Raunchy Spartacus spin-off shocks viewers with jaw-dropping sex scenes: 'Hotter than Heated Rivalry'

The raunchiest show on television has arrived, and it's not HBO's Heated Rivalry. 

Far exceeding the gay hockey romance in the smut department is the new Starz series Spartacus: House of Ashur, which has been called 'the bloodiest and horniest show on TV' by critics.

The jaw-dropping historical drama, which is a spin-off to the original Spartacus series from 2010, has shocked viewers with its brutal violence and explicit sex scenes.

Most episodes of the series have featured full-frontal male nudity, which has been exaggerated by the use of hefty prosthetic pieces worn by the actors. 

There's also a steamy gay subplot between two characters, as well as one grisly scene that sees a female gladiator remove a man's genitals with her bare hands after he tries to assault her.

Viewers have been stunned by the series so far, with one writing, 'Watching Spartacus: House of Ashur and I forgot how much nudity and sex is in these shows.'

Another wrote, 'People don't actually know how graphic sex scenes can get until they've watched Spartacus. Heated Rivalry is very tame in comparison.'

A third commented, 'First two episodes have like 20 gladiator d***s lol. It was wayyyy too much.'

The first season of Spartacus, titled Spartacus: Blood and Sand, became a huge hit for Starz when it premiered in 2010.

It ran for four seasons in total before being canceled in 2013, despite its popularity.   

Spartacus: House of Ashur focuses on the character of antagonist Ashur, played by Nick E. Tarabay.

In the last series, fans will remember that the manipulative former slave and gladiator, who became a Roman conspirator and a central figure to the story, was killed.

But the spin-off series is set in an alternate timeline where he lived and was rewarded by the Romans for his treachery.

House of Ashur follows his life after freedom, having clawed his way to power by helping end the rebellion, and being gifted the same group of gladiators and their leaders that once owned him.

It sees Ashur unleash the first ever female Gladiator in the series, Achilla, played by Cabinet of Curiosities star Tenika Davis.

The show synopsis reads, 'Ruling a band of merciless gladiators is child's play compared to surviving the savage world of Roman politics – a cutthroat game in which betrayal isn’t a sin, it’s currency.

'He flips tradition on its head by unleashing Achillia, a fierce and powerful gladiatrix eager to prove herself worthy in a man’s world.

'Together, they ignite a new kind of spectacle that shocks, disrupts and offends the elite with every drop of blood.'

The spin-off earned an impressive 91% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes after its premiere in December.

Showrunner Steven S. DeKnight has already teased that more seasons of the series may be on the way.

'I always plan series out from five to seven seasons. So we’ve got a lot of story and a lot of places to take Ashur,' he told The Hollywood Reporter.

'This time in ancient Rome was a brutal, brutal time and hypersexual,' he continued. 

'I'm very thankful to Lionsgate and Starz that I have not gotten a note that said, "Whoa, can you pull it back?"'