Gratuitous nudity- check; graphic violence- check, these are the themes that Starz is hoping will endear you to their new epic series Spartacus: Blood and Sand. The series centers on the gladiator and slave Spartacus (c. 109 BC-71 BC), who led an uprising against the Roman Republic in what was known as the Third Servile War.

It’s reminiscent of Rome and 300 etc but looks incredibly more realistic - truth be told, some of the fight scenes had me cringing but all that nudity definitely held my interest.  According to creator and Executive Producer Rob Tapert, there was so much male nudity that some of the male actors were self-conscious about being less well-endowed than some of their co-stars that they created a prosthetic to ease their discomfort. Me thinks, this show will be a hit!

Produced by Sam Raimi,  Spartacus features Andy Whitfield in the lead role, Lucy Lawless as Lucretia, John Hannah as Batiatus; Peter Mensah as Doctore and Manu Bennett as Crixus. Spartacus premieres in January of 2010.