''Spartacus'' is an American

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

produced in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

that premiered on

Starz Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz cons ...

on January 22, 2010, and concluded on April 12, 2013. The fiction series was inspired by the historical figure of

Spartacus Spartacus ( el, Σπάρτακος '; la, Spartacus; c. 103–71 BC) was a Thracian gladiator who, along with Crixus, Gannicus, Castus, and Oenomaus, was one of the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprisin ...

, a

Thracian The Thracians (; grc, Θρᾷκες ''Thrāikes''; la, Thraci) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Eastern and Southeastern Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied ...

gladiator who from 73 to 71 BC led a major slave uprising against the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...

departing from Capua. Executive producers

Steven S. DeKnight Steven S. DeKnight (born October 28, 1965) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for being the creator, head writer, and executive producer of the Starz series '' Spartacus'', including '' Spartacus: Blood and Sand'', '' Spartacus: Gods of t ...

and Robert Tapert focused on structuring the events of Spartacus' obscure early life leading up to the beginning of historical records.Interview: Steven S. DeKnight and Robert Tapert from Spartacus: Blood And Sand
After the completion of the first season titled '' Spartacus: Blood and Sand'', production for another season was delayed because lead actor Andy Whitfield was diagnosed with early-stage

non-Hodgkin lymphoma Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a group of blood cancers that includes all types of lymphomas except Hodgkin lymphomas. Symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and tiredne ...

so Starz produced a six-episode

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...

miniseries entitled '' Spartacus: Gods of the Arena''. When the actor's cancer recurred and he later died on September 11, 2011, Starz had actor Liam McIntyre take on the role of Spartacus in the second season titled '' Spartacus: Vengeance''. On June 4, 2012, Starz announced the third and final season, titled '' Spartacus: War of the Damned''.

Plot

''Blood and Sand'' (2010)

The story begins with an unnamed Thracian's involvement in a unit of

Roman auxiliary The (, lit. "auxiliaries") were introduced as non-citizen troops attached to the citizen legions by Augustus after his reorganisation of the Imperial Roman army from 30 BC. By the 2nd century, the Auxilia contained the same number of in ...

in a campaign against the

Getae The Getae ( ) or Gets ( ; grc, Γέται, singular ) were a Thracian-related tribe that once inhabited the regions to either side of the Lower Danube, in what is today northern Bulgaria and southern Romania. Both the singular form ''Get'' an ...

in the Lower Danube under the command of the ''

legatus A ''legatus'' (; anglicised as legate) was a high-ranking Roman military officer in the Roman Army, equivalent to a modern high-ranking general officer. Initially used to delegate power, the term became formalised under Augustus as the officer ...

'', Claudius Glaber. In 72–71 BC,

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

general Marcus Terentius Varro Lucullus,

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ' ...

of the Roman province of Macedonia, marched against the Getae, who were allies of Rome's enemy,

Mithridates VI of Pontus Mithridates or Mithradates VI Eupator ( grc-gre, Μιθραδάτης; 135–63 BC) was ruler of the Kingdom of Pontus in northern Anatolia from 120 to 63 BC, and one of the Roman Republic's most formidable and determined opponents. He was an e ...

. The Getae frequently raid the Thracians' lands, so the Thracians are persuaded by Glaber to enlist in the Romans' service as auxiliaries. Glaber is persuaded by his wife Ilithyia to seek greater glory, decides to break off attacking the Getae and directly confront the forces of Mithridates in Asia Minor. The Thracian, feeling betrayed, leads a mutiny against Glaber, and returns to find his village destroyed. The Thracian and his wife Sura are captured by Glaber the next day; the Thracian is condemned to die in the

gladiator A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...

arena for his crime, while Sura is taken away, condemned to

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. The Thracian is shipped to

Capua Capua ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, situated north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etrus ...

in Italy, a center of gladiator training. Against all odds in the arena, he slays the four gladiators appointed to execute him and becomes an instant sensation with the crowd. Senator Albinius commutes the punishment from death to slavery. The prisoner's true name unknown, Quintus Lentulus Batiatus, the owner of a '' ludus'' in Capua, suggests to name him "Spartacus", because he fought like the ferocious Thracian king of that name. Noting well the Thracian's fierce raw talent and popularity with the masses, Batiatus purchases him for training within the walls of his ''ludus'' under the tutelage of Oenomaus, a former gladiator and fellow slave who is known to the gladiators as 'Doctore', meaning instructor. He is befriended by Varro, a Roman who sold himself into slavery in order to pay his debts and support his family. He is harassed by more senior gladiators, notably

Crixus Crixus was a Gallic gladiator and military leader in the Third Servile War between the Roman Republic and rebel slaves. Born in Gaul, he was enslaved by the Romans under unknown circumstances and trained as a gladiator in Capua. His name means ...

