14 DAY TRIAL // Starz has a hit series on its hands with “Spartacus.” Moreover, recent numbers indicate that Starz has a hit franchise on its hands as well, as the prequel debuted to record ratings, Deadline reports.
Fans of the show must know that season 1 of “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” proved a massive hit. Then, it went on a hiatus while leading man Andy Whitfield got treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
In the meantime, Starz shot a prequel without him, called “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.” It premiered this Friday and has recorded excellent ratings, proving that the show already has a very solid and loyal fanbase.
“On Friday night, the premiere episode of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, a prequel to Spartacus: Blood and Sand, drew some 1.1 million viewers for its debut 10 PM airing, 66% higher than the original series’ premiere a year ago, and 1.9 million viewers combined for the 10 PM and 11 PM runs, 77% above the debut of the mothership series,” Deadline reports.
Nevertheless, as amazing as all this may seem, the original series still remains the ruler in terms of ratings.
“Gods of the Arena couldn’t break the ratings records set during the first season of Spartacus: Blood and Sand, which is slated to begin production on its long-delayed Season 2 with a new actor, Liam McIntyre, replacing ailing Andy Whitfield,” the same e-zine points out.
Speaking of which, Starz recently announced that they eventually found a replacement for Whitfield, who is now seeking more aggressive treatment for the same condition again, as we also informed you.
The alternatives presented to network bosses when Whitfield announced he couldn’t do the second season either because his cancer had returned were either to close up shop altogether or find someone else to play the character.
They obviously chose the latter: Andy Whitfield’s place will now be occupied by Australian actor Liam McIntyre. Useless to say, not all fans are happy with the news that Andy has been replaced.