel followers, he should whip them back into shape to better serve him when he becomes Emperor.
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* ManipulativeBastard: Sejanus manipulates himself into the position of Tiberius' enforcer, then uses this to arrange for the elimination of his competition as heir to the throne.
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* OpportunisticBastard: Sejanus eventually grows into this. In "Sejanus", Tiberius mostly reties to his villa in Capri and leaves the day-to-day running of the Empire in the hands of his right-hand man, who uses his authority to eliminate all of Tiberius' heirs except for his grandson Gemellus, so that he can marry the latter's mother Livilla and rule as regent with her when Gemellus succeeds Tiberius. He also has his political opponents arrested and executed on (mostly forged) treason charges. When Tiberius finds out what Sejanus is doing, he turns the tables on him and has ''him'' arrested and executed for treason.
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* DecadentCourt: The Julio-Claudian family and their social circle form a tangled web of debauchery and intrigue.
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* DecadentCourt: The Julio-Claudian family and their social circle form a tangled web of debauchery and intrigue. There's Livia admitting to having arranged "a good many" deaths, Livilla and Sejanus seemingly poisoning her husband Drusus so that they can rule as regents when her son Gemellus succeeds Tiberius, Caligula having incestuous relations with his three sisters until he accidentally kills one and banishes the other two for (imagined) conspiracies against him... and much more besides.
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* DeadlyDecadentCourt: The Julio-Claudian family and their social circle form a tangled web of debauchery and intrigue.
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* DeadlyDecadentCourt: DecadentCourt: The Julio-Claudian family and their social circle form a tangled web of debauchery and intrigue.
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The next two episodes detail the SuccessionCrisis dominating Tiberius' reign; in "Tiberius", Germanicus is apparently murdered by the governor of Syria, Piso, allegedly on the Emperor's orders. More prospective heirs are cut down in "Sejanus", including Tiberius' son Drusus and Germanicus' son Nero, as the head of the Praetorian Guard and Tiberius' right-hand man, Sejanus, tries to manipulate his way into ruling Rome as a regent for Tiberius' young grandson Gemellus; the Emperor eventually catches on and has Sejanus arrested and executed.
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The next two episodes detail the SuccessionCrisis dominating Tiberius' reign; in reign and the rise and fall of Sejanus, his right-hand man. In "Tiberius", Germanicus is apparently murdered by the governor of Syria, Piso, allegedly on the Emperor's orders. More prospective heirs are cut down in "Sejanus", including Tiberius' son Drusus and Germanicus' son Nero, as the head of the Praetorian Guard and Tiberius' right-hand man, Sejanus, Sejanus tries to manipulate his way into ruling Rome as a regent for Tiberius' young grandson Gemellus; Gemellus (whose mother Livilla is Sejanus' lover); the Emperor eventually catches on and has Sejanus arrested and executed.
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The next two episodes detail the SuccessionCrisis dominating Tiberius' reign; in "Tiberius", Germanicus is apparently murdered by the governor of Syria, Piso, allegedly on the Emperor's orders. More prospective heirs are cut down in "Sejanus", including Tiberius' son Drusus and Germanicus' son Nero, as the head of the Praetorian Guard and Tiberius' right-hand man, Lucius Aelius Sejanus, tries to manipulate his way into ruling Rome as a regent for Tiberius' young grandson Gemellus; the Emperor eventually catches on and has Sejanus arrested and executed.
The final two episodes cover the chaotic rule of Tiberius' successor. When Tiberius dies in "Caligula", he names Germanicus' surviving son Gaius Caligula as co-heir with his grandson Gemellus. Caligula presents himself as sole ruler and initially rules benevolently, but after recovering from a severe fever, becomes violently, even homicidally, insane and declares himself a god while massacring anyone he sees as a threat. His murderous reign continues into "Claudius", but his enemies are finally multiplying faster than he can eliminate them, and he is [[BodyguardBetrayal assassinated by the Praetorian Guard]], who declare Germanicus' lame, stammering brother Claudius the new Emperor.
The series has been largely overshadowed by ''Series/IClaudius'' since the latter series aired in 1976, but it was a hit with critics and audiences during its original airing, with Freddie Jones' performance as Claudius being singled out for particular praise and being awarded the Monte Carlo Golden Nymph award in 1969. Among the differences in characterisation are a more sympathetic portrayal of Tiberius, Caligula's descent into madness beginning after his fever rather than at birth, and Messalina taking an almost instant dislike to Claudius rather than pretending to adore him while bedding countless other men behind his back.