, an undefeated

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

, and Barca, a Carthaginian. Spartacus soon learns that Sura was sold to a

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

slave trader. Batiatus, who has been unable to control Spartacus during his first days of training, promises to find Sura and reunite them in exchange for the promising neophyte's cooperation in the arena. After many near-fatal ordeals and much further training Spartacus kills Theokoles, The Shadow of Death, and attains the status of a living legend and is named the "Champion of Capua" and "The Bringer of Rain". Batiatus arranges the purchase of Sura, but she is delivered mortally wounded, supposedly having been waylaid by bandits en route. Her murder was secretly ordered by Batiatus to keep Spartacus loyal and focused. Spartacus casts off his heritage as a Thracian and forgets his dream of freedom, becoming content with life as champion. Meanwhile, Barca, wishing to buy his freedom, was slain by Batiatus with the help of slave and former gladiator, Ashur. Batiatus' wife, Lucretia, is conducting an affair with Crixus. She and Batiatus have been unable to conceive a child, though she later falls pregnant with Crixus' child. The turning point comes when Spartacus is set to fight his only friend in the ludus, Varro, in an exhibition match celebrating the coming to manhood of the Capuan magistrate's son, Numerius. Ilithyia, who has hated Spartacus since he embarrassed her husband Glaber by his mutiny, seduces the young man and convinces him to demand death for the loser of the match. Spartacus wins (as expected), and when the young man gives the "thumbs down", Batiatus, wishing to ingratiate himself with the boy's powerful father, forces Spartacus to comply and kill Varro. While suffering from both his wound in this match and his remorse and sorrow over having to kill his friend, Spartacus has fever dreams that lead him to suspect that Batiatus arranged Sura's death. He is able to confirm this by forcing Batiatus' man, Aulus, to confess the act before killing him. Knowing that it is all or nothing when it comes to resisting his enslavement, he resolves to "kill them all" and lead a revolt against the ruling house he once fought for. In order to get his revenge, Spartacus enlists the help of Crixus and the rest of the gladiators to defeat the house of Batiatus once and for all. A battle to the death between Crixus and Spartacus is arranged for the Capuan elite at the ludus. Doctore (whom Batiatus refers to by his real name, Oenomaus) confronts Batiatus about Barca's death and Ashur's hand in it. Spartacus gains support from Mira, Batiatus' wife's new slave, who is tasked with opening the gate to the villa from the training area. Crixus resists aiding Spartacus in hopes of reuniting with his lover Naevia; (banished from the ludus by Lucretia after she discovers her affair with Crixus because of Ashur's trick to avenge Crixus), however, after learning he was weakened to ensure Spartacus' victory, at the last moment he joins with Spartacus. Doctore initially stops Spartacus from killing Batiatus. In the ensuing chaos of the gladiators' killing of the guards and some guests, Crixus persuades Doctore to join him with Spartacus, while Illithyia escapes and has her guards seal the door to the ludus from the outside. Doctore, making good on his word, tries to kill Ashur but his intended victim eludes him. Crixus grievously wounds Lucretia with a sword stab to her abdomen, piercing her womb and killing their unborn child. Varro's wife, Aurelia, kills Numerius after revealing to him that Varro was her husband, and Spartacus finally kills Batiatus in front of the seriously wounded Lucretia. After the massacre, Spartacus vows to make "Rome tremble".

''Gods of the Arena'' (2011)

The miniseries features the history of the House of Batiatus and the city of Capua before the arrival of Spartacus. The main story opens not long after Quintus Lentulus Batiatus becomes lanista, manager of the House's slaves and gladiators, when he takes over his father's ludus. Batiatus is quickly discovered to have grand ambitions, beginning with the stepping out from his father's shadow. As the story progresses, Batiatus continues to seek greatness for the House under ''his'' leadership, as well as recognition for his own name. By his side stands his devoted wife, Lucretia, who is willing to help her husband achieve his goals regardless of the cost. Batiatus soon places all of his fortunes on one man whom he believes will bring fame and glory to the House of Batiatus, his best gladiator, the

Celt The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient ...

