Image source: Pixabay
Some TV shows are almost guaranteed to be hits before they are even launched, while others have their work cut out to attract a mainstream audience. Vikings definitely falls into the latter category.
Humble Beginnings
The Norse-themed drama did not have the weight of HBO, AMC, or Netflix behind it, but instead began life on the Canadian History channel. The network had long produced engaging historical documentaries and had also dabbled with fictional works, but they did not have a major reputation for producing hit drama series. Despite this, they allocated a $40m budget (over $4m per episode) for the first season – bigger than the likes of Breaking Bad – indicating that the producers obviously had big ambitions for the show.
That aspiration was justified when the show drew more than six million viewers upon launch. While it never hit the dizzy heights of mega-hits like Game of Thrones, it picked up a loyal cult following and was renewed for a total of 6 seasons – a genuine feat in the age of cancelled shows – and has also gone on to influence other related media.
Related Media
Prompted by the popularity of the TV show, Zenescope partnered with the producers to launch a Vikings comic book. The book was written by show screenwriter Michael Hirst and was set before season one of the show. The comic provides some background to the stories of Ragnar, Rollo, and Lagertha. It first appeared at the Comic-Con convention in 2013 and was also distributed on the ComiXology digital platform.
There was also a licensed casino game based on Vikings, which provided a real treat for fans of the show who also often play online pokies at SkyCity Casino, for example. The game captures the brutality of the TV series and features characters including Bjorn, Floki, Lagertha, and Ragnar. The imagery, soundtrack, and symbols utilised in the game are also all in keeping with the show, and the reels provide a pocket-sized burst of the action-packed TV universe.
Similar Shows
A couple of years after Vikings was launched, other shows catering to a similar audience began to appear. Most notably was the BBC’s The Last Kingdom, which later appeared on Netflix, and is set in England during the age of the Viking incursions.
Later, in 2018, Britannia was launched on Sky Atlantic and Amazon Prime with an all-star cast and a sizeable budget. The show is set in the time of the Roman invasion of Britain and has already been renewed for a third season, which began filming in 2020.
Spin-off
Vikings may have finished, but a spin-off is already in the works. Vikings: Valhalla began filming in 2020 and will be set a century after the original, and will also feature many familiar characters from Norse history such as Leif Erikson, Freydis Eiriksdottir, and Harald Hardrada. The Norman King William the Conqueror, who was a Viking descendant, will also appear. Many of the cast have already been announced on social media. The show is being produced by MGM and should make it onto our screens – via Netflix – at some point in 2021.
Vikings : Valhalla Cast
– Sam Corlett is Leif Eriksson
– Frida Gustavsson is Freydis Eriksdotter
– Leo Suter is Harald Sigurdsson
– Bradley Freegard is King Canute
– Jóhannes Jóhannesson is Olaf Haraldson
(name continue in thread 👇)
#VikingsValhalla #vikings pic.twitter.com/spsJMtmuIu— Vikings Valhalla Netflix (@vikingsvallhala) January 26, 2021
When a show diversifies into related media and spawns a big-budget spin-off, it’s a good measure of its cultural impact, and Vikings is no exception. Despite its humble beginnings, the Vikings legacy looks like it’s here to stay and, if the new show is a popular as expected, we could see even more Viking-related shows in the future.
