Vikings is ahistorical drama television series created and written byMichael Hirst. A co-production between Canada and Ireland, the series originally premiered on theHistory Channel on March 3, 2013. The series concluded with its broadcast onHistory in Canada from January 1 to March 3, 2021, after the second half of the sixth season was released in its entirety onAmazon Prime Video inIreland on December 30, 2020. A sequel series, titledVikings: Valhalla, premiered onNetflix on February 25, 2022.[1]
It is inspired by thesagas ofRagnar Lodbrok, aViking who is one of the best-known legendaryNorse heroes and notorious as the scourge ofAnglo-Saxon England andWest Francia. The show portrays Ragnar as a farmer fromKattegat who rises to fame by raiding England and eventually becomes a Scandinavian king, with the support of his family and fellow warriors. In the later seasons, the series follows the fortunes of his sons and their adventures in England,Scandinavia,Kievan Rus', theMediterranean andNorth America.
The series is inspired by the tales of theNorsemen ofearly medieval Scandinavia. It broadly follows the exploits of the legendary Viking chieftainRagnar Lothbrok and his crew, family and descendants, as notably laid down in the 13th-century sagasRagnars saga Loðbrókar andRagnarssona þáttr, as well as inSaxo Grammaticus' 12th-century workGesta Danorum. Norselegendary sagas were partially fictional tales based in the Norseoral tradition, written down about 200 to 400 years after the events they describe. Further inspiration is taken from historical sources of the period, such as records of the Viking raid onLindisfarne depicted in the second episode, orAhmad ibn Fadlan's 10th-century account of theVarangians. The series begins at the start of theViking Age, marked by the Lindisfarne raid in 793.
An Irish-Canadian co-production,Vikings was developed and produced by Octagon Films and Take 5 Productions.[2] Michael Hirst, Morgan O'Sullivan, John Weber, Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer, James Flynn and Sheila Hockin are credited asexecutive producers.[2] The first season's budget was ofUS$40 million.[3]
The series began filming in July 2012 at Ashford Studios in Ireland, which at the time was a newly built facility.[4] This location was chosen for its scenery and tax advantages.[3] On August 16, 2012, longship scenes were filmed atLuggala, as well as on thePoulaphouca Reservoir in theWicklow Mountains.[5] Seventy percent of the first season was filmed outdoors.[3] Some additional background shots were done inwestern Norway.[6]
Johan Renck,[7]Ciarán Donnelly andKen Girotti each directed three episodes. The production team included cinematographerJohn Bartley, costume designer Joan Bergin, production designer Tom Conroy, composerTrevor Morris and Irish choir Crux Vocal Ensemble, directed by Paul McGough.
On April 5, 2013, History renewedVikings for a ten-episode second season.[8]Jeff Woolnough[9] andKari Skogland joined Ken Girotti and Ciaran Donnelly as directors of the second season.[10]
Two new series regulars were announced on June 11, 2013:Alexander Ludwig, portraying the teenageBjörn; andLinus Roache, playingKing Ecbert of Wessex.[11] The second season undergoes a jump in time, aging the young Björn (Nathan O'Toole) into an olderswordsman portrayed by Ludwig. The older Björn has not seen his father, Ragnar, for "a long period of time". Lagertha remarries to a powerfuljarl, a stepfather who provides harsh guidance to Björn.[12] Edvin Endre[13] and Anna Åström signed up for roles in the second season.[14] Endre had the role of Erlendur, one of King Horik's sons.
Morgan O'Sullivan, Sheila Hockin, Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer, James Flynn, John Weber and Michael Hirst are credited as executive producers.[2]
This season was produced by Steve Wakefield and Keith Thompson; Bill Goddard and Séamus McInerney acted as co-producers. The production team for this season included casting directors Frank and Nuala Moiselle; costume designer Joan Bergin; visual effects supervisors Julian Parry and Dominic Remane; stunt action designers Franklin Henson and Richard Ryan; composer Trevor Morris; production designer Mark Geraghty; editors Aaron Marshall for the first, third, fifth, seventh and ninth episodes and Tad Seaborn for the second, fourth, sixth, eighth and tenth episodes; and cinematographer PJ Dillon.
Norwegian music groupWardruna provided much of the background music to the series. Wardruna's founderEinar Selvik also appeared as an actor in the show during the third season, portraying a shaman.[15]
Michael Hirst announced plans for the fourth season before the third season had begun airing.[16] The fourth season began production in Ireland around theDublin andWicklow areas in April 2015.[17] Additional location photography featuring Ludwig took place in Canada.
