Starz will pay tribute to the late Andy Whitfield by airing a 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand' marathon Oct. 2.

The actor passed away Sept. 11 after an 18-month battle with cancer. As Friday's Starz press release noted, the 39-year old actor's "fans, friends, and colleagues alike have compared Whitefield's own persona, to that of the noble, brave, honorable gladiator character he played on screen."

The episodes to be screened starting at 9PM ET Oct. 2 will include the premiere and season finale. The other three episodes were not specified, but they will be "fan favorites" that "showcase his most memorable performances," according to the network.

The fall deluge is upon us, so to handle all the television that's coming at us, Ryan McGee and I cranked out three Talking TV podcasts this week.

Two of them are devoted to new fall programs. In the first one, we talk about new shows that air on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. In the second podcast, we talk about new programs that air Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

The third podcast has three main sections: The FX comedies 'Archer' and 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' (which return Thursday), a discussion of HBO's 'Boardwalk Empire' (which begins its second season Sept. 25) and a tribute to 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand' actor Andy Whitfield, who passed away on Sunday.

Maybe I've become complacent as medicine has progressed and diseases that used to be terrifying -- cancer, AIDS -- have become survivable. Even though actor Andy Whitfield had, for a second time, bowed out of his lead role in 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand' to fight non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, it never crossed my mind that he would die at 39. Too young, too fit, too strong. I think of a lot of TV fans were shocked.

The first time Whitfield left the show, the series went to a short-run prequel focused on different characters. When it became clear Whitfield couldn't take up the mantle of Spartacus again, the role was recast and the series was set to return for a second season in January 2012.

We keep hearing about original series from paid channels like HBO or Showtime getting major kudos and ratings, but we never hear much about the original series from Starz, until now. Their series 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand' has been picking up some serious numbers in terms of viewers since its premiere on January 22nd of this year.

The show has gotten lukewarm reviews from the critics. Perhaps it's the gladiatorial combat that draws in the viewers. Or perhaps it's the proliferation of sex in the series (including some nudity on the part of former 'Battlestar Galactica' cylon/'Xena: Warrior Princess,' Lucy Lawless). Or perhaps people are confusing it with the movie 'Spartacus' that starred Kirk Douglas and was directed by Stanley Kubrick.

Starz could very well become the Cinemax of scripted programming, relying on more adult original scripted programming with lots of sex and violence in order to be a player in the game along with HBO and Showtime. Time will tell.

'Spartacus' lead Andy Whitfield has been diagnosed with a treatable form of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

The Welsh-born actor is reportedly receiving immediate treatment in New Zealand, and is said to be "feeling strong, positive and determined," according to a statement posted on the Ausiello Files.

In the meantime, Starz Entertainment said that it will postpone production on season 2, titled 'Spartacus: Vengeance,' while Whitfield receives treatment for the disease.

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