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Vikings
GenreHistorical period drama
Action-adventure
Created byMichael Hirst
Written byMichael Hirst
Starring
Opening theme"If I Had a Heart"
by Fever Ray
ComposerTrevor Morris
Country of originCanada
Ireland
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes49 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Morgan O'Sullivan
  • Sheila Hockin
  • Sherry Marsh
  • Alan Gasmer
  • James Flynn
  • John Weber
  • Michael Hirst
Producers
  • Steve Wakefield
  • Keith Thompson
  • Sanne Wohlenberg
Production locationsAshford Studios
County Wicklow
Cinematography
Editors
  • Aaron Marshall
  • Michele Conroy
  • Don Cassidy
  • Tad Seaborn
  • Christopher Donaldson
Running time45 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkHistory
ReleaseMarch 3, 2013 (2013-03-03) –
present (present)

Vikings is a historical drama television series written and created by Michael Hirst for the History channel. Filmed in Ireland, it premiered on March 3, 2013 in Canada.[1]

Vikings is inspired by the sagas of Viking Ragnar Lothbrok, one of the best-known legendary Norse heroes and notorious as the scourge of England and France. The show portrays Ragnar as a farmer who rises to fame by following his dream to successfully raid England, and eventually becomes a Scandinavian king, with the support of his family and fellow warriors: his brother Rollo, his son Björn Ironside, his friend Floki, his servant Athelstan, and his wives—the shieldmaiden Lagertha and the princess Aslaug.

On March 17, 2016, History renewed Vikings for a fifth season of 20 episodes, which is set to premiere on November 29, 2017. On September 12, 2017, ahead of its fifth-season premiere, the series was renewed for a sixth season, which will consist of 20 episodes.

Premise

The series is inspired by the tales of the raiding, trading, and exploring Norsemen of early medieval Scandinavia. It follows the exploits of the legendary Viking chieftain Ragnar Lothbrok and his crew and family, as notably laid down in the 13th-century sagas Ragnars saga Loðbrókar and Ragnarssona þáttr, as well as in Saxo Grammaticus's 12th-century work Gesta Danorum. Norse legendary sagas were partially fictional tales based on Norse oral 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 on Lindisfarne depicted in the second episode, or Ahmad ibn Fadlan's 10th-century account of the Volga Vikings. The series is set at the beginning of the Viking Age, marked by the Lindisfarne raid in 793. Many questions remain regarding the legitimacy of Ragnar Lothbrok's tale, particularly due to the number of times and variation of ways Ragnar's death has been recorded in a number of texts.[2]

Cast

(removed significantly less important characters)

Production

An Irish-Canadian co-production, Vikings was developed and produced by Octagon Films and Take 5 Productions.[1] Michael Hirst, Morgan O'Sullivan, John Weber, Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer, James Flynn and Sheila Hockin are credited as executive producers.[1] The first season's budget was reported as US$40 million.[6]

The series began filming in July 2012 at Ashford Studios, a newly built facility in Ireland,[7] chosen as a location for its tax advantages.[6] On August 16, 2012, longship scenes were filmed at Luggala, as well as on the Poulaphouca Reservoir in the Wicklow Mountains.[8] 70 percent of the first season was filmed outdoors.[6] Some additional background shots were done in western Norway.[9]

Johan Renck,[10] Ciarán Donnelly and Ken Girotti each directed three episodes. The production team included cinematographer John Bartley, costume designer Joan Bergin, production designer Tom Conroy, composer Trevor Morris and Irish choir Crux Vocal Ensemble, directed by Paul McGough.

On April 5, 2013, History renewed Vikings for a ten-episode second season.[11]

Two new series regulars were announced on June 11, 2013. Alexander Ludwig, portraying the teenage Björn, and Linus Roache, playing King Ecbert of Wessex.[12] Season two undergoes a jump in time, aging the young Björn (Nathan O'Toole) into an older swordsman portrayed by Ludwig. The older Björn has not seen his father, Ragnar, for "a long period of time". Lagertha remarries to a powerful jarl, a stepfather who provides harsh guidance to Björn.[13]

Edvin Endre, son of Swedish actress Lena Endre,[14] and Anna Åström signed up for roles in season two.[15] Endre had the role of Erlendur, one of King Horik's sons.