Finnish actorsPeter Franzén andJasper Pääkkönen, as well as Canadian actressDianne Doan, joined the cast of the fourth season. Franzén played Norwegian KingHarald Finehair, a potential rival to Ragnar. Pääkkönen was cast asHalfdan the Black, Finehair's brother. Doan portrays Yidu, a Chinese character who has a major role in the first half of the fourth season.[18]
FormerToronto Blue Jays playerJosh Donaldson is a fan of the series and in January 2016, it was announced that he would have a guest appearance in the fourth season of the show as "Hoskuld".[19]
At the same time that the series was renewed for a fifth season, it was announced that Irish actorJonathan Rhys Meyers would be joining the cast,[20] asHeahmund, a "warrior bishop".Vikings’ creator Michael Hirst, explained: "I was looking at the history books, and I came across these warrior bishops. The antecedents of the Knights Templar: these are people who were absolutely religious, yet they put on armor and they fought. Don't let their priestly status fool you, either. 'They were crazy! They believed totally inChristianity and the message, and yet, on the battlefield, they were totallyberserk.'"[21]
WWE wrestlerAdam Copeland was cast in a recurring role for the fifth season as Kjetill Flatnose, a violent and bold warrior. He is chosen by Floki to lead an expedition to Iceland to set up a colony.[22] Irish actor Darren Cahill plays the role ofÆthelred of Wessex in the fifth season.[23] Nigerian actor Stanley Aguzie told local media he had landed a small role in the fifth season.[24] The fifth season also features Irish actor, musician and real-life police detective,Kieran O'Reilly, who plays the role of "White Hair".[25] In April 2017 it was announced that Danish actor Erik Madsen would join the cast for the fifth season, asKing Hemmig.[26] He spent several months of 2016 on the set ofThe Last Kingdom, portraying a Viking.[27] Season 5 involved location shooting in Iceland as well as Morocco, the latter standing in for Sicily and Egypt.
Vikings premiered on March 3, 2013, in Canada[32] and the United States.[4]Vikings was renewed for a fourth season in March 2015 with an extended order of 20 episodes, which premiered on February 18, 2016.[33][34][35] On March 17, 2016, History renewedVikings for a fifth season of 20 episodes, which premiered on November 29, 2017.[20][36] On September 12, 2017, ahead of its fifth-season premiere, the series was renewed for a sixth season of 20 episodes.[37] On January 4, 2019, it was announced that the sixth season would be the series' last.[38] The sixth season premiered on December 4, 2019.[39] The second part of the sixth and final season was released in its entirety on December 30, 2020, onAmazon Prime Video in Ireland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Austria;[40] and aired in Canada on History from January 1, 2021.[41]
In the UK,Vikings premiered on May 24, 2013, where it was exclusively available on the streaming video-on-demand serviceLoveFilm.[42] The second season premiered on March 24, 2015.[43] The third season began airing on February 20, 2015, on Amazon Prime Video.[44]
In Australia, the series premiered on August 8, 2013, onSBS One.[45] It was later moved toFX, which debuted the second season on February 4, 2015.[46] Season three of Vikings began broadcasting in Australia on SBS One on March 19, 2015.[47] Season four of Vikings began broadcasting in Australia on SBS One on February 24, 2016.[48]
The nudity and sex scenes are regularly edited out for American audiences. For example, the sex scene between Lagertha and Astrid in the fourth-season episode "The Outsider" only showed them kissing. The scene continued for airings in other countries and on home video releases.[49][50]
Gustaf Skarsgård (centre) and cast members at German Film & Comic Con Babelsberg, July 2024
The first episode received favorable reviews, with an average rating of 71% according toMetacritic.[51]Alan Sepinwall ofHitFix praised the casting, notably of Fimmel as Ragnar, and observed thatVikings "isn't complicated. It ... relies on the inherent appeal of the era and these characters to drive the story".[52] Nancy DeWolf Smith ofThe Wall Street Journal noted the "natural and authentic" setting and costumes, and appreciated thatVikings was (unlike, for example,Spartacus) not a celebration of sex and violence, but "a study of character, stamina, power and ... of social, emotional and even intellectual awakening".[53]Hank Stuever, writing forThe Washington Post, said that the "compelling and robust new drama series ... delivers all the expected gore and blood spatter", but that it successfully adapted the skills ofcable television drama, with the care taken in acting, writing and sense of scope reminiscent ofRome,Sons of Anarchy andGame of Thrones. He also suggested that the way the series emphasized "a core pride and nobility in this tribe of thugs" reflected "just another iteration ofTony Soprano".[54]Neil Genzlinger, inThe New York Times, praised the "arresting" cinematography and the actors' performances, notably Fimmel's, and favorably contrastedVikings toGame of Thrones andSpartacus for the absence of gratuitous nudity.[55]
InTIME,James Poniewozik noted that the relatively simple generational conflict underlyingVikings "doesn't nearly have the narrative ambition of aGame of Thrones or the political subtleties of aRome", nor these series' skill with dialogue, but that it held up pretty well compared to the "tabloid history" ofThe Tudors andThe Borgias. He concluded that "Vikings' larger story arc is really more about historical forces" than about its not very complex characters.[56] Clark Collis ofEntertainment Weekly appreciated the performances, but consideredVikings to be "kind of a mess", lacking the intrigue ofThe Tudors andGame of Thrones.[57] Brian Lowry criticized the series inVariety as an "unrelenting cheese-fest" and as a "more simpleminded version ofGame of Thrones", but considered that it had "a level of atmosphere and momentum that makes it work as a mild diversion".[58] In theSan Francisco Chronicle,David Wiegand was disappointed by the series' "glacial pace" and lack of action as well as the "flabby direction and a gassy script", while appreciating the performances and characters.[59]
The second season received a Metacritic rating of 77%, and a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 92% based on twelve professional critic reviews.
