As someone who had fond memories of watching Spartacus back in the day, I was looking forward to the new spinoff series centering around an ill-fated character given a new shot at life. I mean, I went in expecting blood and guts, gory battles in the gladiator pit, and all kinds of risqué moments that’d leave me thinking “How are they showing this on TV?” Yet, after the first couple of episodes of Spartacus: House of Ashur, I’ve found myself being more obsessed with one character.
Graham McTavish’s Korris, the Doctore, a.k.a. gladiator trainer, working with Nick E. Tarabay’s Ashur, is one of the most interesting characters from the 2025 TV schedule that I’ve met this year. With each episode, I find myself becoming more and more interested in seeing where his story goes.
There Are So Many Dynamic Characters, But I Can’t Stop Thinking About Korris
There are a lot of great, three-dimensional characters that have been introduced so far, and Korris is one of the, if not the, most captivating of the lot. Don’t get me wrong, Tenika Davis’ Achillia, who was involved in the show’s most extreme moment yet, is great; Tarabay is as great as ever as Ashur, and just about everyone has my attention. They each add something to the story and have all started arcs that I can’t wait to see play out, but there’s something about Korris that keeps bringing me back.
On the surface, he’s this tough-as-nails, no-nonsense former gladiator who won his freedom through years of bloody combat, but each of his scenes peels back another layer to expose a nurturing, vulnerable, and tender man searching for love and companionship. A remarkable and empowering LGBTQ+ character, Korris has one of the most fleshed-out stories going in Spartacus: House of Ashur, which is saying something.
This Is Just The Beginning Of His Journey, And I Can’t Wait To See Where It Goes
Without giving too much away, Korris is at the center of one of the show’s most surprising love stories, one that I honestly cannot wait to see play out over the course of the remaining episodes. Never would I have imagined that I would be tuning into House of Ashur and getting more excited about a budding romance than the show adding to the franchise’s insane body count. Yet here I am, waiting for Fridays to come around so I can see where Korris will take me next.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still all about the violence. I mean, it’s the spinoff of a series known for killing off characters in totally gruesome ways, and the kills so far have been very much on-brand with everything that’s come before. House of Ashur, just like Korris’ character, has that balance of shockingly violent and surprisingly tender moments, which creates a unique and incredibly fulfilling dynamic.
I’m going to keep watching Spartacus: House of Ashur – mostly to see where Korris goes from here, but also to watch some outrageously stylish and borderline sickeningly violent escapades on the sands of the gladiator pit.