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The upcoming third season of Starz’s flagship series Spartacus will be its last. The pay cable network also has set the title for the upcoming final season, Spartacus: War Of The Damned. It will premiere in January 2013. “It was an extremely difficult and emotional decision for my partners and I,” series creator/executive producer Steven S. DeKnight said. “Yet, in the end, the story was best served by rolling all of the remaining action and drama of Spartacus’ journey into one stunningly epic season that will be extremely satisfying for everyone who’s been along for the ride.”
Related: Starz Renews ‘Spartacus’ For Third Season
Spartacus was a breakout hit for Starz when its first cycle, Blood And Sand, premiered in January 2010. The series survived the tragic loss of its star, Andy Whitfield, who died of cancer last year. Its second season, Spartacus: Vengeance, featuring Liam McIntyre in the title role, averaged more than 6 million weekly viewers. The series introduced to TV a visually stylized violence previously only seen in movies like 300, spawned a successful prequel, Gods Of The Arena, and was sold in 150 countries. It also has been a top-selling DVD title. “Spartacus is a landmark series for the network which has enthralled millions of viewers and fans around the world,” Starz CEO Chris Albrecht said. “We are in agreement with our partners in the decision to conclude the story after War Of The Damned, as we believe it is the best way to maintain the integrity of the series and secure its legacy.”
Related: Spartacus Meets Spartacus At TV Academy
Making the decision that Season 3 will be last ahead of time is important as Spartacus is a historic figure and his life on the show has to follow a documented path to a pre-determined conclusion. War Of The Damned, now in production in New Zealand, takes place following the defeat of Roman commander Gaius Claudius Glaber. Spartacus and his men have amassed major victories against the Romans after the Battle of Vesuvius, increasing the ranks of the rebellion slaves to more than 30,000. This year, new sets for the series will include the construction of a full city, a Roman Villa, and the scene of the epic battle along the Appian Way. War Of The Damned stars returning cast members McIntyre (Spartacus), Manu Bennett (Crixus), Dustin Clare (Gannicus), Dan Feuerriegel (Agron), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Naevia) and Ellen Hollman (Saxa) as well as new additions Todd Lasance as Gaius Julius Caesar, Simon Merrells as Marcus Crassus and Anna Hutchison as Laeta.
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Congrats to the cast and crew for deciding to end the show while it is on top. 3 seasons and a prequel series should be more than enough to give viewers the satisfactory conclusion they deserve which other shows don’t ever get the chance to do so.
…Though we look forward with bated breath every friday night to watch the show, remember Spartacus’ actual rebellion only lasted two years.And producers don’t forget Lucullus and Pompei, who along with Crassus, formed the First Triumverate and defeated the slave army in a coordinated battle plan.
It’s a shame since it’s such an amazing show, but the creator clearly knows what he’s doing. I’ll be following him to whatever his next project may be.
This show is the more serious version of The Legend of Hercules since the same players of that show are behind the camera. Spartacus even has similar cinematographer. The actress playing Xena is also in Spartacus. Hercules’ side-kick Directs most of the episodes. All of these things got me to watching. It would be awesome if they made a TV updated Hercules!! It would certainly get high ratings since most grew up on it.
Here’s the generations:
1st Army of Darkness (Evil Dead)
2nd Then came Hercules
3rd Xena
4th Spartacus
Getting to Spartacus: That hot blonde chick on Spartacus is a perfect 10 in the looks department and she shoots out Oscar level acting. She’s certainly the next Anglina Jolie or Charlize Theron. I hope her agent has got the ball rolling or she needs a new agent. I’ve met hundreds of air head actresses in my short time in the industry who can’t act worth anything. Therefore, I give props to the rare ones who can.
Are you her mother? Because that’s a bit much. I think she was well cast and that’s about it.
Which one because there are a few of them now? Do you mean Viva Bianca as Illythia? If so, I’d be hard pressed to disagree. She was fantastic on the show.
But good point this show is sort of an evolution of what Raimi and Tapert did with the Hercules and Xena show except they take their cues from actual history this time instead of Greek mythology.
Liam’s good, but Im sorry, I still miss Andy! I saw the first ep this past Jan, and havent watched them since. Maybe this summer, but its just not that same! RIP, to our Spartacus!
Right decision. Fab series, end while at the top! Looking forward to it airing in the uk
))
Teuth is, as heart breaking as it is this is 99.9% the right choice. Most premium channel shows are good for the first 3-4 even 5th season before getting old. True TV, is putting the fans before the money. Coming to tell the story and entertain the fans is what I love about this show and I’m happy with their choice. I’ll keep following them an look forward to their next TV creation! Thanks!