According toNielsen, the series premiere drew six million viewers in the US, topping all broadcast networks among viewers aged 18 to 49. An earlier claim of over eighteen million viewers was later retracted by the channel with an apology.[60][61]
In Canada, the premiere had 1.1 million viewers. The first season averaged 942,000 viewers.[62]
Most of the scenes are shot in modern English, but several other languages are featured through the series, in order to make the audience perceive that different groups of characters speak different native languages and often have troubles communicating. These include primarilyOld Norse,Old English andLatin, which appeared since the first season.[63]
Lars Walker, in the magazineThe American Spectator, criticised its portrayal of early Viking Age government (represented by Earl Haraldson) as autocratic rather than essentially democratic.[67] Joel Robert Thompson criticised depiction of the Scandinavians' supposed ignorance of the existence of Britain and Ireland and of the death penalty rather thanoutlawry (skoggangr) as their most serious punishment.[68]
Monty Dobson, a historian atCentral Michigan University, criticised the depiction of Viking clothing but went on to say that fictional shows likeVikings could still be a useful teaching tool.[69] The Norwegian newspaperAftenposten reported that the series incorrectly depicted thetemple at Uppsala as astave church in the mountains, whereas the historical temple wassituated on flat land, and stave churches were characteristic of later Christian architecture.[70] The temple in the series has similarities with reconstructions of theUppåkra hof.
Many characters are based on (or inspired by) real people from history or legend and the events portrayed are broadly drawn from history. The history of more than a century has been condensed; people who could never have met are shown as of similar age, with the history amended for dramatic effect. Season one leads up to theattack on Lindisfarne Abbey of 793 (before thereal Rollo was born). In season three the same characters at roughly the same ages participate in theSiege of Paris of 845. By this time, Ecbert was dead andKing Æthelwulf was already on the throne. Rollo is shown having his followers killed and fighting his fellow Vikings, whereas in history they weregranted what became Normandy and continued to co-operate with their Norse kinsmen.
Little is known about Viking religious practice and its depiction is largely fictitious.[71] When Katheryn Winnick was asked why she licked the seer's hand she answered: "It wasn't originally in the script and we just wanted to come up with something unique and different".[72] Theshowrunner Michael Hirst said, "I especially had to take liberties withVikings because no one knows for sure what happened in the Dark Ages ... we want people to watch it. A historical account of the Vikings would reach hundreds, occasionally thousands, of people. Here we've got to reach millions".[73]
In the fourth episode of the second season, the bishop of Wessex is shown inflicting crucifixion as punishment forapostasy, while it had been outlawed more than four centuries earlier by EmperorConstantine the Great,[74] and it would have been blasphemous for the Christian population.[75]
Zenescope partnered with theHistory Channel to create a freeVikings comic book based on the series. It was first distributed atComic-Con 2013 and bycomiXology in February 2014.[123][124] The comic was written by Michael Hirst, features interior artwork byDennis Calero (X-Men Noir), and is set before the events of season one. In addition to featuring Ragnar and Rollo battling alongside their father, the comic depicts the brothers' first encounter with Lagertha.[124]
On January 4, 2019, alongside the announcement that the series would end after its sixth season, it was announced that Hirst and MGM Television were developing a spin-off series with writerJeb Stuart.[38] On November 19, 2019, it was announced that this, titledVikings: Valhalla, would take place a century after the end of the original series and would be released on Netflix.[128] The 24-episode series was made by MGM Television, and filmed primarily in Ireland, working from the same Ashford Studios in County Wicklow. The series focuses "on the adventures ofLeif Erikson,Freydís Eiríksdóttir andHarald Sigurdsson".[129]
^The second half of the sixth season concluded on December 30, 2020, when it was released in its entirety on Amazon Prime Video in select countries, ahead of its standard broadcast on History in Canada from January 1 to March 3, 2021.
^Sutherland only appears in one episode of season one, although credited as a main cast member.
^Pääkkönen only appears in one episode of season six, although credited as a main cast member.
^Meyers only appears in one episode of season four, although credited as a main cast member.
^Montana, Tony (October 30, 2017)."Vikings 4.11 The Outsider".Movie-Censorship.com.Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. RetrievedFebruary 8, 2019.
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