Spartacus: House of Ashur develops another thrilling saga around an antagonistic character from the original Spartacus that has a huge fan base. The character of the earlier title was final and graphic, leaving a mark on the fans.Time passed, but the show hinted at any possibility of his return until the announcement of Spartacus: House of Ashur stirred up the fan enthusiasm. As soon as the show debuted on December 5, 2025, it bagged an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score.Spartacus: House of Ashur bags a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score View this post on Instagram Instagram PostSpartacus: House of Ashur delves into a ‘what-if’ scenario. How would the story be if Ashur survived the events of Spartacus: Vengeance? The spin-off goes on to imagine an alternate continuity where he collects a reward from the Romans and gains power.Nick E. Tarabay reprises the titular character, becoming a dominus with the help of Achillia, a gladiatrix introduced as his fiercest ally. The story keeps its format simple, pushing forward the limits of an already established character. This allows viewers to explore a familiar world through the perspective of a character.Spartacus: House of Ashur premiered with only two episodes, yet within hours of release, critics began weighing in. The swift positive rating echoed renewed enthusiasm.Nick E. Tarabay from "Spartacus: House of Ashur" - Source: GettyPart of the renewed excitement for the show comes from Tarabay’s return. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he opened up about the return. He had first learned about the project through a message from showrunner Steven S. DeKnight in 2022.The idea of resurrecting Ashur in an alternate storyline caught his interest immediately. Tarabay described it as intriguing to step back into a role that required a solid emotional and psychological grounding.He also highlighted the tone of the writing, which pushes Ashur into situations where he must navigate threats that are worse than anything he faced before. According to Tarabay, this helps the audience understand Ashur not only as a schemer but also as someone struggling to survive in a violent world.Along with Tarabay, Lucy Lawless returns briefly as Lucretia, establishing the alternate timeline in Spartacus: House of Ashur. This is something the producers considered essential for reconnecting the new storyline to the earlier seasons. The creative team wanted the spin-off to have a strong link to the original characters while still giving Ashur the freedom to evolve in ways that were not possible before.Brief overview of previous season ratingsSpartacus: Blood and Sand had a 52 percent score, and War of the Damned had a 69 percent score. The prequel season, Gods of the Arena, had a stronger reception at 73 percent. The middle chapter, Vengeance, did not gather enough critical reviews to produce a score at all. The contrast highlights how unexpected the current reaction is.This installment gathered a solid score on Rotten Tomatoes; however, it is important to note that the overall season rating depends on future episodes.