Spartacus: House of Ashur Review 2025 Tv Show Series Cast Crew Online
Jupiter’s cock, there’s a new season of Spartacus heading to Starz this weekend. Now, if everything in the last sentence made absolutely no sense to you, Spartacus: House of Ashur is probably not the right show for you to dive into right now – but more in a moment on what those unfamiliar with the brilliance that was Spartacus should do if they want to be initiated into the Brotherhood*. But if you happened to be a fan of the original series – which aired in four installments from 2010-2013 – this is joyous news indeed. Because even though the original series told the full and complete tale of the gladiator Spartacus and his famous slave uprising, it turns out there is still some story left to tell.
*So, I don’t have time to get into my entire pitch as to why you should watch Spartacus – the original run of the series is currently streaming on Netflix – but it’s a series that I really ended up falling in love with on the recommendation of TV critic Mo Ryan. Mo wrote up a great review of House of Ashur, complete with her pitch for why folks should give Spartacus, as a whole, a chance and I highly recommend reading it. Yes, the first couple of episodes are . . . rough. But once you get the hang of the unique language used and the level of melodrama, violence, and nudity (equal-opportunity nudity as well!) and see that the series has some truly compelling characters, stories, and performances, it’s a hell of a ride. But watch the original series before diving into House of Ashur – your experience will be so much the better for it.
But, you say, didn’t Ashur (Nick E. Tarabay), the wily and scheming slave of Batiatus, die during that uprising – after betraying the slaves to the Romans, no less? Why yes. Yes, he did. So, how is there a new series all about him? Well, it turns out sometimes the gods have a sense of humor – or they want to see those who have been dishonored punished even more – and House of Ashur presents us with a Sliding Doors-esque premise*, wherein Ashur was successful in his betrayal and managed to throw the spear that ultimately killed Spartacus during the uprising. This saw him lifted into the place vacated by Batiatus (who, along with Lucretia and all the other major characters from the original series, still died) and made Dominus of the ludus. So, the slave is now the master – although he remains unaccepted by higher society due to his status as a Syrian outsider.
A fun little Easter Egg: John Hannah, who played the dearly departed Batiatus, was one of the stars of Sliding Doors. It’s an intriguing premise. Ashur was the master of scheming in the original series, always playing all sides to secure himself the best possible odds and outcomes. He was, for lack of a better phrase, a total shit. And he never managed to achieve what he truly wanted: respect. Instead, he was Batiatus’ bloodhound, doing his dirty work while believing he deserved better. Here, he has the position of Dominus, but he continues to lack respect. Hell, even his gladiators don’t particularly respect him – although he no longer has the injury from the previous series, so he can cross swords with his fighters when the need arises. Tarabay is clearly having a ball stepping back into the skin of his former character, imbuing him with the same discerning eye as before but with a good amount less angst. If I have one criticism of the series thus far, it’s that it takes a bit too long to really let Ashur start working on the necessary schemes to try to achieve his goals. There’s a bit too much expositional work with the gladiators and not enough with the Roman gentry that Ashur needs to work with.