The final two episodes cover the chaotic rule of Tiberius' successor. When Tiberius dies in "Caligula", he names Germanicus' surviving son Gaius Caligula as co-heir with his grandson Gemellus. Caligula presents himself as sole ruler and initially rules benevolently, but after recovering from a severe fever, becomes violently, even homicidally, insane and declares himself a god while massacring anyone he sees as a threat. His murderous reign continues into "Claudius", but his enemies are finally multiplying faster than he can eliminate them, and he is [[BodyguardBetrayal assassinated by the Praetorian Guard]], who declare Germanicus' lame, stammering brother Claudius the new Emperor.
The series has been largely overshadowed by ''Series/IClaudius'' since the latter series aired in 1976, but it was a hit with critics and audiences during its original airing, with Freddie Jones' performance as Claudius being singled out for particular praise and being awarded the Monte Carlo Golden Nymph award in 1969. Among the differences in characterisation are a more sympathetic portrayal of Tiberius, Caligula's descent into madness beginning after his fever rather than at birth, and Messalina taking an almost instant dislike to Claudius rather than pretending to adore him while bedding countless other men behind his back.
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The next two episodes detail the SuccessionCrisis dominating Tiberius' reign; in "Tiberius", Germanicus is apparently murdered by the governor of Syria, Piso, allegedly on the Emperor's orders. More prospective heirs are cut down in "Sejanus", including Tiberius' son Drusus and Germanicus' son Nero, as the head of the Praetorian Guard and Tiberius' right-hand man, Lucius Aelius Sejanus, tries to manipulate his way into ruling Rome as a regent for Tiberius' young grandson Gemellus; the Emperor eventually catches on and has Sejanus arrested and executed.
The final two episodes cover the brief but chaotic rule of Tiberius' successor. When Tiberius dies in "Caligula", he names Germanicus' surviving son Gaius Caligula as co-heir with his grandson Gemellus. Caligula presents himself as sole ruler and initially rules benevolently, but after recovering from a severe fever, he becomes violently, even homicidally, insane and [[AGodAmI declares himself agod god]] while massacring anyone he sees as a threat.threat, including Gemellus. His murderous reign continues into "Claudius", but his enemies are finally multiplying faster than he can eliminate them, and he is [[BodyguardBetrayal assassinated by the Praetorian Guard]], who declare Germanicus' lame, stammering brother Claudius the new Emperor.
The series has been largely overshadowed by ''Series/IClaudius'' since the latter series aired in 1976, but it was a hit with critics and audiences during its original airing, with Freddie Jones' performance as Claudius being singled out for particular praise and being awarded the Monte Carlo Golden Nymph award in 1969. Among the differences in characterisation are a more sympathetic portrayal of Tiberius, a less sympathetic portrayal of Germanicus, Caligula's descent into madness beginning after his fever rather than at birth, and Messalina taking an almost instant dislike to Claudius rather than pretending to adore him while bedding countless other men behind his back.
The final two episodes cover the brief but chaotic rule of Tiberius' successor. When Tiberius dies in "Caligula", he names Germanicus' surviving son Gaius Caligula as co-heir with his grandson Gemellus. Caligula presents himself as sole ruler and initially rules benevolently, but after recovering from a severe fever, he becomes violently, even homicidally, insane and [[AGodAmI declares himself a
The series has been largely overshadowed by ''Series/IClaudius'' since the latter series aired in 1976, but it was a hit with critics and audiences during its original airing, with Freddie Jones' performance as Claudius being singled out for particular praise and being awarded the Monte Carlo Golden Nymph award in 1969. Among the differences in characterisation are a more sympathetic portrayal of Tiberius, a less sympathetic portrayal of Germanicus, Caligula's descent into madness beginning after his fever rather than at birth, and Messalina taking an almost instant dislike to Claudius rather than pretending to adore him while bedding countless other men behind his back.