Jeff Woolnough[16] and Kari Skogland joined Ken Girotti and Ciaran Donnelly as directors of season two.[17]

Michael Hirst announced plans for season four before season three had begun airing.[18] Season four began production around the Dublin area in April 2015.[19]

Finnish actors Peter Franzén and Jasper Pääkkönen, as well as Canadian actress Dianne Doan joined the cast of season four. Franzén played Norwegian King Harald Finehair, a potential rival to Ragnar. Pääkkönen was cast as Halfdan the Black, Finehair's brother. Doan portrays Yidu, a Chinese character who who forms an unsteady friendship with Ragnar in the fourth season as she introduces and administers an addictive substance to him.[20]

At the same time that the series was renewed for a fifth season, it was announced that Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers would be joining the cast,[21] as Heahmund, 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 in Christianity and the message, and yet, on the battlefield, they were totally berserk.'" [22]

Former WWE star Adam Copeland, (a.k.a. Edge), was cast in a recurring role for season five, as Ketill Flatnose, a violent and bold warrior. He is chosen by Floki to lead an expedition to Iceland to set up a colony.[23] Irish actor Darren Cahill will play the role of Aethelred in the upcoming season.[24] Nigerian actor Stanley Amuzie told local media he had landed a small role in the upcoming season.[25] Season five will also include Irish actor, musician and real-life police detective, Kieran O'Reilly, who will play the role of "White Hair".[26]

Norwegian music group Wardruna provided much of the background music to the series. Wardruna's founder Einar Kvitrafn Selvik also appeared as an actor in the show as a shaman.[27]

In April 2017 it was announced that Danish actor Erik Madsen will join the cast for season five, as King Hemmig.[28] He spent several months of 2016 on the set of The Last Kingdom, portraying a Viking.[29]

Russian actor Danila Kozlovsky joins the series for season six, as Oleg of Novgorod, the 10th century Varangian (east European Vikings) ruler of the Rus' people. Coincidentally, Kozlovsky headlined the big-budget 2016 Russian feature Viking, playing one of Oleg’s successors, Vladimir the Great, Prince of Novgorod.[30]

Broadcast

SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
193 March 2013 (2013-03-03)28 April 2013 (2013-04-28)History
21027 February 2014 (2014-02-27)1 May 2014 (2014-05-01)
31019 February 2015 (2015-02-19)23 April 2015 (2015-04-23)
4201018 February 2016 (2016-02-18)21 April 2016 (2016-04-21)
1030 November 2016 (2016-11-30)1 February 2017 (2017-02-01)
5201029 November 2017 (2017-11-29)24 January 2018 (2018-01-24)
1028 November 2018 (2018-11-28)30 January 2019 (2019-01-30)
620104 December 2019 (2019-12-04)5 February 2020 (2020-02-05)
1030 December 2020 (2020-12-30)Amazon Prime Video

Vikings premiered on March 3, 2013 in Canada[31] and the United States.[7] Vikings was renewed for a fourth season in March 2015 with an extended order of 20 episodes, which premiered on February 18, 2016.[32][33][34] On March 17, 2016, History renewed Vikings for a fifth season of 20 episodes, which is set to premiere on November 29, 2017.[21][35] On September 12, 2017, ahead of its fifth-season premiere, the series was renewed for a sixth season of 20 episodes.[36]

In the UK, Vikings premiered on May 24, 2013 where it was exclusively available on the streaming video-on-demand service LoveFilm.[37] The second season premiered on March 24, 2015.[38] The third season began airing on February 20, 2015 on Amazon Video.[39]

In Australia, the series premiered on August 8, 2013 on SBS One.[40] It was later moved to FX, which debuted the second season on February 4, 2015.[41] Season three of Vikings began broadcasting in Australia on SBS One on March 19, 2015.[42] Season four of Vikings began broadcasting in Australia on SBS One on February 24, 2016.[43]

Reception

Reviews

Metacritic ratings per season
Season 1 Season 2 Season 3
Rating 71[44] 77[45] 81[46]

