Starz will end 'Spartacus' with season 3
'Spartacus: War of the Damned' to bring the saga to an early conclusion
Liam McIntyre as Spartacus.
Credit: Starz
The business model in American television dictates that most shows run for as long as they continue to be profitable. Even a place like HBO isn't immune to that way of thinking, as then-network boss Chris Albrecht kept backing up dump trucks full of money to David Chase's house for more "Sopranos" episodes when even Chase wasn't sure how long he wanted the show to continue.
Albrecht now runs Starz, and was among the men responsible for a decision you don't see every day, as everyone involved with the "Spartacus" franchise — the channel's biggest hit by far — has decided to end the series after the upcoming third season, "Spartacus: War of the Damned," which will premiere next January.
In the press release announcing the decision, Albrecht and "Spartacus" creator Steven DeKnight said that they wanted to let the needs of the storytelling supersede any business concerns.
“We did not come to this decision lightly," DeKnight said in the statement. "It was an extremely difficult and emotional decision for my partners and I. 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."
Albrecht added, "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."
In an interview with Maureen Ryan, DeKnight added that other factors were in play, including the many bumps in the road that came from the tragic death of original "Spartacus" star Andy Whitfield. (After Whitfield was first diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a six-part prequel miniseries "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena," was produced in the hope that it would allow him the time to recover. When it became clear that he wouldn't, Liam McIntyre was cast to succeed him in the second proper season, and will continue into "War of the Damned.")
I was never able to see in the series what Mo and Ryan McGee and some other critic friends did, and I'm sure many fans of the series are disappointed that they'll only have 10 more hours of it to go. But considering what so often happens to TV shows that live past their expiration date, solely because they're too valuable to dump, I imagine in the long run, the "Spartacus" fans will look back on the series more kindly than if Starz had tried to drag it on forever and ever the way Showtime is doing with "Dexter."
What does everybody else think? If you're a "Spartacus" lover, would you rather it burn out quickly, or would you rather it fade away slowly?
Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com
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June 4, 2012 at 10:14AM EST Reply to CommentI don't know if I would classify myself as a die-hard Spartacus fan, but I have certainly been enjoying it for what it is. Key point for me is a reasonable sense of closure.
You could argue that this was achieved to some degree with the end of Season 2, with the obvious debates around historical accuracy -- if there ever was such a thing given the spotty, often contradictory, information around this particular story.
OldDarth
June 4, 2012 at 10:25AM EST Reply to CommentThis automatically raises my anticipation level for the FINAl season a thousandfold. Going to be EPIC!
dead souls
June 4, 2012 at 10:27AM EST Reply to CommentAs a fan of Spartacus, I think this is great news. More shows need to end this early. I'm tired of things being dragged out until the quality takes a giant dive.
Col Bat Guano
June 4, 2012 at 10:49AM EST Reply to CommentMuch more than three seasons and Spartacus would have become a running joke. A good decision more shows should try.
Brubarian
June 4, 2012 at 11:02AM EST Reply to CommentOh wow, the dig on Dexter... I mean, it's accurate.
the minister Dexter surely needs a dig. About six feet should suffice.
June 4, 2012 at 2:03PM ESTLou Bogoda @The Minister: I was a big fan of Dexter in the early seasons. But now a six-foot dig will not suffice. The show must be dismembered and dumped in the Atlantic.
June 4, 2012 at 7:54PM ESTI enjoy Spartacus. And I totally respect the decision to end it when the story ends.
Brian M
June 4, 2012 at 11:20AM EST Reply to CommentWell, I suppose it is good that this is a creator decision mostly, and that it will reach a conclusion but I have to say I'm disappointed as I was just about to start catching up on the show this summer. Knowing it'll be over soon makes me a bit sad that i won't have more to look forward to.
joel
June 4, 2012 at 11:21AM EST Reply to CommentAlan off topic but will you or Dan be taking a look at "Teen Wolf" season 2 my god did mtv put some serious cash behind the season 2 opener its gone from guilty pleasure to just good tv and this is coming from a 17 year old guy.
parker
June 4, 2012 at 11:28AM EST Reply to Comment"If you're a "Spartacus" lover, would you rather it live fast, die young and leave a good-looking corpse, or did you want it to make it to middle age?"
Dude, Andy Whitfield.....
J Yeah. I'm all for snarky/grisly jokes, but when the lead actor dies... there are other options.
June 4, 2012 at 12:54PM ESTBut like the gladiators in the show, live fast, die young, go out in a blood-soaked splatter of glory.
JoLo oh lighten up
June 4, 2012 at 1:10PM ESTsepinwall Didn't even think about that. I'm going to edit that out right this second. Yikes.
June 4, 2012 at 1:30PM ESTSnarky McBananapants Good on you Alan. Leave the tasteless crap to AV Club comment section.
June 5, 2012 at 5:35AM ESTJanieJones
June 4, 2012 at 11:32AM EST Reply to CommentI cannot put myself in the "big fan" category of Spartacus; however I did watch upon recommendation of Maureen Ryan. I think it's smart to end it properly.