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[[Creator/{{Granada}} Granada Television's]] take on the early years of UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire comprised six episodes written by Philip Mackie (who went on to write ''Series/TheCleopatras'' for Creator/TheBBC in 1983) and directed by Derek Bennett, first airing in [[OlderThanTheyThink autumn of 1968.]] Rather than encompassing the entire Julio-Claudian dynasty, the series focuses primarily on the reigns of Tiberius and [[TheCaligula Caligula]], beginning with the last days of Augustus in 14 AD and concluding with the declaration of Claudius as Emperor in 41 AD. Each of the six episodes is named for one of its primary characters: "Augustus", "Germanicus", "Tiberius", "Sejanus", "Caligula", and "Claudius", with the title characters played respectively by Roland Culver, Eric Flynn, André Morell, Barrie Ingham, Ralph Bates, and Freddie Jones.
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[[Creator/{{Granada}} Granada Television's]] take on the early years of UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire comprised six episodes written by Philip Mackie (who went on to write ''Series/TheCleopatras'' for Creator/TheBBC in 1983) and directed by Derek Bennett, first airing in [[OlderThanTheyThink autumn of 1968.]] Rather than encompassing the entire Julio-Claudian dynasty, the series focuses primarily on the reigns of Tiberius and [[TheCaligula Caligula]], UsefulNotes/{{Caligula}}, beginning with the last days of Augustus in 14 AD and concluding with the declaration of Claudius as Emperor in 41 AD. Each of the six episodes is named for one of its primary characters: "Augustus", "Germanicus", "Tiberius", "Sejanus", "Caligula", and "Claudius", with the title characters played respectively by Roland Culver, Eric Flynn, André Morell, Barrie Ingham, Ralph Bates, and Freddie Jones.
Jones.
The six episodes broadly cover three major plot arcs. In "Augustus", the dying UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}} ponders the question of whether to name as his heir his exiled, wastrel grandson Agrippa Postumus or Tiberius, his wife Livia's son by her first marriage. He settles on Tiberius, who will be succeeded by his nephew Germanicus, but in "Germanicus", the armies of the Rhine rise up against intolerable conditions and demand that Germanicus be made Emperor immediately; Tiberius successfully manipulates Germanicus into putting down the mutiny instead of using it to propel himself to the Imperial throne.
The next two episodes detail the SuccessionCrisis dominating Tiberius' reign; in "Tiberius", Germanicus is apparently murdered by the governor of Syria, Piso, allegedly on the Emperor's orders. More prospective heirs are cut down in "Sejanus", including Tiberius' son Drusus and Germanicus' son Nero, as the head of the Praetorian Guard and Tiberius' right-hand man, Lucius Aelius Sejanus, tries to manipulate his way into ruling Rome as a regent for Tiberius' young grandson Gemellus; the Emperor eventually catches on and has Sejanus arrested and executed.
The final two episodes cover the chaotic rule of Tiberius' successor. When Tiberius dies in "Caligula", he names Germanicus' surviving son Gaius Caligula as co-heir with his grandson Gemellus. Caligula presents himself as sole ruler and initially rules benevolently, but after recovering from a severe fever, becomes violently, even homicidally, insane and declares himself a god while massacring anyone he sees as a threat. His murderous reign continues into "Claudius", but his enemies are finally multiplying faster than he can eliminate them, and he is [[BodyguardBetrayal assassinated by the Praetorian Guard]], who declare Germanicus' lame, stammering brother Claudius the new Emperor.
The six episodes broadly cover three major plot arcs. In "Augustus", the dying UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}} ponders the question of whether to name as his heir his exiled, wastrel grandson Agrippa Postumus or Tiberius, his wife Livia's son by her first marriage. He settles on Tiberius, who will be succeeded by his nephew Germanicus, but in "Germanicus", the armies of the Rhine rise up against intolerable conditions and demand that Germanicus be made Emperor immediately; Tiberius successfully manipulates Germanicus into putting down the mutiny instead of using it to propel himself to the Imperial throne.
The next two episodes detail the SuccessionCrisis dominating Tiberius' reign; in "Tiberius", Germanicus is apparently murdered by the governor of Syria, Piso, allegedly on the Emperor's orders. More prospective heirs are cut down in "Sejanus", including Tiberius' son Drusus and Germanicus' son Nero, as the head of the Praetorian Guard and Tiberius' right-hand man, Lucius Aelius Sejanus, tries to manipulate his way into ruling Rome as a regent for Tiberius' young grandson Gemellus; the Emperor eventually catches on and has Sejanus arrested and executed.