The first episode received favourable reviews, with an average rating of 71% according to Metacritic.[47] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix praised the casting, notably of Fimmel as Ragnar, and observed that Vikings "isn't complicated. It ... relies on the inherent appeal of the era and these characters to drive the story."[48] Nancy DeWolf Smith of The Wall Street Journal noted the "natural and authentic" setting and costumes, and appreciated that Vikings was (unlike, e.g., Spartacus) not a celebration of sex and violence, but "a study of character, stamina, power and ... of social, emotional and even intellectual awakening".[49] Hank Stuever, writing for the 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 of cable television drama, with the care taken in acting, writing and sense of scope reminiscent of Rome, Sons of Anarchy and Game 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 of Tony Soprano".[50] Neil Genzlinger, in The New York Times, praised the "arresting" cinematography and the actors' performances, notably Fimmel's, and favorably contrasted Vikings to Game of Thrones and Spartacus for the absence of gratuitous nudity.[51]

In TIME, James Poniewozik noted that the relatively simple generational conflict underlying Vikings "doesn't nearly have the narrative ambition of a Game of Thrones or the political subtleties of a Rome", nor these series' skill with dialogue, but that it held up pretty well compared to the "tabloid history" of The Tudors and The Borgias. He concluded that "Vikings' larger story arc is really more about historical forces" than about its not very complex characters.[52] Clark Collis of Entertainment Weekly appreciated the performances, but considered Vikings to be "kind of a mess", lacking the intrigue of The Tudors and Game of Thrones.[53] Brian Lowry criticized the series in Variety as an "unrelenting cheese-fest" and as a "more simpleminded version of Game of Thrones", but considered that it had "a level of atmosphere and momentum that makes it work as a mild diversion".[54] In the San Francisco Chronicle, David Wiegand was disappointed by the series's "glacial pace" and lack of action as well as the "flabby direction and a gassy script", while appreciating the performances and characters.[55]

The second season received a Metacritic rating of 77%, and a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 92% based on twelve professional critic reviews.

Ratings

According to Nielsen, the series premiere drew six million viewers in the U.S., 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.[56][57]

In Canada, the premiere had 1.1 million viewers. The first season averaged 942,000 viewers.[58]

Historical accuracy

Some critics have pointed out historical inaccuracies in the series's depiction of Viking society. Lars Walker, in the magazine The American Spectator, criticized its portrayal of early Viking Age government (represented by Earl Haraldson) as autocratic rather than essentially democratic.[59] Joel Robert Thompson criticized depiction of the Scandinavians' supposed ignorance of the existence of Britain and Ireland, and of the death penalty rather than outlawry (skoggangr) as their most serious punishment.[60]

Monty Dobson, a historian at Central Michigan University, criticised the depiction of Viking Age clothing, but went on to say that fictional shows like Vikings could still be a useful teaching tool.[61] The Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten reported that the series incorrectly depicted the temple at Uppsala as a stave church in the mountains, whereas the historical temple was situated on flat land and stave churches were a hallmark of later Christian architecture.[62] On the other hand, the temple as depicted does have similarities with reconstructions of the Uppåkra hof.

'In the series, the Vikings travel to England under Ragnar's self-proclaimed destiny to explore new lands. However, the true reason of why the Vikings left their homeland is still uncertain. Some have suggested that overpopulation of their homeland as a potential cause forced them to venture to England, but the earliest vikings were searching for riches, not land.[63]'

Many characters are based on (or inspired by) real people from history or legend, and the major events portrayed are broadly drawn from history. However, events from over a hundred years have been condensed, so that people who could never have met are shown as of similar age, with the historical events amended for dramatic effect. For example, season one leads up to the attack on Lindisfarne Abbey of 793 (before the real Rollo was born), but in season three the same characters at roughly the same ages participate in the Siege of Paris of 845. By this time, Ecbert had been dead for over forty years, and King Alfred the Great was already king, yet he is still portrayed as a child in season four. Rollo is portrayed having his followers killed, and fighting his fellow Vikings, whereas in history they were granted what became Normandy and continued to co-operate with their Norse kinsmen. Furthermore, most of the principal characters are portrayed as being from Norway, while according to primary sources they would most likely have been Danes.

