The gladiators of ancient Rome may have endured horribly violent lives, but they also saw plenty of overheated sex. At least that's the version of history on display in "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," a sword-and-sandals epic that Starz, a premium cable network, rolls out Friday.
Viewers who recall the old Kirk Douglas film about the Roman slave who leads an uprising may rub their eyes in disbelief. The Starz take has naked flesh to spare, and the network, which ordered a second season before the premiere has even been shown, is already calling it "the boldest show on television."
Best known as an outlet for studio features, Starz is joining the industry's rush into original series programming. "Spartacus" is a flashy attempt to forge a brand, complete with a big-name co-star (Lucy Lawless, erstwhile heroine of "Xena: Warrior Princess") and the heavily stylized use of green-screen technology familiar from movies such as "300" and "Sin City."
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The producers are hoping to strike the right balance by offering something not seen anywhere else on TV.
"We tried to do the Western, operatic version of violence and bloodshed," said Rob Tapert, a producer of the show who is also Lawless' husband.
"We wanted to make it so it'd appeal to the widest audience possible, so we didn't have the female audience being absolutely repulsed by bloodshed," he added.
One way to further that aim? Cue the love story. Here, Spartacus (Australian actor Andy Whitfield) just wants to kill a lot of rivals so he can get back to his wife.
But whether all this will yield a breakthrough for Starz remains an open question. "300" was a hit in 2007, and "Gladiator" was an Oscar-certified smash.
The sword-and-sandals genre can be tricky, however. HBO's "Rome" performed well in the ratings but was expensive, leading to its cancellation after two seasons. ABC's "Empire" miniseries in 2005 failed to connect with a large audience.
Starz has only about 17 million U.S. subscribers, and the channel is not considered a haven for original series. "Crash," the contemporary drama starring Dennis Hopper that was based on the Oscar-winning film, was the channel's first high-profile scripted effort. But network officials say "Spartacus" can help change the outlet's image.
"While movies are still our big driver here," said Bill Hamm, executive vice president of creative development of Starz, "you still have to have stuff that people can only find on your channel."
On a few occasions, Starz executives found themselves at odds with producers. A messy scene in which Spartacus tears out a rival's throat with his teeth had to go, said head writer Steven S. DeKnight.
And as for the sex? One orgy sequence contained "an incident with a ladle that I won't get into," DeKnight said. That too was nixed after pleading from executives.
Lawless, who became a feminist icon with her portrayal of Xena in the 1990s, said she'd never done a nude scene before. But as shooting on the first season's 13 episodes progressed, the actress - who plays Lucretia, the Lady Macbeth-type wife of the owner of the school where Spartacus trains - became blasé about the show's rampant sexuality.
"You just get incredibly comfortable with it," she said on the phone from New Zealand. "You're like a tribe in a far-flung corner of the world."
Even so, it's likely most viewers won't be quite as nonchalant - and Starz executives are praying that many will be shocked into watching.
"Spartacus: Blood and Sand" premieres at 8 p.m. Friday on Starz.