There’s been no shortage of intense moments on the small screen this year, but things are going to get a whole lot more violent when the hotly anticipated Spartacus: House of Ashur drops on the 2025 TV schedule. The new spinoff offering a what-if scenario about the titular character returning from the dead has something fans of the notoriously violent franchise series have come to love and expect.
Ahead of Spartacus: House of Ashur’s debut on Starz, I caught up with series creator Steven S. DeKnight to chat about the new series and what fans can expect from the spinoff of a show that once beat Game of Thrones’ body count. Setting the stage for what’s to come, the former Daredevil showrunner talked about capturing the visceral nature of ancient Rome:
For us, it was a really super violent time in history, where life was cheap and very, very bloody and violent. And we certainly don't shy away from that. You know, if people don't like violence and blood, you might have to cover your eyes on a couple of scenes.
Anyone who’s watched the original Spartacus series and its various offshoots knows all too well that its characters are often killed off in really gruesome ways. Without giving too much away (I’ve watched the first five episodes), there are a few scenes in House of Ashur that made me yell so loud my wife could hear me, not from the next room but a whole other floor.
While the violence is over the top and not an episode goes by where someone isn't killed in the most sensational way possible, series star Nick E. Tarabay explained in our interview that it doesn’t compare to the brutality of ancient Rome:
It was actually more brutal in real life. Whatever we're portraying, I don't think it would compare to real life back in those days, the Roman days. It was rough, man. It was rough. So whatever we're doing, it's not as close as to what really was going on. It's close, not close enough. I really believe that was rough times to be alive during these days.
Tarabay, whose character was decapitated on Mount Vesuvius back on Spartacus: Vengeance years ago, isn’t alone in thinking that the new show captures the violence and brutality of the ancient world and how that drives the story.
What Other Members Of The Spartacus: House Of Ashur Cast Have To Say About The Violence
India Shaw-Smith, who takes on the role of Viridia, the daughter of powerful politicians in the upper echelon of Roman life, explained to me that violence was just a part of everyday life back then:
I know there's a lot of violence in the show, but I mean, House of Ashur is set in ancient Rome, and it's a place where violence wasn't a part of the culture; it was the culture. … I wouldn't say that any of the violence is used in any way for gratuity's sake, it's always to further the story, and it's always about the characters getting something, and they were all vying for power.
One of those characters vying for power in Spartacus: House of Ashur is Cossutia, Viridia’s cutthroat mother, played by Claudia Black. When I asked the Farscape alum about the show’s violence, she echoed her co-stars in talking about how prevalent it was in ancient times:
It speaks to the brutality of the world; it speaks to how each action, whether it's sexual or violent, is going to impact the characters themselves and drive the story forward. So, it's very visceral.
Black also touched on the boldness and bawdiness of the series and how it made her feel something while bringing Cossutia’s character to life. She closed by describing the season as a “wild ride.”
If you want to see what these “wild ride” comments are about, make sure to watch Spartacus: House of Ashur when the first two episodes premiere Friday on Starz. New episodes drop each week after that.
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