Written by It does not matter the Starz show, from Spartacus: House of Ashur to Power to Outlander, the cable channel loves to blur the line between action-packed and soapy prestige. Now, infuse blood and guts (and melodrama with some sharp teeth), and you get a new legacy series to the Starz Spartacus franchise that is a relentless chapter worthy of the original.
If only the series traded melodrama for real grit.
What is Spartacus: House of Ashur about?
Jackson Gallagher and Jaime Slater in Spartacus: House of Ashur (2025) | Image via Starz
Ivana Baquero and Jamaica Vaughan in Spartacus: House of Ashur (2025) | Image via Starz
Graham McTavish and Nick E. Tarabay in Spartacus: House of Ashur (2025) | Image via Starz
Jordi Webber in Spartacus: House of Ashur (2025) | Image via Starz
Ivana Baquero, Nick E. Tarabay, and Jamaica Vaughan in Spartacus: House of Ashur (2025) | Image via Starz
Jackson Gallagher and Jaime Slater in Spartacus: House of Ashur (2025) | Image via Starz
The last time we saw Nick E. Tarabay’s Ashur, the former crippled Syrian gladiator turned devious henchman, he was beheaded by Lucy Lawless’s Lucretia. Now, this may be hard to follow, as this is not a prequel or a sequel but an alternative reimagining, a legacy prequel, or a mythological reboot. The audience gets a fan-favorite character back, seen through a slightly new lens.
Instead of Ashur continuing to rub shoulders with his fellow slaves, Lucretia now orders him back from the underworld, fully healed without the slightest limp. She bequeaths him back to the realm of the living, where he now runs the gladiator training school in the heart of Capua, the very place where he once made a name for himself.
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So, think of this as a Roman Cobra Kai (or hell, when Whoopi Goldberg got back in the habit). Now, Ashur is brimming with money, influence, and power. He enlists Crassus to help finance his project. Knowing what it takes to be a victorious gladiator, he knows what he needs. He sees dollar signs when he finds Achillia (Tenika Davis), a deadly and mysterious female warrior.
Spartacus: House of Ashur Review
Graham McTavish, Tenika Davis, and Jordi Webber in Spartacus: House of Ashur (2025) | Image via Starz
Davis, so good in scene-stealing roles in projects like Cabinet of Curiosities and It: Welcome to Derry, is magnetic in the role — you can’t take your eyes off her here. Ashur then hires Korris (Graham McTavish), the weathered, ripped silver fox, as the head trainer. This becomes a significant plot point within the series, since female combatants would be a scandalous proposition.
There is so much sex and violence in Spartacus: House of Ashur that you have to wonder if creator and showrunner Steven S. DeKnight is getting his rocks off through narrative sadomasochism. However, it was embraced by Game of Thrones. However, the exception here is that this entry has no grace between its carnal violence and soapy steam. Frankly, it feels like it is one or the other.
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The series is not for the faint of heart. There is not an organ or bone that isn’t left on the sand-covered floor. The first two episodes will test how much gore the viewer can handle. Of course, the series tries to write in power dynamics. Almost every fantasy series has reached for George R.R. Martin inspiration, but the political chess moves are always tied to some romantic angle.
Is Spartacus: House of Ashur worth watching?
Nick E. Tarabay and Tenika Davis in Spartacus: House of Ashur (2025) | Image via Starz
That being said, Spartacus: House of Ashur is almost always entertaining, a soap that men and women will both enjoy, which is why it is precisely worth watching. Even the Roman rhetoric and Shakespearean-like cadence become addictive. The show is a cheap, quick shot of adrenaline for fans of the genre, depending on the level of sophistication you require in your entertainment.
While the series lacks the narrative complexity and production design of its peers (too much green-screen technology is used for cost reasons), DeKnight’s follow-up is an enticing, exciting sword-and-sandal cable series that will satisfy diehard fans of the franchise and bring in a few new ones.
You can stream Spartacus: House of Ashur exclusively on Starz starting December 5th! All ten episodes were reviewed.
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