Gannicus. Gannicus is a skilled warrior almost without equal, who wields his dual swords in the arena with great prowess. However, Batiatus' opponents would not sit idly and allow his ascent to greatness without challenge. Purchased as an undisciplined and disheveled recruit in the first episode, Crixus the Gaul initially endures mockery and threats of death, before eventually rising to become a gladiator of skill and fame second only to Gannicus. As Batiatus fends off repeated attempts by his professional rival Tullius and his other archenemy Vettius to obtain Gannicus, his relationships with his father Titus and friend Solonius begin to suffer the strain of Quintus' relentless ambition. Former champion gladiator Oenomaus reluctantly retires from combat to become Doctore, while Syrian recruits Ashur and Dagan become fierce enemies as Ashur tries to prove himself worthy of being a gladiator. Veteran gladiators Barca and Gannicus accept the rising star of Crixus but fear that their own careers will suffer, as the machinations of Batiatus and Lucretia to court Capua's elite end in tragedy for several members of the household. Against all of this, the city's splendid new arena nears completion and with it the opening games that will make men into gods. When the arena opens Solonius' and Batiatus' gladiators compete with each other, Batiatus' gladiators prevailing in the contest. Gannicus again proves himself to be the champion of Capua and the god of the arena and by virtue of his win against Solonius' gladiators, becomes the champion of Capua and gains his freedom.

''Vengeance'' (2012)

After the bloody escape from the House of Batiatus that concluded ''Spartacus: Blood and Sand'', the gladiator

rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

begins to strike fear into the heart of the

in ''Spartacus: Vengeance''. Praetor Claudius Glaber and his Roman troops are sent to Capua to crush Spartacus' growing band of freed slaves before they can inflict further damage. Spartacus is given a choice between satisfying his personal need for vengeance against the man who condemned his wife to slavery and eventual death, or making the larger sacrifices necessary to keep his budding army from breaking.

''War of the Damned'' (2013)

This final season of Spartacus began airing January 25, 2013 and concluded April 12, 2013. This season follows the final struggle between Spartacus and

Marcus Licinius Crassus Marcus Licinius Crassus (; 115 – 53 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who played a key role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. He is often called "the richest man in Rome." Wallechinsky, David & Wallace, I ...

. Crassus pursues Spartacus as he struggles to feed his ever-growing army of former slaves. Spartacus wins several victories against Crassus' forces and continues to frustrate the Romans. The series culminates in a direct all-out battle between Spartacus and Crassus.

Cast and characters

Gladiators and slaves

* Andy Whitfield (season 1 and prequel) and Liam McIntyre (seasons 2–3) as

– a

slave who becomes a gladiator in the ''ludus'' of Lentulus Batiatus before leading a slave uprising. * Manu Bennett (seasons 1–3 and prequel) as

– a

, he was Batiatus' top gladiator prior to Spartacus. Love interest of Naevia, and secondary leader of the rebellion. *

Lesley-Ann Brandt Lesley-Ann Brandt (born 2 December 1981) is a South African actress. Brandt has acted in a number of New Zealand television series and first came to international notice with her role as a slave girl Naevia in the series '' Spartacus: Blood and ...

(season 1 and prequel) and Cynthia Addai-Robinson (seasons 2–3) as Naevia – Lucretia's personal and loyal slave. Love interest of Crixus. *

Peter Mensah Peter Mensah (born 27 August 1959) is a Ghanaian English actor, best known for his roles in the films ''Tears of the Sun'', ''Hidalgo'', ''The Incredible Hulk'', ''300'', and television series such as Starz' '' Spartacus: Blood and Sand'', '' Sp ...

(seasons 1–2 and prequel) as

Oenomaus In Greek mythology, King Oenomaus (also Oenamaus; grc-gre, Οἰνόμαος, ''Oἱnómaos'') of Pisa (Greece), Pisa, was the father of Hippodamia and the son of Ares. His name ''Oinomaos'' denotes a wine man. Family Oenomaeus' mother was ei ...

– Batiatus'

Numidia Numidia ( Berber: ''Inumiden''; 202–40 BC) was the ancient kingdom of the Numidians located in northwest Africa, initially comprising the territory that now makes up modern-day Algeria, but later expanding across what is today known as Tunis ...

n ''doctore'' (trainer) of gladiators, and reluctant advisor to the rebels. The historical Oenomaus was a

. *

Nick E. Tarabay Nick Emad Tarabay (born 28 August 1975) is a Lebanese-born American actor. He is known for portraying Ashur on the Starz television series ''Spartacus'' and Cotyar on the Amazon Prime Video science fiction television series ''The Expanse''. E ...