Hopefully they come up with another series thats as good. Its time to end this. It was a better show with Andy.
Not surprised by the news; Andy’s replacement was horrible and the show lost its direction. I stopped watching after the premiere not wanting to wast my time… I guess i’m a winner.
Liam was spectacular, the second season was spectacular, Spartacus with Andy or Liam was spectacular. I wish people would get over the tragic death of Andy, and enjoy the spectacular job Liam did filling his sandals. Watching Liam as Spartacus was not a waste a time. but a spectacular spectacle. Did I mention Spartacus was simply spectacular whichever season you watched.
It’s okay to admit the last season wasn’t as good.
Hi Ethan;
As much as I liked the late Andy Whitfield as the original Spartacus he was not the only actor of merit on the show. I liked Manu Bennett, Lucy Lawless, Justin Claire just to name a few who are also excellent actors. I think the on screen energy of the cast is an asset. I don’t agree with your thoughts that you were the winner because you stopped watching the show.I think you missed out on an awesome television series. Kudos to Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert. Brian DeKnight for presenting us with great entertainment. I watched each episode and enjoyed each one that I saw. I own the first 3 seasons and I also plan to buy the last season asap. Spartacus fan
They should end the show at season 3, they just killed off all the villains and most of the original cast. And unlike the first two seasons, there won’t really be a high note to end each season, just downhill from here on out based on the historical events they have to work with. I don’t think there would be patience to milk this torture for more than one season.
No, Ethan, you are not. How can you say the show lost its direction if you only watched the premiere? I’ll admit, I had to watch the premiere twice to work through the sad re-casting (Liam isn’t Andy but he works in the end) but was rewarded with an epic season and finale. You don’t have to forget Andy to appreciate Liam and the great story this show is telling.
Love the show but miss Andy it just isn’t the same without him RIP andy
I’m sorry to hear of the show’s conclusion. One of my all-time favorite shows. I reallywish they had another season or two in them, but alas, all good things must come to an end. Andy was good. Liam was good. It was a good transition. We need more shows as entertaining as this!!!
I am sad, I just started watching this past season. One of the best of this past tv season.
The show truly died with Andy.
Sad but true.
I watched the first episode of the second season and never went back.
You can’t replace a man who was born to play Spartacus.
RIP Andy.
Too bad for you, the rest of “Vengeance” have been really awesome.
No more naked Lucy lawless, I’m seriously gutted
The last season was the worst and you could tell everyone wanted to get out. It was like watching a bad high school production. Good riddance!
In agreement I too missed Andy. He was believable in the role, sadly Liam was less so. But I saw this as an opportunity for the producers to expand on other characters to which I believe they delivered. Season 1 was structure solely around Andy and his powerful performance, RIP Andy, sidekicked by Crixus. the second season brought an overdose of new characters, in a positive way, and expanded on the others. Although Liam was billed as the star it was conceivable that the others were on par and made just as important as the lead. Great show, I’ll be sad to see it finish but will be looking forward to as epic a finale as I’m used to.
I’m sorry, but for all those that said they stopped watching after the first episode this year, you lost all rights to criticize the season or what happened with the show. I admit that it took me about 4 or 5 episodes before I stopped seeing Andy, but the quality of the show was still strong. The last few episodes of this past season were some of the strongest the series had done. Destroying the arena, the battle of Mt. Vesuvius which was amazing considering the budget.
I’m sad that this show is going away. It was truly different and engrossing. But, at least it’s their choice and they can plan accordingly. I’m still smarting over how ROME’s story was rushed for that 2nd season.
“Not surprised by the news; Andy’s replacement was horrible and the show lost its direction. I stopped watching after the premiere not wanting to wast my time… I guess i’m a winner.”
You watched ONE episode. You have no idea of the direction the show took, so your opinion is worthless.
GRATITUDE FOR THIS POST.
I couldn’t agree more. As much as I loved Andy and as sad as I still am he’s no longer with us, I think Liam was fantastic. He was a fan of the show and did his best to be humble and carry on the best possible. There was a rumor that Andy was allowed to pick Liam. But Liam wasn’t aware of it- he said he would be honored if he did, though! As sad as I am that it’s ending, I’m grateful that Steven S. DeKnight knows well enough to make it finish when it’s supposed to.
It’s good to see someone who i agree with wholeheartedly!
I agree; anyone that didn’t stick with the show really can’t speak to how well it turned out. Any fan of the series had to adjust to Liam taking the role. It was one of those things I knew I would have to work through. But as mentioned, they were very smart by utilizing the supporting characters and not having the weight of this season being on Liam.
I appreciate them making the decision to end the series after this upcoming season. Anyone that knows about Spartacus knows how the story ends. It would have been a disservice to the show as well as the factual events if they stretched out the series another 2 or 3 seasons.
