Say it (don’t stutter): ‘I, Claudius’ rules

My brother, who knows as much about the Classics as anyone I’ve met, watches the HBO miniseries “Rome.” As do I. So I asked him, the other day, why the show isn’t as entertaining as other HBO offerings, such as “The Sopranos,” “Six Feet Under” or even “Deadwood.”

“I give you a simple answer,” he said. ‘I, Claudius.’ You have to measure up to ‘I, Claudius’ otherwise it sucks. And it’s not measuring up.”

Couldn’t have stated it better myself.

Below: Polly Walker plays the conniving Atia of the Julii, the niece of Julius Caesar and mother of Gaius Octavian, the future Caesar Augustus.