Lucy Lawless dusts off sword and sandals for confusing new Spartacus spin-off

Lucy Lawless returns for a Spartacus alt-history series that’s got our heads spinning

By Matt Schimkowitz | July 23, 2024 | 6:27pm

Photo by Albert L. Ortega (WireImage)

TV News Lucy Lawless

Lucy Lawless dusts off sword and sandals for confusing new Spartacus spin-off

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Lucy Lawless is a television queen, or more specifically, a warrior princess. She can’t help but juice up whatever series is lucky enough to nab her star power. Whether on Parks And Recreation or Ash Vs. Evil Dead, Lawless is a stabilizing force, an anchor of professionalism and goodwill. Hence, her return to the Sparticusiverse with the new, alternate history series, Spartacus: House Of Ashur. For Spartacus fans, the series starts from a curious place. Everyone knows Ashur died at Mount Vesuvius. what this series presupposes is… maybe he didn’t. Created by original Spartacus showrunner Steven S. DeKnight, House Of Ashur presents an alternate history, blue-skying what would’ve happened had the show been written differently.

Lawless appeared throughout the first two seasons of Spartacus and its six-episode prequel, Gods Of The Arena, as Lucretia. Initially the wife of Batiatus (John Hannah), the owner of the gladiator school, she’s forced into a relationship with the slave Ashur after her husband’s death. Lawless will be a guest star in the 10-episode series, which sees her former captor returning from the dead to take over Batiatus’ academy and train a new generation of gladiators. So that probably won’t end well for her, but hey, more Spartacus.