With much hoopla and some mixed reviews, Starz debuted their new original series, Spartacus, over the weekend. Did many watch? Will it survive?
The first season of the series, titled Spartacus: Blood and Sand, follows the legendary Roman gladiator with newcomer Andy Whitfield in the title role. The gritty series features the talents of Lucy Lawless, John Hannah, Peter Mensah, Manu Bennett, Viva Bianca, Craig Parker, Jai Courtney, Erin Cummings, Nick E. Tarabay, and Antonio Te Maioho.
According to THR, the series premiere of Spartacus drew 553,000 viewers on Starz and another 460,000 on Encore.
 Loading ... |
While those figures aren’t very big, they do represent Starz’s best performance in the pay-per-view channel’s short history of producing original series.
Starz estimates that viewership for the first episode, once re-showings and DVR viewing are added in, will surpass two million total viewers. It’s unknown if that number includes official online viewing via outlets like Netflix. The real test, of course, will be to see if viewership grows or falls in the coming weeks.
The series has already been renewed for a second season of 13 episodes so there’s no doubt that it’ll be back for season two.
But, what do you think? Is it worth watching or is the show finished in your house? Cancel or keep it?
Get our free email alerts on TV shows in this article:
Image courtesy Starz.
This show’s only real problem is there is sooo much going on and thought put into the writing – the usual drones who are enjoy watching 60min of entertainment can not keep up with everything that is going on with all of the different characters. (Honestly whoever has a brain knew Batiatus had Sura killed before she even showed up at the ludus. Yet I read comment after comment about people who couldn’t wait for Sura and Spartacus to be reunited.) I had given up on ever even desiring to watch regular “series television” again, until I watched this show.… Read more »
Awasome show, just like 300. Hope they continue the series.
This series fits a niche audience , one I’m absolutely a part of. I love this show. Just watched “*****”, and what an excellent conniving ***** Domina is. The notion that it’s just blood and gore is for the narrow minded, as if you actually pay attention to the storyline, the political twists and turns, the extremism, and the sponteneity and unpredictable nature that takes seemingly mainline characters, builds them up, and then tears them down when you least expect it is refreshing and bold. I think the unpredictability rivals the Sopranos, and it’s something that is driving me to… Read more »
I love this show! If anyone says different about this show you’re an unappreciative fool! Especially the people who say “the CGI is bad”, IT IS CGI!!!!!!!! I love the style of it, and the fact that I can watch it without being personally “too grossed out”, and yet it’s not anything that a parent would let there young child watch, if you do then you need to do some reading on child psychology, Initially, I too thought that the show was a horrible rip on “300” & Gladiator as others have said, and I did not even finish the… Read more »
Are you kidding, it is excellent. Spartacus is metaphor of what is going on today! The rich and the mighty play games with lives, other peoples lives, screw whom and what they want, and the public especially the middle class are herded like cattle through their day to day lives with work and the media. (Am I talking about today or Spartacus…) So, other than the entertainment delivery system, (media/arena) nothing has changed. At least with Spartacus, I know it’s not being done to me and my family! Keep it coming.
love this show
tits and blood, nothing better
I must admit I’m enjoying this series immensely. In a great time slot too: of course I could DVR it, but I now can’t wait to see it each week. It’s certainly not perfect but is already good and gets better in leaps and bounds. Last night’s episode culminates with Crixsus and Sparty teamed up to face the legendary Thermocoles, The Shadow of Death. The whole hour was great, and the Primus match was an all-out hoot! WOW, now THAT was a whole lotta fun! This show has already shown so many redeeming qualities that I don’t let the poor… Read more »
Historical accuracy aside (so far hitting it on the head), the show is clearly painted by Gladiator and 300. If they can break away from that feeling though, it is very promising. Gratuitous sex and violence? Who doesn’t enjoy that?!
When is the series going to continue and on what stations? The best program I have ever watched. Can I buy it on DVD
For me this is a very gulity pleasure!! I think it should stay on. If you like 300 or gladitors, sex and slashing you will enjoy this. I think it will do very well on DVD or BluRay
Quite enjoyed it. If you liked 300 you should like this. Definitely not for the prudish. A few cliche moments, but the show has promise. To me the excess sex, violence, hedonism is what that time was allegedly about. I think the shows main hurdle will be getting what they wish to portray through the censors. The actors also do a good job in giving the appearance of being comfortable in their own skin. I’d give it a 7 out of 10, but once the actors settle more into their roles and CG budgets improve, I would expect that rating… Read more »
A series about an awesome historical character instead of packing his life into a 2 hr movie starring Christian Bale or some other flavor of the month actor? Enough reason to keep it right there. Of course the CGI is pretty bad so thats a good reason to consider cancelling it or moving it to a channel that can afford better CG. Of course the fact that its relatively accurate gives us another point in its favor. Add to that the fact that we finally get to see Lucy Lawless naked and I’m going to say that we should give… Read more »
[…] the face of it Spartacus: Blood and Sand appeared to anemic numbers on Friday night, but it was actually record-breaking for Starz as a network. Nobody seems to have any idea what a […]
I found it very cliché and heavy-handed. I’m no prude by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ve grown tired of the “Uhhhh….we only have about 15 minutes of actual original content. Quick! Somebody take off their clothes. Or get killed in an extremely bloody way. OR BOTH! Brilliant!” attitude so prevalent in “mature audience” scripts. That designation is rapidly becoming code for “will only be enjoyed by horny 13-year-old boys”. I dream of the day those scripts are written for that segment of the audience which is mature emotionally and mentally as well as chronologically.