Spartacus: The Most Underrated Show on Television

When television critics usually put together theirs lists of the best shows currently on television, the lists tend to overlap and include the same few shows. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because they are usually right in naming a show like Breaking Bad or Parks and Recreation one of the best shows on television. However, one downside of this is that unless a show experiences a sudden precipitous drop in quality, the critics will continue to laud it as one of the best shows on television without acknowledging that other shows may be just as good. In other cases, such as with new shows like Game of Thrones and Homeland (both outstanding, by the way), advance buzz is so positive that a place at the big boy table is all but assured.  One show that has gotten lost in the shuffle of these great shows is Starz's signature original series, Spartacus.

I can understand why Spartacus is so criminally underrated. As I mentioned before, it's on Starz, which doesn't have nearly the profile of HBO or Showtime when it comes to original series. The network's other scripted originals  have not had either the critical success (Camelot, Crash) nor the commercial success (Boss, Party Down) to last more than a couple of seasons. Though its ratings are nowhere near those of HBO's and Showtime's hit shows, Spartacus draws far more viewers per week than any of Starz's other shows.

Another obstacle Spartacus faces is its air date. For every other network, Friday night is a death zone.  Cable networks don't generally air any original shows on Fridays and the broadcast networks tend to air genre shows with extremely small but incredibly loyal fanbases (i.e. Fringe and the dearly-departed Chuck).  Starz has decided that instead of competing against the other pay cable networks and airing their programs on Sunday night, they have tried to carve out their own original night of programming, but nobody wants to watch serious television on Friday night. People go to the movies or go out and party after a long work week. Those who do stay at home usually do those same things without going out, so television takes a back seat.

It's a shame, because people are missing out on one of the most gratifying viewing experiences on television. One word perfectly describes the Spartacus viewing experience: primal. This show portrays people who have no qualms about giving in to their most primitive animal instincts. All the characters are as horny as they are bloodthirsty, and this combination provides a colorful backdrop for the narrative to unfold. The visuals recall Zack Snyder's blockbuster 300, but the creators of the show have adopted that film's abundant use of greenscreens and ramped up the intensity in every way. Every color, whether in the sky or the characters' wardrobes, boldly pops off the screen, particularly the color red.

The amount of blood shed in the show's 24 episodes that have aired so far (including the prequel Gods of the Arena) is truly staggering. The arena becomes a certifiable Yellowstone Park of blood and guts vacating the body at all angles. No attention is paid to the fact that the average person only has about 6 quarts of blood, because when it comes to violence, Spartacus is all style over substance. If 6 quarts of blood coming out of a throat can look awesome, science will be banished to the mines and the show will make it happen.

Some might accuse this show of glorifying violence, but those who say so are ultimately missing the point. The people who come to the games want to be entertained, and for them, entertainment means as much death and bloodshed as possible, and the gladiators who are thrust into the arena know it. They take pride in representing their masters, and the best way to do so is to leave carnage in their wake. The excessive blood spurts are not solely means of catching the television viewer's eye, but also the eye of the viewer in the arena. They view the action in front of them that way, so the creators of the show aim to simulate what they believe a spectator experience at the gladiatorial games would feel like for everyone from the lowliest peasant in the stands to the politicians and slave owners in the central box.

While the violence drives much of the plot of the show, sex is portrayed on screen just as frequently. Spartacus has absolutely no shame when it comes to showing bare flesh.This show has enough fornication in it to make the late-night Skinemax offerings look positively tame by comparison. However, unlike those films you'll see at midnight on Cinemax, the nudity in Spartacus is far from gratuitous. The gladiators are not given more than a cloth to begin with, so seeing them without it on just feels routine. As for the rich citizens of Capua, sex not only brings pleasure, but is also used as a bargaining tool. Batiatus promises a friend free reign to satisfy himself with any of his slaves, and in return he secures favor for his gladiators in the next games or patronage from powerful politicians.

What elevates Spartacus to the level of great television is not just its abundance of sex and violence (otherwise, True Blood would be a great show too, and that's obviously not the case), but its wonderful storytelling prowess. The audience is able to invest in these characters because while at first they are presented as paper-thin archetypes, they gradually reveal themselves as compelling three-dimensional creations. We root hard for the gladiators to survive and get revenge against those who have wronged them, but more interestingly, we are able to root for Batiatus and Lucretia to succeed in their devious schemes while simultaneosuly rooting for their downfall.

Spartacus starts slowly, but if you follow the Five-Episode Rule, I guarantee a wholly unique viewing experience. No show will make you cheer out loud more frequently (unless you're Rick Santorum) in response to the events that occur on screen. Even with the unfortunate death of the great Andy Whitfield, who played Spartacus in the first season, the show has maintained its momentum. After an awkward beginning to this season, his replacement, Liam McIntyre (pictured above), has taken ownership of the role and made it compelling in his own way. Coming off arguably the show's best episode, there's no better time than now to go back to the beginning and experience the furiously primal force that is Spartacus.