The final two episodes cover the chaotic rule of Tiberius' successor. When Tiberius dies in "Caligula", he names Germanicus' surviving son Gaius Caligula as co-heir with his grandson Gemellus. Caligula presents himself as sole ruler and initially rules benevolently, but after recovering from a severe fever, becomes violently, even homicidally, insane and declares himself a god while massacring anyone he sees as a threat. His murderous reign continues into "Claudius", but his enemies are finally multiplying faster than he can eliminate them, and he is [[BodyguardBetrayal assassinated by the Praetorian Guard]], who declare Germanicus' lame, stammering brother Claudius the new Emperor.
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** Piso chooses this method of death in "Tiberius" when he faces conviction of treason for his alleged role in Germanicus' murder.
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** Piso chooses this method of death in "Tiberius" when the Emperor makes it clear that he faces conviction will not defend him against the charge of treason for his alleged role in leaving Syria after Germanicus' murder.death and then re-entering it with an army.
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** When Germanicus believes he is being poisoned in "Tiberius", he and Agrippina order the torture of their kitchen slaves until they confess to the poisoning.
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* MasterPoisoner: Livia is accused of this, but in contrast to ''Series/IClaudius'' we never actually see her poison anyone. Likewise subverted with Piso and his wife, who are likely innocent of the charges of poison against them, and quite possibly with Sejanus and Livilla as well--in all cases, we never are actually shown the poisoning, leaving it ambiguous whether the "victim" was murdered or not.
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* MasterPoisoner: When Tiberius accuses Livia is accused of this, but ordering Germanicus' poisoning by Piso and Plancina in "Tiberius", she happily admits that she has "had a good many people put to death one way or another in the past sixty years". However, in contrast to ''Series/IClaudius'' ''Series/IClaudius'', we never actually see her poison anyone. Likewise subverted with Piso and his wife, who are likely innocent of the charges of poison against them, and quite possibly with Sejanus and Livilla as well--in all cases, we never are actually shown the poisoning, leaving it ambiguous whether the "victim" was murdered or not.
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* ReassignedToAntarctica: When Germanicus returns triumphant from his third campaign in Germany at the beginning of "Tiberius", he is sent to Syria to install the Rome-friendly Xeno on the throne of Armenia, mostly to get him as far away from Rome as possible.
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* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: Subverted; following the murders of Caligula and Caesonia, Claudius hears the Praetorian Guard approaching and scurries across the room to hide behind a curtain. The guards pull him out of hiding and declare, "Hail Caesar!" The final scene of the series has Claudius, still reeling a bit, receiving his first audience as Emperor.
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* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: Subverted; following the murders of Caligula and Caesonia, Claudius hears the Praetorian Guard approaching and scurries across the room to hide behind a curtain. The guards pull him out of hiding hiding, and declare, he grovels in front of them, sobbing and begging to be spared... and is stunned when they declare "Hail Caesar!" and salute him. The final scene of the series has Claudius, still reeling a bit, receiving his first audience as Emperor.
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* CurtainCamouflage: Claudius hides behind one after Caligula's assassination; he is found by the guards and declared Emperor.
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* CurtainCamouflage: Claudius hides behind one after Caligula's assassination; assassination, terrified that he is found by also on the guards conspirators' hit list. As he gasps in panic and declared Emperor.knocks over several metal trays when he scurries toward the curtain, the Praetorian Guard have no trouble knowing where to look for him.
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** As Sejanus becomes more and more powerful, he arranges for the elimination of Tiberius' heirs apparent, his son Drusus and Germanicus' son Nero. At the end of "Sejanus", Tiberius gets wind of Sejanus' designs on the Imperial throne and conducts his own purge of Sejanus' family and supporters.
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** As Sejanus becomes more and more powerful, influential, he arranges for the elimination of Tiberius' heirs apparent, his son Drusus and Germanicus' son Nero.Nero, and he is contemplating wiping out Caligula and possibly Claudius when he is at the height of his power. At the end of "Sejanus", Tiberius gets wind of Sejanus' designs on the Imperial throne and conducts his own purge of Sejanus' family and supporters.
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* RichIdiotWithNoDayJob: This is essentially Claudius' role during the reign of Tiberius. Though he desperately wants a day job, and begs Tiberius to give him some sort of responsibility as a member of the Imperial family, the Emperor thinks him too much of a buffoon to trust him with any authority, and any titles he is given are purely honorary. When Caligula becomes Emperor, whether or not Claudius fits the "rich" or "with no day job" part of this description changes frequently, as Caligula confiscates and/or restores his fortune and decides he would like someone he can push around easily in one place of responsibility or another.