After Andy did not recover and subsequently passed away, watching Spartacus made me feel a bit sad.
I know that sounds ridiculous but it just wasn't the same without Andy.
Doug Isherwood
June 4, 2012 at 1:13PM EST Reply to CommentI enjoy the show but, the rebellion ends. This series is based (loosely) on real events. I would rather see a well planned final season that fits the historical facts well into the character narrative. No one wants to see the same sort of adjustments 'Rome' used to cram the historical timeline into a shortened run.
Ben Kabak
June 4, 2012 at 2:21PM EST Reply to CommentThis show is semi gay porn
Biddle
June 4, 2012 at 2:31PM EST Reply to CommentOne more season is a good idea, I look forward to an epic final run.
Ricardo
June 4, 2012 at 3:55PM EST Reply to Comment"I was never able to see in the series what Mo and Ryan McGee and some other critic friends did"
Or maybe you just didn't stick around long enough (a la The Vampire Diaries).
sepinwall I came back at points they told me to. Nothing. Not for me.
June 4, 2012 at 5:15PM ESTTimm S
June 4, 2012 at 5:57PM EST Reply to CommentLove the show, and while I'd love to watch it for many more seasons, the pace is so frenetic and every interaction so crucial, it would be hard to maintain for much longer. I'm going to purchase the series once it's over, and I'm glad I'll have 3 (plus) seasons of excellent television. Glad they made this call.
As you said, see DEXTER...
Oaktown Girl
June 4, 2012 at 6:09PM EST Reply to CommentMy experience with "Spartacus" is rather interesting:
I watched the first few episodes of this show when it came out a few years ago. The problem was that I didn't care about the fighting aspect and the characters and plot didn't draw me in enough to stick with it. But then later I found out that the intermediate series that was made (buying time for Mr. Whitfield's hoped-for recovery) featured John Hannah, an actor whom I like very much, and it was available on Netflix streaming. Well you could have knocked me over with a feather with my surprise about how much I got drawn into that series. Sure, there was plenty of fighting and violence, but the characters and story really sucked me in.
So even if you tried this series and gave up on it like I did, you might want to check out the John Hannah six episode mini-series (it stands alone just fine plot-wise). It's the one called "Spartacus: God of the Arena". A very surprising thumbs up from me.
Sareeta
June 4, 2012 at 6:54PM EST Reply to CommentIt's better for it to end on a high note than stick around just for the heck of it. I wish all the actors and actresses involved good luck and hope to see them again (quick, HBO, snatch them up for Game of Thrones!!!!) Also, I am hopeful the Starz comes up with more engaging series that are a little deeper than what they've been producing.
Prettok I dont think GoT plans on hiring many Aussie actors.
June 4, 2012 at 9:32PM ESTstevehbk
June 6, 2012 at 10:38AM EST Reply to CommentI'm a big fan of Spartacus and I'm satisfied with this decision. More shows should take this route. They have a chance to make a final, epic season that ties up all the loose ends and leaves its core audience wanting more... not a bad way to go out. BTW, I really missed Andy this past season. I've never warmed to McIntyre in the lead role, but the latest season had plenty of Crixus and Ganicus to keep it interesting and the ladies really stepped it up. Great show. I'll miss it.
Ken S.
June 30, 2012 at 11:48PM EST Reply to CommentSomeone needs to get their head examined ! First they cancel King Arthur, Then Spartacus..What's next ? They need to cancel the person who is in charge of cancelling shows !
ED EZEKIEL
July 25, 2012 at 11:39AM EST Reply to CommentA SOUR BITE TO A NICE MEAL(as you say in Spartacus) NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.STARZ YOU WILL BE LOOSING THE CROWD(as you also say in "Spartacus"). VIEWERS HAVE WAITE THIS LONG TO SEE MORE OF SPARTACUS' EXPLOITS AND ROMAN INTRIQUES ONL FOR IT TO END THIS SOON. NO!MR DEKNIGHT,STARZ, I AM A MOVIE STORY WRITER, IF YOU NEED IDEAS TO FURTHER 'SPARTACUS,'PLS EMAIL ME @ edward_ezekiel2010@yahoo.com AND I WILL OFFER SOME FOR A TOKEN FEE
ED EZEKIEL
July 25, 2012 at 11:53AM EST Reply to CommentA SOUR BITE TO A NICE MEAL(as you say in spartacus). NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. STARZ YOU WILL BE LOSING THE CROWD(as you say in "spartacus")VIEWERS HAVE WAITED THIS LONG TO SEE MORE OF THE EXPOITS OF SPARTACUS AND ROMAN INTRIQUES ONLY FOR IT TO END THIS SOON. NO!I AM A MOVIE STORY WRITER, MR DE KNIGHT, STARZ, MEDIA, IF YOU NEED IDEAS TO FURTHER "SPARTACUS" PLS EMAIL ME @ edward_ezekiel2010@yahoo.com AND I WILL OFFER SOME.IF IT IS O.K. YOU CAN REWARD ME