Roman Empire (Seasons 1–3)

Roman Empire (2016) is a Netflix docudrama series you can watch online on iFILM. The format is a hybrid: scripted scenes acted out on screen sit beside commentary from working historians, with Sean Bean handling the narration. Its opening season belongs to Commodus, son of the philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius and the ruler whose reign cracked the empire's foundations.

Handed the throne at eighteen, the young heir trades the work of governing for the gladiator pit and a cult built around himself. He sidelines the Senate, sends advisors to their deaths, and starts presenting himself as a living god. The scholars on camera unpack why those particular choices set Rome on its long slide. Richard Lopez directs, with a largely New Zealand cast filling out the Roman court.

It's neither a dry lecture nor a straight action piece but something in between — history lessons staged as a drama of power, paranoia and blood. A good fit if you like historical nonfiction but are tired of talking heads with nothing to look at. Stream the series Roman Empire (2016) online on iFILM.