Andy Whitfield, the former star of Starz's drama series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, died Sunday of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in Sydney, his manager Sam Maydew told the Associated Press. He was 39.

Starz can breathe easy.

The last time America wrapped Doctor Who in its Cthulhu-like tentacles, we got guest stars on the level of, er, Eric Roberts.

Starz is firming up the cast and story line for its "Spartacus" prequel series, whose subtitle will be the epic-sounding "Gods of the Arena."

Lucy Lawless is returning to her action-hour roots, signing on to star in the new fantasy-and-fighting series from "Xena: Warrior Princess" masterminds Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi.