As Game of Thrones fans continue to await the latest spectacular TV spin-off, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, there’s a near-perfect sword-and-sandal epic to hold them over on Netflix. Created by Steven S. DeKnight, Spartacus is an intense, absorbing, and blood-soaked action epic rooted in far more historical facts than HBO’s polarizing fantasy series. While Game of Thrones may have a higher ceiling, Spartacus’s consistency across four seasons is hard to top.
Spartacus ran for four seasons (or three, if Gods of the Arena is counted as a miniseries) between 2010 and 2013, following the Thracian gladiator Andy Whitfield, who led a notable slave rebellion against the Roman Republic from 73 to 71 BC. While the critically acclaimed series is set in a different region and period, Spartacus is good enough to rival Game of Thrones and is currently ranked #214 on IMDb’s Top 250 TV Shows.
How ‘Spartacus’ Remains Fresh With Each Season
Starz
Created by Steven S. DeKnight for the Starz Network, Spartacus is a brutal, bloody retelling of the titular gladiator. Beginning as an unnamed Thracian slave, the first season, Blood and Sand, centers on Spartacus’ intrepid mutiny against the Roman Republic in 72 BC. Once captured for leading the rebellion, Spartacus is conscripted into fighting to the death as a gladiator, while his wife Sura is forced into slavery.
Following the 13-episode first season, DeKnight continued the story with a prequel, Gods of the Arena. The six-episode origin story spotlights the political intrigue in the House of Batiatus in Capua before Spartacus’ arrival. This was partially done in response to the cancer diagnosis and subsequent death of Spartacus’ lead, Andy Whitfield, who passed away in 2011. Despite Whitfield’s tragic demise, Gods of the Arena was a wise way of redirecting the course and injecting the series with new life.
Once Gods of the Arena wrapped, DeKnight returned to the main series to give fans Season 2, Vengeance. The 10-episode second season finds Australian actor Liam McIntyre playing Spartacus. Story-wise, the action ramps up when Praetor Claudius Glaber sends an army to Capua to stop the formerly enslaved people from overthrowing the city. As the gore-sodden battles take hold, Spartacus is torn between avenging Claudius for enslaving Sura or making larger sacrifices for the greater good of the rebellion.
Ending with Season 3, War of the Damned, Spartacus saves the best for last as the epic clashes reach a ferocious fever pitch. In a show that constantly raises the stakes and increases the dire consequences of winning the war, the superb storytelling culminates in arguably the two finest hours of the entire series. Unlike so many shows that drop the ball with the series finale, with Game of Thrones topping the list, Spartacus delivers a one-two knockout punch with its highest-rated final two episodes (9.1 and 9.7 IMDb rating, respectively).
‘Spartacus’ May Be Less Popular, But It’s Not as Divisive as ‘Game of Thrones’
Starz
Game of Thrones remains one of the most successful and celebrated TV shows created in the past 15 years. The expensive, highly cinematic fantasy series holds a 9.2 IMDb rating as of 2025, based on over 2.5 million votes. Sitting at #13 on IMDb’s Top 250 TV Shows of all time, it’s hard for any show to reach the soaring heights of Game of Thrones’ best moments.
However, despite the show’s massive popularity and critical adoration, Game of Thrones has also polarized fans by delivering episodes far below the qualitative standard it established for itself. Never mind the incessant incest plotlines and fanciful dragon lore; most remember the universally disappointing series finale for leaving the landmark show with a black eye. Unlike Spartacus’ superb final two episodes, Game of Thrones went out on a pathetic whimper, with the highly anticipated series finale earning an embarrassing 4.0 IMDb rating.
Fortunately, Spartacus does not suffer from such wild storytelling inconsistencies. The show retains its compelling storytelling consistency from beginning to end, eventually perfecting the series formula with 10 episodes in Seasons 2 and 3. The final two seasons are neither too truncated nor too long to overstay their welcome, making for an ideal Netflix watch as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms nears a release.
Not only is Spartacus more consistent than Game of Thrones, it’s also less divisive. Those who invest in all four seasons of Spartacus are less likely to foster the same kind of love-hate relationship Game of Thrones developed with its fanbase in Seasons 7 and 8. Even if it does divide fans at certain points, Spartacus largely adheres to historical facts and does not conjure polarizing plot points out of thin air.
Why Watching ‘Spartacus’ Now Is as Important as Ever
Starz
For a show that ended 12 years ago, Spartacus remains more relevant than ever in 2025. The main reason is that it sets up the upcoming prequel miniseries, Spartacus: House of Ashur. Slated for a Starz Network premiere on December 5, 2025, House of Ashur traces the rise of the titular villain, played with charismatic menace by Nick E. Tarabay, who reprises the role from the original series. Steven S. DeKnight is back to write, run, and executive-produce the series, lending a consistency to the production that should exhilarate fans to no end.
In House of Ashur, DeKnight revises history with a radical reimagining. The plot revolves around the hypothetical premise that Ashur survived the Battle of Mount Vesuvius. In this reimagining, Ashur inherits the gladiator school from Batiatus in exchange for helping to quell the Roman slave rebellion. With more intense gladiatorial showdowns coming soon, Spartacus: House of Ashur builds on the back of Spartacus and is sure to deliver more bone-crushing thrills.
As for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, George R.R. Martin recently stated that Season 1 is not what is expected of a fantasy series (via Collider), describing it as a little softer and more humorous. For Game of Thrones fans disappointed by the new direction the spin-off is heading, now is the perfect time to catch up with Spartacus on Netflix and Starz.
Release Date
2010 – 2013
Network
Starz
Directors
Jesse Warn, Michael Hurst, Rick Jacobson, Mark Beesley, T.J. Scott, Chris Martin-Jones, Brendan Maher, Glenn Standring, Grady Hall, John Fawcett
Writers
Allison Miller, Seamus Kevin Fahey, Miranda Kwok, Tracy Bellomo, Brent Fletcher, aaron helbing, Daniel Knauf, Jed Whedon, jeffrey bell, Andrew Chambliss, Misha Green, David Kob
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