Great news. I love this show and have enjoyed watching the two seasons and prequel. While Andy was great, Liam and the other cast members have done enough to keep this as one of the most entertaining shows of the past decade. The decision to finish after one more season is brave but brilliant. I can’t count the number of shows I stopped watching because the creators kept on milking them season after season. To get a prequel and three great seasons with some epic closure, is the perfect denouement for this show. Congratulations to the producers for a great show and for the guts to see it to a fitting end.
Cancellation is the only thing they could do. The prequel was great. Season 1 was great. Season 2 sucked. It’s not just the loss of Andy, I thought Liam was ok. However, the writing was terrible. I watched every episode and by the season finale I was glad it was over. Why did Spartacus even bother hiding from the Romans? In every battle virtually all the legionnaires would die, while a couple of gladiators may have gotten a scratc. The finale where Naevia kills Asher is down right laughable. Who cares about season 3? Google the story so you know how it ends and save yourself some time.
I’m sorry to say it but I have to agree with you. The show didn’t feel the same this season. Season 1 and GoTA were both fantastic and exciting and addictive. I just felt obligated to see the end of Season 2. The writing did seem different; the dialogue sounded off somehow. Liam tried but failed to play the part Andy created. Naevia’s recasting was a failure too. Well, at least I have two great Blu-ray sets of the first season and prequel.
It makes me somewhat sad that this is going to be the last season, but I’m so glad that Starz is giving them the chance to! We ALL know what happens to Spartacus, we ALL know how it’s going to end. We might as well let them do it in a way that is going to pretty much make our heads explode. Just like they said, they’re going to leave the Spartacus legacy intact. Because you know, if they were to drag it out two or three more seasons, it’s not going to be as exciting. It’ll dry out and have jumped the shark. This way, we all know it’s going to be explosive and impressive.
As far as Andy/ Liam goes, cut the guy a break! Not only was he a fan of the show before the role was re-cast, season 2 was written entirely before Andy was sick at all. Liam McIntyre has about the HARDEST role in acting that you could ever ask for. Understand that he has to not only pick up where Andy left off, he has to honor the legacy he left AND create his own despite that. It’s such a multi-tasking and difficult job and not only did he do fantastic, considering the circumstances, but I believe we owe the casting directors and ANDY a little gratitude for allowing the story to be told still. I love Andy and I love everything he brought to season 1- and I still am sad that he passed. But given the circumstances? Liam will always carry it for them both!
I agree, my hubby and I were upset to hear he lost his battle with cancer. He’s really what got us hooked on the first season. We warmed up to Whitfield, but it took most of the second season.
OMG! Cut the crap you guys and give the guy a break will you! Liam had a bigger shoes to fill and he filled it good & proper! Give him the credit he deserves-he did justice to the role! And anyone new coming in for any other roles for that matter is nerve wracking considering how strong all the originals characters are/were. I mean come on the guy died- Andy R.I.P and yes we love you!…but please, It wouldn’t have honoured Andy if they left just on the 1st season. The show needs a closure, the story needs to be told, the show must go on! If DeKnight didn’t follow up the sequel, fans would have been begging for more sooner or later-cause I was! I mean i’m a woman and i’m born sentimental but I know a good story when i see one! And I don’t see many shows like this! There’s enough comedies and dramas and crime stories to fill your old age and no doubt even if we did live to be over a thousand but there is nothing like this. Sure there’s lots of blood spilling for my liking but that’s how it was back then and sure there’s lots of sex and nudity but that is how it was back then too-Rome was notorious for such. I don’t sit and criticize every darn little thing but focus on how the show and story was delivered and yes DeKnight delivers every time! I loved and still love Gladiator when it came out (no.1fav. in fact) and because it was made for a one time film i’m left hungering for more and when i saw this, it was the next best thing and my hubby and I coudn’t wait to watch it every week! And yes I’ll be in anticipation ’til the next one also. I know there is free speech but please…those of yah that only watched some episodes or 1st season and that does not want to pay homeage to those that have died both on screen and real life, cut us the crappy comments and leave the these space for the real fans and to those that are a sucker for a good story from!
P.S. DeKnight…thank you for coming up with such a good story! Thank you for expanding on your characters so we got to know them well before they were killed off, i fell in love on everyone of them (well only on the good guys of course *wink*)! And thank you for the great costumes, hairstyles and how you set the setting! You have entertained us well!
They have to end it now.first series and prequal were epic and although andy Whitfields replacement did a good job he’s not andy and to add salt to the wound they replaced that bird too and even I started too lose interest in what I was a die hard fan of.