Starz Cancels ‘Spartacus: House of Ashur’ After 1 Season

Following an epic four-year run on Starz for the Spartacus series, the network delivered another intriguing chapter in this story with a spin-off series titled Spartacus: House of Ashur. Starting on Dec. 5, 2025, this series brought back creator Stephen S. DeKnight and star Nick E. Tarabay as the titular Ashur, a main character from the first three seasons of Spartacus who turned into one of the show’s most notable antagonists. This series took a unique route with its story, showing an alternate-timeline “what if” scenario in which Ashur survives Mount Vesuvius, betrays the rebels, and is rewarded with his own gladiator school courtesy of the Romans.

The show earned an impressive 91% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, even though it split fans up much more with a 63% Popcornmeter score (audience rating). House of Ashur quickly became one of the sexiest and horniest shows of the modern era, featuring frequent full-frontal nudity moments and explicit sex scenes, which are common when looking at Roman history. Viewers also saw plenty of violence and gore throughout its 10 episodes, with characters having limbs and heads removed on more than one occasion. Even though House of Ashur consistently ranked in Starz’s top ten viewing lists in the months since its debut, this did not lead to long-term success.

Deadline reported that Spartacus: House of Ashur was canceled after its first and only season on Starz. Lionsgate Television, the series’s producer, is reportedly being shopped around to other platforms after this move. According to the outlet’s sources, the makeup of the series’s audience did not quite line up with Starz’s focus on female and underrepresented audiences. House of Ashur earned solid viewing numbers with white male viewers, even though it featured a diverse case and storylines that largely feature women and characters of other underrepresented groups.

After Starz separated from Lionsgate in May 2025, Starz no longer owns the rights to House of Ashur. To help its financial standing, the company has pushed further into more owned series such as Fightland, which features rap legend Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as an executive producer.

While House of Ashur does not appear to have more episodes in store, DeKnight revealed that he has written new material for Season 2 should it ever be greenlit. These new episodes were written before DeKnight and his team even got the chance to see Season 1 in its totality, meaning the team could realistically get a Season 2 made quickly if another network picks up the hit series.

The lone season of Spartacus: House of Ashur is streaming in full on Starz.