Spartacus: House of Ashur has received a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, surpassing the score held by its predecessor. Created by Steven S. DeKnight, the new action-adventure drama series is a sequel to his previous series, Spartacus, which ran on Starz between January 2010 and April 2013. The story follows Ashur (Nick E. Tarabay), a major character from Spartacus, who was killed by Naevia in the show’s second season, Vengeance.
Spartacus: House of Ashur debuts with a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score
Spartacus: House of Ashur has received a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is higher than the score held by Spartacus, 64%. Meanwhile, on Metacritic, the series has a metascore of 83 as of writing, indicating “universal acclaim.”
House of Ashur takes place in an alternate timeline from Spartacus, where Ashur was not killed by Naevia on Mt. Vesuvius. In the series, Ashur gets ownership of the ludus, formerly owned by Batiatus, due to helping the Romans kill Spartacus and ending the slave rebellion.
The series has received positive reviews from critics. Kaiya Shunyata of Roger Ebert, who saw the first five episodes, said in their review, “Spartacus: House of Ashur offers us a rarity in a world where prequels and reboots threaten to stifle all originality: a spin-off series that not only honors the legacy of its predecessor, but one that, at times, rivals it.”
Meanwhile, Variety has called the series “a thrilling sequel” and a “dynamic follow-up” to Spartacus. “A classic tale of the haves and have-nots in ancient Rome, where power means everything, DeKnight’s world is as enticing as ever,” the outlet added.
The Wrap‘s Diedre Johnson said in their review that although Nick E. Tarabay headlines the series, Tenika Davis’ Achillia, and Claudia Black’s Cossutia “steal the spotlight” from him. They praised Achillia’s characterization in particular, saying that by making her “scarred both physically and emotionally,” the show’s creatives turned her into a “welcome addition” to the story.
The first two episodes of House of Ashur will premiere on Starz on December 5, 2025. Subsequent episodes will drop every week on Friday.
Besides Tarabay, Davis, and Black, House of Ashur also stars Graham McTavish, Jamaica Vaughan, Ivana Baquero, Jordi Webber, India Shaw-Smith, and Leigh Gill.