This classical retelling of a fall of a city will have you falling asleep. “Troy: Fall of a City” is a new Netflix original series based on the Trojan War set in the thirteenth century B.C. The show was in co production with BBC One and Netflix, so BBC could air the show in the United Kingdom and Netflix could air it internationally. The series has one season, which should honestly stay that way, and consists of eight hour-long episodes.

Being a fan of “The Iliad,” I was thrilled to see a TV show on the Trojan War. I am a big fan of historical TV shows and this show should have added nicely to the other historical Netflix originals, such as “The Crown,” “The Last Kingdom” and “Medici: Masters of Florence.” Netflix was lacking in the Greco-Roman classic genre, and I had hoped this show would add to the group.

“Troy: Fall of the City” follows the love story of Paris and Helen of Troy and the ensuing war caused by their love affair. The show is the retelling of the Trojan War and generally takes most of its information from “The Iliad,” written by the classical author, Homer. The show features multiple characters, like Paris, Agamemnon, Cassandra and the gods and goddesses of Olympus. Even with this strong plot, the show fails to deliver an amazing account of the Trojan War.   

The storyline and the cast is what drew me into this show, especially when I watched the trailer. I barely made it through the first episode and had to force my way to at least the middle of the series before I quit. All I got out of this show was disappointment and boredom, and I was not the only one to feel this way.

Rotten Tomatoes has it rated at 67 percent, and not many critics have anything good to say about. Many agree the show was mediocre and there was still a lot of work to do before it was anything praiseworthy.

“‘Troy: Fall of a City’, a reworking of the oldest drive-by in history, is so far removed from anything Sophocles might recognise, they should have named it The Real Housewives of Ilium.” Long said.

Imagine it, a retelling of the Trojan War but as a modern reality TV show. I would give a huge wooden horse to see that. Someone should definitely get VH1 on this.

Personally, my biggest issue with the entire series, especially right at the beginning in episode one, is that it is a rushed mess. Right off the bat, in the first episode, some much occurs that I was left wondering what the hell just happened in the span of 60 minutes. Paris is told he is a lost prince of Troy, goes through the judgement of the Apple of Discord, goes to Sparta to meet King Menelaus, falls in love or rather falls for the looks of Helen and then spirits her away to Troy. Let me remind you, this all happens in the first episode.

One of the redeeming qualities of this show is the actors and actresses. The show boasted a diverse cast which seemed well chosen for the characters portrayed in the show. My personal favorites were Zeus, played by Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Hermes, played by Diarmaid Murtagh, and Achilles, played by David Gyasi. I guess you could say I also enjoyed Bella Dyane and her performance as Helen too. I am sure the other actors and actresses were popular, but these four were just my favorites.

I think the downfall with the cast, however, was there were too many characters. But then again, it is a show based on a classical epic that would drone on and on about who was these characters were for a couple of pages before getting to the actual plot.

While the show seems intriguing and fantastical, I am recommending to skip the binge and pick something else. Overall, with dry acting and a rushed plot, “Troy: Fall of a City” fails to please audiences and the Greeks.