Bare chests, characters kiss and make out. Couples are seen in bed together. Alexander's romantic relationship with Hephaestion is discussed, as well as Greek concepts of sexuality.
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Alexander is played by a blonde, blue-eyed actor. Other actors are of Egyptian, Moroccan, and Iranian descent. The different sexual culture of ancient Greece is shown in the relationship between Alexander and Hephaestion, though they may not have considered themselves to be LGBTQ+.
Alexander is brave and considered a military legend.
Positive Messages
none
War, revenge, and the quest for glory are themes.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Alexander: Making of a God is a six-episode documentary series about the Greek ruler Alexander the Great. It blends talking head scholars with dramatic re-enactments in an attempt to create a full picture of Alexander's rise to power in Macedonia. Bare chests are shown, characters kiss and make out. Couples are seen in bed together. Alexander's possible romantic relationship with Hephaestion is discussed, as are Greek concepts of sexuality. The series contains lots of war, weapons, and swordplay. A man is stabbed and killed. Another's throat is slit; his bloody death is shown.
Archaeologists excavate sites in current-day Alexandria in the hopes of discovering more about the legendary Greek war hero Alexander the Great. Back in 336 BC, Alexander is a 20-year-old prince in hiding. Between expert talking heads sharing their knowledge of Alexander's rise to fame, re-enactments highlight moments of personal and family drama, like a drunken, chaotic wedding that ends in death. After his father's murder, Alexander becomes king of Macedon, blaming the Persians for his death. How will his rivalry with their ruler Darius play out?
This fluffy docu pieces together what historians know of Alexander the Great and adds a little conjecture. Alexander: Making of a God isn't totally sure what it wants to be. Viewers are pulled into the dramatic, almost campy re-enactments, only to be interrupted by a scholar who fills in the rest of the scene. Some shows succeed at this kind of back-and-forth, but this series hasn't mastered it. It's hard to take seriously as a fully historical documentary, but it's a little bit fun to watch Alexander's soapy rise to become a military mastermind.
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