rome to last just one more season

[mothster]

The fall of "Rome" will happen sometime in early 2007.

HBO announced Wednesday that the second season of its epic series set in the time of Caesar will debut Jan. 7. At the same time, the network says next season will be the last for the show.



Filming on season two is taking place at Cinecitta Studios in Rome and will wrap in October. Once that's done, though, the show — a co-production with the BBC — will call it quits.

"Rome" was one of the most expensive projects in TV history — reports pegged the cost of the first season at around $100 million.

Its ratings on HBO were decent (most episodes drew 2 million to 3 million viewers), but not at the level of "The Sopranos" or, say, "Six Feet Under" in its prime.

Last week, it was nominated for eight Emmys.

The second season will pick up following the death of Julius Caesar.

Most of the principal cast is scheduled to return, including Kevin McKidd, Polly Walker, Ray Stevenson, James Purefoy, Lindsay Duncan and Kerry Condon.

The January premiere date will likely pair the show with the final episodes of "The Sopranos," which are also slated to begin shortly after the new year

[tomas8]

bummer