Overview
- Starz premieres the series on December 5 with a two‑episode kickoff, starting a 10‑episode season that will roll out weekly on Fridays.
- Early reviews from RogerEbert.com, Variety, The Wrap and Collider are strongly positive, producing an initial 100% Rotten Tomatoes score from a limited critic sample.
- The series imagines a “what if” scenario where Ashur survives and takes over Batiatus’s gladiator school, with Nick E. Tarabay leading the cast.
- Creator Steven S. DeKnight says the network imposed no requests to tone down content, signaling the return of the franchise’s graphic violence and sexuality.
- International availability begins December 6 on MGM+ in the UK, with co‑stars including Tenika Davis, Graham McTavish, Ivana Baquero, Jamaica Vaughan, Jordi Webber and Claudia Black.