Claudia Black and India Shaw-Smith in Spartacus: House of AshurStarz

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After a 12-year hiatus, Spartacus made its long-awaited return to Starz this past Friday with the two-episode premiere of House of Ashur, a new spinoff that imagines a world where the Syrian never died, but was instead the one to kill the Thracian. While the series has been scoring high marks from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and currently has a 100% rating, however, that’s not the case with the show’s audience score. As expected, House of Ashur is facing all sorts of criticism for featuring a female gladiator, otherwise known as a gladiatrix,

Starring Tenika Davis as Achillia, Ashur’s new acquisition whom he hopes to mold into his champion in the arena (and who spoke with MovieWeb about those woke comments), Spartacus: House of Ashur has been the target of negative reviews from those who believe the series has gone "woke" thanks to her addition to the franchise. Currently holding just a 45% rating from fans on Rotten Tomatoes, one disgruntled viewer wrote, "Go woke go broke, this series is done," adding: "I loved all the other seasons until this crap!" Another wrote a lengthy diatribe mansplaining how women were never gladiators and don’t belong in the arena with men, let alone any "elite combat group":

"Another epic series destroyed by feminist delusion. To insert a woman as a gladiator is beyond insulting to anyone with any concept of history or reality. Women were NEVER gladiators! They are too weak, too slow, and too small. They would be killed instantly. Nothing has changed. Women have NEVER been Navy Seals, Delta Force or any elite combat group because, once again, women are too weak, too slow and too small. Women have Barbie... Leave Spartacus to the men who actually fought in the arena and stop trying to rewrite history."

"Shoving in a woman gladiator, completely divorced from any historical reality, just reeks of desperation," were the words of yet another upset fan. "The show itself is irrelevant, and will soon fade from memory," predicted someone else, while another added:

"It is so bad. Rotten Tomatoes critics don’t care about good story telling. They just like anything that checks a woke box. A black female gladiator that can beat several men! It’s stupid, contrived and in 2025 it has gotten really boring."

‘Spartacus: House of Ashur’ Does Have Its Believers

Starz

All that being said, scattered among the negative reviews for Spartacus: House of Ashur on Rotten Tomatoes are the positive comments from those who appreciate what this new series has to offer, and the return of star Nick E. Tarabay as the titular character despite how despised he was in the original series. As one fan put it:

"Despite my dislike of Ashur as a character in the original story, he is a very well written character so far. I love most of the new characters, especially Achillia. The inclusion of a female gladiator is such a new and fresh idea that it is bound to be very interesting. Some crowds may not like it, but the original Spartacus also had female warriors. So in that regard the House of Ashur is only expanding on that aspect. Achillia so far seems a complex, well written character; a mixture of pride and guilt and a longing for freedom. I see in her the same fire as the Bringer of Rain himself."

Others have called House of Ashur everything from "glorious" and "action-packed," to "bolder and better" than the original series. Reactions on social media have been much the same, with users praising the new series as "incredible," "great," and as one fan posted directly to creator Steven S. DeKnight, "amazing":

"Subscribed to Starz for HOA. AMAZING. You continue to have the best characters and realistic world-building in a highly stratified society. It brought back so many good memories of the jaw-dropping action and characterization of Spartacus. Bravo!"

The first two episodes of Spartacus: House of Ashur are streaming now on the Starz app, and look for the remaining eight to drop every Friday until the Season 1 finale on January 30, 2026.

Release Date December 5, 2025

Network Starz

Directors Rick Jacobson

Cast Nick E. Tarabay, Graham McTavish, Tenika Davis, Leigh Gill, Jamaica Vaughan, India Shaw-Smith, Ivana Baquero, Jordi Webber, Claudia Black

Genres Drama, Action, History

Creator(s) Steven S. DeKnight