Spartacus (TV Series)

Spartacus is an American television series produced in New Zealand that aired from 2010 to 2013. A remake of the movie of the same name, the series follows the Thracian gladiator Spartacus, once a beloved and respected member of the arena before becoming a feared rebel against the oppressive Roman government.

Why it Rocks

 * 1) Excellent acting throughout, especially from Spartacus's actors Andy Whitfield and Liam McIntyre (the latter replacing the former as a result of his sudden death) as well as Manu Bennet as Crixus.
 * 2) Plenty of over-the-top violence throughout with great effects (sometimes practical, sometimes digital) throughout. It's also got a lot of great fight and battle scenes that are well choreographed to be more realistic.
 * 3) A very realistic depiction of how the Roman government treated slaves and how oppressive they really were, almost on par with HBO's Rome series. It also details the politics of that time very well and makes it feel real.
 * 4) Many likeable and well-written characters who get plenty of great development as well as many equally well written and truly abhorrent villains, mostly based on real people.
 * 5) Great writing throughout, mostly based on the truth, but taking creative liberties where such records don't exist or at other appropriate times, taking time to develop the characters and their relationships with one another, even minor characters. In other words, it manages to pretty deftly balance character drama with the intense action that follows. Even the dialogue feels pretty realistic for the time it takes place in.
 * 6) Each season (Blood and Sand, Vengeance, and War of the Damned) has different storylines that talk about major parts of Spartacus's life, namely how he became a gladiator, a rebel, and then battling the whole of the Roman Army.
 * 7) Many great episodes throughout, especially each season finale with the series finale being a particularly excellent sendoff.
 * 8) Great musical score throughout, sometimes with music that fits the time period, sometimes with more modern music that still fits the show itself.
 * 9) There's plenty of intense and legitimately saddening moments throughout, but there's also plenty of moments of levity and humor at times to prevent it from getting to be too much.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The first episode, while not terrible, is widely considered the worst one of the series due to overuse of special effects and slow-mo (even by the series standards) and having some parts feel rushed.
 * 2) Plenty of sex scenes throughout, which can often feel pretty gratuitous, even if it's more tongue-in-cheek about them for the most part.
 * 3) Liam McIntyre, while he is more than enough to carry the series, kind of lacks the emotion and subtlety Andy Whitfield brought to his performance until after season 2.
 * 4) Some of the digital effects look pretty bad, even if it's clearly the point at times.