(seasons 1–2 and prequel) as Ashur – a

former gladiator whose leg was crippled in the arena by

; later served Batiatus as a bookkeeper and henchman. * Jai Courtney (season 1) as Varro – a Roman citizen who sold himself to the ''ludus'' to support his family. * Antonio Te Maioha (season 1 and prequel) as Barca – nicknamed the "Beast of Carthage", is one of Batiatus' most successful gladiators, serves as a

bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, ...

for his master. * Erin Cummings (season 1) as Sura – the wife of Spartacus. *

Dan Feuerriegel Daniel Gregory Feuerriegel (born 29 October 1981) is an Australian actor who is based in Los Angeles, California, United States. He has acted in a number of Australian television series and first came to international notice with his role as a ...

(seasons 1–3) as Agron – a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

gladiator who was sold to Batiatus' ludus, he was the first to join Spartacus in his revolt. * Katrina Law (seasons 1–2) as Mira – a slave girl sent under threat of death to seduce Spartacus and become his lover. She takes charge of logistical matters as a leader of the rebellion. * Brooke Williams (season 1 and season 2 premiere) as Aurelia – the wife of Varro. *

Dustin Clare Dustin Clare is an Australian actor. He is known for his starring role as Gannicus in the Starz series '' Spartacus: Gods of the Arena'', '' Spartacus: Vengeance'' and '' Spartacus: War of the Damned'', and as Riley Ward on the series ''McLeo ...

(prequel, seasons 2–3) as Gannicus – champion gladiator of the Batiatus' ''ludus'' before the arrival of Spartacus. Later, as a free man, he joins old friends in the revolt. * Marisa Ramirez (prequel) as Melitta – Lucretia's personal slave and the wife of Oenomaus. * Pana Hema Taylor (seasons 2–3) as Nasir – a young slave liberated from a villa by Spartacus and his army of rebels. *

Ellen Hollman Ellen Hollman (born April 1, 1983) is an American actress. Biography Hollman was born in Detroit, Michigan, the oldest of four siblings. She eventually moved to Troy, Michigan, and was an all-star track runner, holding the Michigan state recor ...

(seasons 2–3) as Saxa – a German slave rescued by the rebels. She later joins the rebels. * Heath Jones (seasons 2–3) as Donar – a prominent German rebel and former gladiator from the House of Batiatus. * Jenna Lind (season 3) as Kore – a loyal slave to Marcus Crassus the Roman tasked to bring an end to Spartacus and his rebellion. Her deep feelings for her master will be sorely tested by spiraling events. *

Gwendoline Taylor Gwendoline Taylor (born 2 November 1987) is a New Zealand actress. She first appeared on screen in 2007 in ''Show of Hands (film), Show of Hands'', which was filmed in her hometown of New Plymouth. In 2008, Gwendoline moved to Auckland to stud ...

(season 3) as Sibyl – a young slave rescued from Roman cruelty. Now free, she will embark on a journey. * Anna Hutchison (season 3) as Laeta – a privileged wife of a Roman dignitary who becomes entangled in the struggle against Spartacus. Her life and those of the ones she loves are forever changed by the conflict.

Romans

* John Hannah (season 1 and prequel) as Quintus Lentulus Batiatus – a ''lanista'' and Spartacus' master. * Lucy Lawless (seasons 1–2 and prequel) as Lucretia – Batiatus' wife. * Viva Bianca (seasons 1–2) as Ilithyia – the daughter of senator Albinius and wife of Glaber. *

Craig Parker Craig Parker (born 12 November 1970) is a New Zealand actor, known for his roles as Guy Warner in the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Street'' (1992–96, 2007–08, 2020), Haldir in the ''Lord of the Rings'' films ''The Fellowship of the Rin ...

(seasons 1–2) as Gaius Claudius Glaber – a

Roman army The Roman army (Latin: ) was the armed forces deployed by the Romans throughout the duration of Ancient Rome, from the Roman Kingdom (c. 500 BC) to the Roman Republic (500–31 BC) and the Roman Empire (31 BC–395 AD), and its medieval contin ...

'' who is responsible for Spartacus' enslavement as a gladiator. * Craig Walsh Wrightson (season 1 and prequel) as Solonius – a rival lanista and former friend to the House of Batiatus. *

Stephen Lovatt Stephen Lovatt (born 27 May 1964) is a New Zealand actor, best known internationally for his portrayal of character Max Hoyland on the Australian soap ''Neighbours''. Career Since training as an actor at Toi Whakaari, the New Zealand Drama Sch ...