Little is known about Viking religious practice[64] and so its depiction is largely creative. 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".[65] Regarding the historical differences and accuracy issues of the show, showrunner Michael Hirst said: "I especially had to take liberties with Vikings 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."[66]

Related media

Zenescope partnered with the History Channel to create a free Vikings comic book based on the series. It was first distributed at Comic-Con 2013 and by comiXology in February 2014.[67][68] The comic was written by Michael Hirst, features interior artwork by Dennis 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.[68]

See also

Notes

References

  1. ^ a b c "VIKINGS Tops The Ratings With 8.3 Million Viewers". Irish Film Board. March 5, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  2. ^ "The Real Ragnar Lothbrok". Biography.com. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
  3. ^ Turnbow, Tina (March 18, 2013). "Reflections of a Viking by Clive Standen". The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  4. ^ Mitchell, John (April 25, 2013). "'Vikings' season finale: Mysterious beauty tempts Ragnar". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
  5. ^ "History's Hit Drama Series "Vikings" Returns for Season Four on Thursday, February 18 at 10 PM ET/PT". The Futon Critic. December 17, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  6. ^ a b c Justin, Neal (March 2, 2013). "Meet the real Ragnar on History Channel's 'Vikings'". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  7. ^ a b "The History Channel Announces 'Vikings' Broadcast DateThe Irish Film & Television Network". Irish Film and Television Network. December 20, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  8. ^ Kelpie, Colm (August 17, 2012). "Viking hordes are back to make history". Irish Independent. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  9. ^ "FILMS SHOT IN NORWAY". Film commission Norway. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  10. ^ "Resumé: "Det är mörkt och dramatiskt"". Resume.se. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  11. ^ "Vikings Renewed". Seat42f. April 5, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  12. ^ Goldberg, Lesley. 'Vikings' Enlists 'Hunger Games', 'Law & Order' Actors for Season 2, The Hollywood Reporter, June 11, 2013. Accessed January 5, 2014.
  13. ^ Fitzpatrick, Kevin (July 9, 2013). "'Vikings' Season 2 Spoilers: What Will the Time Jump Change?". ScreenCrush.
  14. ^ "Edvin Endre klar för HBO-serie" [Edvin Endre ready for HBO series]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). 2013-06-28.
  15. ^ "Siktar på roll i Skarsgårds vikingaserie" [Aiming for role in Skarsgård's Viking series]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). 2013-07-09.
  16. ^ "Selected Filmography". Marco Ciglia.
  17. ^ "PJ Dillon" (PDF). Casarotto.
  18. ^ "Vikings Season 3 Trailer Details". screenrant.com. August 11, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  19. ^ "Casting Call Announced History Channel Vikings". auditionsfree.com. March 19, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  20. ^ "'Vikings' Season 4 Spoilers". The Hollywood Reporter. May 5, 2015.
  21. ^ a b Lesley Goldberg (March 17, 2016). "'Vikings' Renewed for Fifth Season at History". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  22. ^ "'Vikings' Creator Talks Jonathan Rhys Meyers' New Character". Entertainment Weekly. 26 January 2017.
  23. ^ Petski, Denise (26 July 2016). "WWE Star Edge Joins 'Vikings' Season five In Recurring Role". Deadline.com.
  24. ^ "'Red Rock' actor Darren Cahill joins 'Vikings' Season 5". The Irish Film & Television Network.
  25. ^ Izuzu, Chidumga. "Stanley Aguzie: Nollywood actor lands role in "Vikings"". Pulse.ng.
  26. ^ "How do we pitch Ireland as a movie location to Hollywood?". Irish Independent. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  27. ^ "Einar Kvitrafn Selvik (Wardruna) Appearing On History Channel's Vikings". Ghost Cult Magazine. February 15, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  28. ^ Petski, Denise (12 April 2017). "'UnReal' Casts Tracie Thoms; Erik Madsen Joins 'Vikings'".
  29. ^ NRK. "Erik Madsen i ny høvdingrolle i "Vikings"".
  30. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (12 September 2017). "'Vikings': Russian Actor Danila Kozlovsky To Star In Season 6 Of History Series".
  31. ^ Ricthie, Kevin. "History to debut scripted series Vikings in March". Playback. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  32. ^ Nicholson, Max (March 26, 2015). "Vikings Renewed for Season 4". IGN. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  33. ^ Mathew, Ilin (July 3, 2015). "'Vikings' Season 4 Spoilers: Queen Aslaug to be Leader; Will Rollo Follow Ragnar's Footsteps?". International Business Times. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  34. ^ Matt Webb Mitovich. "Vikings Gets Supersized Season 4, Premiere Date, 'Last Supper'-y Poster – TVLine". TVLine.
