'Spartacus'
Three stars
9 p.m. Friday on Starz
Wow. Whoa. Not one for the kiddies.
Starz's splashy "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" series may not be one for the adults, either -- as I consider myself one, and yet snickered through every scene with oiled-up muscles, burlap gladiator diapers, slow-mo beheadings and/or Lucy Lawless naked. Yes, I understand that ancient Roman was debauched. But nothing quite prepares you for the guy running around the orgy wearing a dildo atop his helmet.
"Spartacus" stars Andy Whitfield as the Thracian gladiator, and in the first episode - before he gets his hair cut - he looks like a cross between Heath Ledger and Jesus Christ. Brilliant casting. He and his wife Sura (Erin Cummings) share an intense love, and they tend to express it physically. But when a big-city Roman betrays Spartacus, his wife is sold as a slave and he toils as a gladiator.
John Hannah ("Four Weddings and a Funeral") somehow maintains his dignity as Batiatus, owner of the gladiators. Lawless is his ripely rotten wife. Batiatus tells Spartacus he will reunite him with his wife if he will fight his way to freedom. Oh yes. There will be blood.
The show comes courtesy of horror pioneer Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert, the executive producer of "Xena" - who happens to be married to Lawless. Their research must have included repeated viewings of "300." You can choose to look at the CGI effects as moodily artistic, or something closer to vintage "Clash of the Titans." Either way, there's no denying that stylized decapitations are entertaining, especially when accompanied by a generous helping of soft porn.
Starz, at least, can't get enough. They've already announced there will be a second season. Maybe next time around they'll adjust the title for accuracy: "Spartacus: Blood and Body Parts."
Lucy is nude in the second episode which is much better in many ways. More like "Rome" than "300". The part I found strange was the hair color of the two Roman ladies. One was blonde like a barbarian from Germania. Lucy was redhead like a barbarian from north of Germania. Not typical Italian hair colors in those days.
I thought the premier was cool,but I did not see Lawless nude in any of this episode