(prequel) as Tullius – Batiatus' business rival. * Jaime Murray (prequel) as Gaia – a social climber and Lucretia's friend. * Jeffrey Thomas (prequel and season 2) as Titus Lentulus Batiatus – Quintus Batiatus' father and owner of the family's ''ludus''. * Gareth Williams (prequel) as Vettius – Tullius' young henchman and owner of a rival ''ludus''. * Tom Hobbs (season 2) as Seppius – a young Capua citizen of note. He wishes to strip the honor of capturing Spartacus from Glaber. *

Hanna Mangan-Lawrence Hanna Mangan-Lawrence (born 5 March 1991) is an English-Australian actress, best known in Australia for her role as Holly in the drama series '' Bed of Roses'', for which she received an AFI Award nomination in 2008 and a Logie Award nomination ...

(season 2) as Seppia – younger sister to Seppius. * Brett Tucker (season 2) as Publius Varinius – Glaber's chief political rival and fellow ''

praetor Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vari ...

''. * Simon Merrells (season 3) as

– the richest man in the Roman Republic. Envied and despised by the highborn among the senate, he craves the power and respect that defeating Spartacus and his rebel army would bring. * Christian Antidormi (season 3) as Tiberius Licinius Crassus – the eldest son of Marcus Licinius Crassus, and his father's "word, and will" in Crassus' army. * Todd Lasance (season 3) as Gaius Julius Caesar – a handsome young rogue from an esteemed lineage and his deadly intelligence and skill with a sword will be brought to bear against the rebellion as he begins his ascent towards the all-powerful ruler he will one day become.

Production

After filming in early 2009 and promoting for some time, it was announced that Starz would premiere ''Spartacus: Blood and Sand'' on January 22, 2010. On December 22, 2009, a month before it premiered, it was announced that the show was renewed by Starz for a second season. On March 9, 2010, IGN.com reported that production of Season 2 had been delayed due to star Whitfield being diagnosed with early-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Due to the delay, Starz announced in May 2010 that it would be developing a six-episode prequel series, entitled ''Spartacus: Gods of the Arena'', to allow star actor Whitfield to seek medical treatment. The prequel featured both new and returning stars, headlined by John Hannah as Batiatus and Lucy Lawless as Lucretia. Star Andy Whitfield also briefly appeared in a voice-over role. Production began in New Zealand in the summer of 2010 and the prequel aired beginning January 2011. In September 2010, Starz announced that Whitfield's cancer had returned and that he had decided not to return for the production of Season 2, then tentatively scheduled for September 2011. Starz announced that the show would nevertheless continue, and planned on recasting the role of Spartacus in the wake of Whitfield's exit. Whitfield gave his blessing for Starz to recast the role when he announced he would not return. ''Spartacus'' series creator

said in an interview, "There are a 'couple of very strong candidates' for the role of Spartacus, and season two should begin production in New Zealand in April 2011." DeKnight added that the ''Spartacus'' producers and Starz executives weren't always sure they would go forward without Andy Whitfield, who they said had brought "gravity and heart" to the role of the famous warrior. "It's unheard of to recast your titular character in a television show, and we did a lot of soul searching about whether we even wanted to try," DeKnight said. "And then Andy hitfieldsaid, 'I really think the show should go forward without me. I give you the blessing. I want this story told. On January 17, 2011, it was announced that Australian film and TV actor Liam McIntyre had been selected to replace Whitfield. On February 26, 2011 interview with ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...

'', DeKnight revealed that the second season was set to air "the end of January" 2012. Additionally, he revealed that

, the actress who portrayed the slave Naevia, would also not be able to return for season 2 due to the delay in production. On August 1, 2011, Starz released a trailer indicating that the long-delayed second season would premiere in January 2012, under the new subtitle, ''Spartacus: Vengeance''. Andy Whitfield died on September 11, 2011, from complications of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He was 39 years old. Over two months before the premiere, on November 7, 2011, Starz announced that it was renewing ''Spartacus'' for a third season–a second year with Liam McIntyre in the titular role; and fourth year on the air overall. The second season eventually premiered on January 27, 2012. On June 1, 2012, Starz released a teaser video of the next season on YouTube. On June 4, 2012, Starz announced that the 4th season of Spartacus (War of the Damned) will be the final one for the series. Starz released the first full trailer for ''Spartacus: War of the Damned'' on July 13, 2012.