  35. ^ Greg Evans (July 22, 2017). "'Vikings' Gets Trailer & Season Premiere Date – Comic-Con". Deadline. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  36. ^ Franich, Darren (September 12, 2017). "Vikings renewed for sixth season". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  37. ^ Munn, Patrick (May 10, 2013). "LOVEFiLM Acquires Exclusive UK Rights To History's 'Vikings', Sets Premiere For May 24th". TV Wise. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  38. ^ Munn, Patrick (January 28, 2015). "History UK Sets Premiere Date For 'Vikings' Season 2". TV Wise. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  39. ^ Munn, Patrick (February 3, 2015). "Amazon Prime Instant Video Picks Up UK Rights To 'Vikings' Season 3, Sets Premiere For February 20th". TV Wise. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  40. ^ "Airdate: 'Vikings'". TV Tonight. July 31, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  41. ^ Higgins, D (February 2, 2015). "New this week: Black Sails, Selling Houses Australia, Big Cat Week and Snowboarding World Cup". The Green Room. Foxtel. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  42. ^ Weatherall, Bryan (February 13, 2015). "Vikings Season 3 Australian Release Date". Resident Entertainment. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  43. ^ Weatherall, Bryan (January 16, 2016). "Vikings Season 4 Australian Release Date". Resident Entertainment. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  44. ^ "Vikings: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  45. ^ "Vikings: Season 2". Metacritic. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  46. ^ "Vikings: Season 3". Metacritic. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  47. ^ Vikings at Metacritic
  48. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (March 1, 2013). "Review: History's 'Vikings' a bloody good time". What's Alan Watching?. HitFix. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  49. ^ DeWolf Smith, Nancy (March 1, 2013). "The Norse Code". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  50. ^ Stuever, Hank (February 28, 2013). "In History's compelling 'Vikings,' Hägar the Hipster is a brute charmer". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  51. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (March 1, 2013). "You Plunder, I'll Pillage, Maybe We'll Find England". The New York Times. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  52. ^ Poniewozik, James (March 1, 2013). "TV Weekend: History Launches Vikings (and an Action-Packed Bible)". Time. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  53. ^ Collis, Clark (February 27, 2013). "Vikings (2013)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  54. ^ Lowry, Brian (February 27, 2013). "TV Review: 'Vikings'". Variety. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  55. ^ Wiegand, David (February 28, 2013). "'Vikings' review: It takes a pillage". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  56. ^ de Moraes, Lisa (March 5, 2013). "History channel apologizes after boasting about 'Vikings' ratings". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  57. ^ "'Vikings' Has Number 1 Cable Series Premiere of the Year With 8.3 Million Total Viewers on the Night". TV by the Numbers.
  58. ^ Wild, Diane (2013-04-05). "Vikings picked up for second season". TV, eh?.
  59. ^ Walker, Lars (March 12, 2013). "History Channel Gets Vikings Precisely Wrong". The American Spectator. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  60. ^ Balar, Keya (March 14, 2013). "Historical Inaccuracies in 'Vikings'". Daily Targum. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  61. ^ Dobson, Monty (March 18, 2013) Obsessed with the Good and Bad of ‘Vikings’, LiveScience, retrieved April 17, 2013
  62. ^ "TV-serie om vikinger skaper latter for historiske tabber". Aftenposten. April 24, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
  63. ^ "Vikings - Exploration - HISTORY.com". HISTORY.com. Retrieved 2017-11-03.
  64. ^ "Viking Religion". BBC. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  65. ^ Johnson, Ron (February 15, 2014). "The beauty and the beheading Toronto star returns in new season of Vikings". Post City Magazines.
  66. ^ Gilbert, Tom (February 22, 2013) "Vikings Come Ashore in a New Light", The New York Times, retrieved April 8, 2013
  67. ^ "Vikings #1". comiXology. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  68. ^ a b "Hero Complex: Comic-Con: 'Vikings' will land with stars, free comic, boat races". Los Angeles Times. July 2, 2013.

External links

Article Evaluation

Vikings (TV series)

The Wikipedia page for the television show Vikings provides some general background information on the subject but is overall deserving of the C-class rating it was given by WikiProject Television. The article's introductory paragraph over-simplifies many of the show's important character development by using the word "support" to describe many complex relationships between the main and supporting characters while simultaneously leaving out several key characters. This paragraph also highlights not very important information like the show's filming location and Canadian release date. Another section of the article lists the show's cast but only includes some of Viking's important characters. The reference page reveals that less reputable sources, like blogs and opinionated reviews, make up a significant portion of the page's cited information.