One of the Bloodiest Shows Ever Made Fails to Topple the Most Ruthless Crime Saga on Streaming

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Spartacus: House of Ashur and Power Book IV: Force have been engaged in a fierce streaming battle for dominance, which the latter has been winning for over a month. The two are offshoots from some of the biggest Starz dramas of the 2010s, but Power Book IV: Force has been airing for years now, while Spartacus: House of Ashur premiered a few weeks ago. On Starz's own streaming service, Force is the most-watched show, while House of Ashur comes in second, with the same dynamic repeating across other services like Amazon's PVOD networks.

Power Book: IV Force is the third spin-off in the robust Power universe that started in 2014. The show premiered in 2020 and follows Joseph Sikora's fan-favorite character Tommy Egan as he leaves the New York drug game behind to set up shop in another city in the aftermath of the death of his friend and business partner, Ghost (Omari Hardwick). Tommy settles in Chicago, where he decides to disrupt the existing structures by breaking all the rules. The rise to the top is not easy, but Tommy has never done easy.

However, choosing Chicago was not a random decision, and Tommy's presence in the city could bring more harm than he ever imagined. Power Book IV: Force is set to conclude with the current third season. The series was created by Robert Munic, with Power vet Courtney A. Kemp serving as an executive producer. Gary Lennon is the showrunner. Other cast members include Isaac Keys (David "Diamond" Sampson), Kris D. Lofton (Jenard Sampson), Carmela Zumbado (Mireya Garcia), Manuel Eduardo Ramirez (Miguel Garcia), Lili Simmons (Claudia Flynn), Shane Harper (Vic Flynn), Adrienne Walker (Shanti "Showstopper" Page), Anthony Fleming III (JP Gibbs), Lucien Cambric (Darnell "D-Mac" McDowell), and Miriam A. Hyman (US Attorney Stacy Marks).

'Power' and 'Spartacus' Spin-Offs are Two Sides of the Same Coin

Spartacus: House of Ashur takes a similar but distinct approach, focusing on a despised character from the Spartacus saga, which started in 2010 with Spartacus: Blood and Sand. The alt-history drama bends the rules of storytelling, bringing Ashur (Nick E. Tarabay) back to life and giving him a different fate than the one he met at Mount Vesuvius. In this new reality, Ashur helped defeat the slave uprising by killing Spartacus, and as a result, he's made the Dominus of his former house, the House of Batiatus. Spartacus: House of Ashur chronicles his attempts to rise through the closely guarded ranks of the Roman elite and bring glory to his house, thereby guaranteeing him power and respect.

The series was created by Spartacus vet Steven S. DeKnight, who serves as writer and showrunner. Other cast members include Graham McTavish (Korris), Tenika Davis (Achillia), Jamaica Vaughan (Hilara), Ivana Baquero (Messia), Jordi Webber (Tarchon), Claudia Black (Cossutia), India Shaw-Smith (Viridia), Leigh Gill (Satyrus), Jackson Gallagher (Gaius Julius Caesar), Jaime Slater (Cornelia Cinna), Andrew McFarlane (Senator Gabinius), Dan Hamill (Celadus), and Evander Brown (Ephesius).