Other media

Board game

In 2012 Gale Force Nine announced the creation of licensed

board game Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well. Many board games feature a co ...

based on the Spartacus series. The English language release of the game ''Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery'' had a limited release at Gen Con 2012 and a general release to game and hobby stores on September 28, 2012.

Comics

In 2009, Devil's Due published a four-part prequel comic series, titled ''Spartacus – Blood And Sand''. Each issue spotlighted a character from the upcoming television series, mostly the minor gladiator rivals of the main cast. The series was adapted as a 4-part motion comic adaptation called ''Spartacus – Blood and Sand – Motion Comic''. Ray Park and Heath Freeman were cast. Kyle Newman was the director, and the producers were Andy Collen and Jeff Krelitz.

Novels

In 2012

Titan Books Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and c ...

announced the publication of a series of novels based on Spartacus: Blood and Sand. The first one, titled ''Spartacus: Swords & Ashes'', was written by J.M. Clements and released on January 3, 2012. The second book in the series, ''Spartacus: Morituri'' by Mark Morris, was released in August 2012.

Video game

In 2012,

Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Assassin's Creed'', '' Far Cry'', ...

announced that they would be publishing a video game based on the series. The game, titled '' Spartacus Legends'', has been developed by

Kung Fu Factory Kung Fu Factory is an American video game developer located in Los Angeles, California in the United States. The company was formerly known as Just Games Interactive, which developed '' Mortal Kombat: Unchained'' and '' Mortal Kombat: Armageddon' ...

and was released on June 26, 2013, on

Xbox Live The Xbox network, formerly and still sometimes branded as Xbox Live, is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft. It was first made available to the Xbox system on November 15, 2002. A ...

and the

PlayStation Network PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smar ...

Home video releases

The DVD and

Blu-ray Disc The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...

sets of each season were released in various regions after their television broadcast. These DVDs were released by Starz subsidiary Anchor Bay Entertainment.

Reception

The premiere episode of the series set a record for Starz, with 553,000 viewers on their network, and another 460,000 on

Encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pre ...

, where the show was available only that weekend. For the rest of the season the show had an average of 1.285 million viewers. Critical reception of the first episode was mixed; the review aggregate website

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

which assigns a normalized average score out of 100 gave the show a score of 54% based on 22 reviews. Ken Tucker of ''

'' gave it the grade B+, saying it "might prove to be the not-at-all-guilty pleasure of the season." Barry Garron of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' suggested that with "such thin stories... it's small wonder that sex and violence are used to take up the slack." Robert Lloyd of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' wrote that John Hannah as Batiatus "keeps the show grounded with a persuasive portrait of a man engaged in a stressful daily business." Mark Perigard of the ''

Boston Herald The ''Boston Herald'' is an American daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarded eight Puli ...

'' gave the season finale a positive review, rating it a B+. He commented on the improvement of the series throughout its first season.

Accolades

Broadcast

The series aired in Canada on TMN beginning on January 25, 2010. RTL 5 announced in their January newsletter that ''Spartacus: Blood and Sand'' will debut in the Netherlands in March. In the United Kingdom, Bravo began airing the series on May 25, 2010. Following the closure of Bravo on UK television,

Sky1 Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

picked up the rights to the series and continued to air all subsequent seasons. In conjunction with the UK airings of Spartacus: War of the Damned on Monday nights at 10pm, a Tweet-a-long was held from the officia
Spartacus Twitter page
in which fans posted tweets during the episode, using the hashtag #SpartacusWarOfTheDamned. The series premiered in Poland on HBO Poland starting from June 19, 2010 and in Hungary o
HBO Magyarország
starting from June 1, 2010. The series aired in Ireland on

TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television * Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso * Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala * Channel 3 (Algeria), a public Algerian TV channel owned by E ...

. In Brazil, the show aired on Globosat HD. In Turkey, the show was released on CNBC-E TV, while in Italy, Sky Television was the broadcaster who gained the rights of the series. In India and Pakistan, the show aired on HBO. In Slovenia, the series started airing on Kanal A on 2 January 2012, from Monday to Friday at 9.45 pm. In 2014,

Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. La ...

began to air an edited version of the series. Between 2016 and 2020 the series was available on Netflix.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Spartacus (TV series) 2010s American LGBT-related drama television series Gay-related television shows 2010 American television series debuts 2013 American television series endings English-language television shows American action television series Saturn Award-winning television series Serial drama television series Television dramas set in ancient Rome Television shows filmed in New Zealand Gladiatorial combat in fiction Starz original programming Epic television series Bisexuality-related television series Television series created by Sam Raimi Television series set in the 1st century BC