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* RichIdiotWithNoDayJob: This is essentially Claudius' role during the reign of Tiberius. Though he desperately wants a day job, and begs Tiberius to give him some sort of responsibility as a member of the Imperial family, the Emperor thinks him too much of a buffoon to trust him with any authority, and any titles he is given are purely honorary. When Caligula becomes Emperor, whether or not Claudius fits the "rich" or "with no day job" part of this description changes frequently, as Caligula confiscates and/or restores his fortune and fortune, or decides he would like someone he can push around easily in one place of responsibility or another.another - at least until he changes his mind for whatever reason (or no reason at all) and gives Claudius the sack.
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* UnexpectedSuccessor: Claudius after Caligula's death.
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* UnexpectedSuccessor: No-one thought Claudius after would ever become Emperor, least of all Claudius himself, even though he was technically in the line of succession when both Augustus and Tiberius died. However, following Caligula's death.murder, he is one of the few remaining male members of the Imperial family, and when the Praetorian Guard find him [[CurtainCamouflage hiding behind a curtain]], they declare him the new Emperor.
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* VillainousBreakdown: Sejanus suffers one when Tiberius' letter denouncing him and ordering his arrest is read before the Senate.
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* VillainousBreakdown: Sejanus suffers one when Tiberius' letter denouncing him and ordering his arrest is read before the Senate.Senate, shouting in angry disbelief as the senators abandon him and he is surrounded by the Praetorian Guard he once commanded.
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** While Germanicus' son Nero is being starved in prison in "Sejanus", he shouts curses against Tiberius until he no longer has the strength to do so. Macro reports this to Tiberius, but implies that Nero voluntarily refused his food.
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** While Germanicus' son Nero is being starved to death in prison in "Sejanus", he shouts curses against Tiberius until he no longer has the strength to do so. Macro Sejanus reports this to Tiberius, but implies that Nero voluntarily refused his food.
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* DirtyOldMan: Tiberius admits to shades of this in his later years, although fewer details are given than in ''Series/IClaudius'', with only vague references to "nameless vices" and "private debaucheries" in "Caligula".
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* DirtyOldMan: Tiberius admits to shades of this becoming one in his later years, although fewer details are given than in ''Series/IClaudius'', with only vague references ''Series/IClaudius''; Nero refers to him as a "fornicator" in "Sejanus", while Tiberius mentions his "nameless vices" to Gemellus and his "private debaucheries" to Nerva in "Caligula".
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* RichIdiotWithNoDayJob: This is essentially Claudius' role during the reign of Tiberius. Though he desperately wants a day job, and begs Tiberius to give him some sort of responsibility as a member of the Imperial family, the Emperor thinks him too much of a buffoon to trust him with any authority, and any titles he is given are purely honorary.
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* RichIdiotWithNoDayJob: This is essentially Claudius' role during the reign of Tiberius. Though he desperately wants a day job, and begs Tiberius to give him some sort of responsibility as a member of the Imperial family, the Emperor thinks him too much of a buffoon to trust him with any authority, and any titles he is given are purely honorary. When Caligula becomes Emperor, whether or not Claudius fits the "rich" or "with no day job" part of this description changes frequently, as Caligula confiscates and/or restores his fortune and decides he would like someone he can push around easily in one place of responsibility or another.
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* AndStarring: Freddie Jones (Claudius) gets this treatment in the opening credits of every episode except the last, the cast list always ending with "And Freddie Jones". In "Claudius", it is Ralph Bates (Caligula) who gets the "And" credit, while Jones gets top billing.
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* ShownTheirWork: Adapted from such classical sources as Tacitus and Suetonius, in some cases quoting (translations of) the dialogue (for example, Suetonius claims that Augustus said "Have I played my part well in the comedy of life? Then applaud!" on his deathbed, and this scene is recreated in "Augustus"). However, in contrast to ''Series/IClaudius'', some of the really juicy bits were omitted, perhaps in deference to the censors of 1968.
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* ShownTheirWork: Adapted Philip Mackie's scripts were adapted from such classical sources as Tacitus and Suetonius, in some cases quoting (translations of) the dialogue (for example, Suetonius claims that Augustus said "Have I played my part well in the comedy of life? Then applaud!" on his deathbed, and this scene is recreated in "Augustus"). However, in contrast to ''Series/IClaudius'', some of the really juicy bits were omitted, perhaps in deference to the censors of 1968.
