I got half way through the first episode and turned it off. I previously watched Deadwood in which every actor was great, so to start watching something with some cheap looking effects and some really patchy acting, felt like a big let down. But also the nudity and over the top gore and heads flying through the air etc.. it made me think this was just a dumb show for teenage video gamers craving more blood. I googled it and there were so many people saying to bear with it and get to episode 3 because things will get a lot better.

They were right! It took a good 4 or 5 episodes but I got really hooked and things improved massively. They do some things really well, it isn't just the overall story but the subtleties of the characters and what motivates them is really given some effort, and it pays off. I watched Game of Thrones next (almost finished with that now) and it is good as well, but I actually preferred Spartacus by a long shot. I recommend it to anyone, and I suggest not looking up anything about the story beforehand. I barely knew anything about the Spartacus story and that made the whole thing more exciting. I suggest watching it in the same way, and then afterwards, google the whole story and all the characters.

There is also something special about watching a great show where the characters are real people. This story is only 'based on' the Spartacus story, but nobody really knows the full story anyway because it happened over 2000 years ago. But the fact that this was something that really happened, hooked me far more than in fiction.