heroes and notorious as the scourge of England and France.

The show portrays Rag

nar as a farmer who rises to fame by successful raids into England, and eventual
ly becomes a Scandinavian king, with the support of his family and fellow warrio
rs: his brother Rollo, his son Bjrn Ironside, and his wives the shieldmaiden Lagert
ha and the princess Aslaug.
Vikings was renewed for a fourth season in March 2015 with an extended order of
20 episodes, which premiered on February 18, 2016.[2][3][4] On March 17, 2016, H
istory renewed Vikings for a fifth season of 20 episodes.[5]
Contents
1 Premise
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Broadcast
5 Reception
5.1 Reviews
5.2 Ratings
5.3 Historical accuracy
6 Related media
7 See also
8 Notes
9 References
10 External links
Premise
The series is inspired by the tales of the raiding, trading, and exploring Norse
men of early medieval Scandinavia. It follows the exploits of the legendary Viki
ng chieftain Ragnar Lothbrok and his crew and family, as notably laid down in th
e 13th century sagas Ragnars saga Lobrkar and Ragnarssona ttr, as well as in Saxo Gr
ammaticus's 12th century work Gesta Danorum. Norse legendary sagas were partiall
y fictional tales based in Norse oral tradition, written down about 200 to 400 y
ears after the events they describe. Further inspiration is taken from historica
l sources of the period, such as records of the Viking raid on Lindisfarne depic
ted in the second episode, or Ahmad ibn Fadlan's 10th-century account of the Vol
ga Vikings. The series is set at the beginning of the Viking Age, marked by the
Lindisfarne raid in 793.
Season Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
1 9 March 3, 2013 April 28, 2013
2 10 February 27, 2014 May 1, 2014
3 10 February 19, 2015 April 23, 2015
4 20 10 February 18, 2016 April 21, 2016
10 November 30, 2016 February 1, 2017
Cast
Main article: List of Vikings characters
Travis Fimmel as Ragnar Lothbrok (seasons 1 4)
Katheryn Winnick as Lagertha
Clive Standen as Rollo[6]
Jessalyn Gilsig as Siggy (seasons 1 3)
Gustaf Skarsgrd as Floki
George Blagden as Athelstan (main seasons 1 3, guest season 4)
Gabriel Byrne as Earl Haraldson (season 1)
Alyssa Sutherland as Aslaug (seasons 1 4)[7]
Donal Logue as Horik of Denmark (seasons 1 2)
Alexander Ludwig as Bjorn Ironside (seasons 2 )
Linus Roache as Ecbert of Wessex (seasons 2 4)
 Ben Robson as Kalf (seasons 3 4)
Kevin Durand as Harbard (seasons 3 )
Lothaire Bluteau as Charles of West Francia (seasons 3 )
John Kavanagh as The Seer (recurring seasons 1 3, main seasons 4 ) and Pope Leo
IV (guest season 4)
Peter Franzn as Harald Finehair (seasons 4 )[8]
Jasper Pkknen as Halfdan the Black (seasons 4 )[8]
Moe Dunford as Aethelwulf (recurring seasons 2 4, main seasons 4 )
Alex Hgh as Ivar the Boneless (seasons 4 )
Marco Ils as Hvitserk (seasons 4 )
David Lindstrm as Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye (season 4)
Jordan Patrick Smith as Ubbe (seasons 4 )
Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Bishop Heahmund (seasons 4 )
Production
An Irish-Canadian co-production, Vikings was developed and produced by Octagon F
ilms and Take 5 Productions.[1] Michael Hirst, Morgan O'Sullivan, John Weber, Sh
erry Marsh, Alan Gasmer, James Flynn and Sheila Hockin are credited as executive
producers.[1] The first season's budget has been reported as US$40 million.[9]
The series began filming in July 2012 at Ashford Studios, a newly built studio f
acility in Ireland,[10] chosen as a location for its tax advantages.[9] On Augus
t 16, 2012, longship scenes were filmed at Luggala, as well as on the Poulaphouc
a Reservoir, in the heart of the Wicklow Mountains.[11] 70 percent of the first
season was filmed outdoors.[9] Some additional background shots were done in wes
tern Norway.[12]
Johan Renck,[13] Ciarn Donnelly and Ken Girotti each directed three episodes. The
production team includes cinematographer John Bartley, costume designer Joan Be
rgin, production designer Tom Conroy, composer Trevor Morris and Irish choir Cru
x Vocal Ensemble, directed by Paul McGough.
On April 5, 2013, History renewed Vikings for a ten-episode second season.[14]
Two new series regulars were announced on June 11, 2013. Alexander Ludwig, portr
aying the teenage Bjrn, and Linus Roache, playing King Ecbert of Wessex.[15] Seas
on two undergoes a jump in time, aging the young Bjrn (Nathan O Toole) into an olde
r swordsman portrayed by Ludwig. The older Bjrn 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 Bjrn.[16]
Several Swedish media sources reported that actors Edvin Endre, son of Swedish a
ctress Lena Endre,[17] and Anna strm had signed up for roles in season two.[18] It
was confirmed that Endre had obtained the role of Erlendur, one of King Horik's
sons.
Jeff Woolnough[19] and Kari Skogland joined Ken Girotti and Ciaran Donnelly as d
irectors of season two.[20]
Michael Hirst announced plans for season four before season three had begun airi
ng.[21] Season four began production around the Dublin area in April 2015.[22]
Finnish actors Peter Franzn and Jasper Pkknen, as well as Canadian actress Dianne Do
an joined the cast of season four. Franzn obtained the role of Norwegian King Har
ald Finehair, a potential rival to Ragnar. Pkknen was cast as Halfdan the Black, Fi
nehair's brother. Doan portrays Yidu, a Chinese character who has a major role i
n the first half of the fourth season.[23]
At the same time that the series was renewed for a fifth season, it was announce
d that Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers would be joining the cast for that seaso
n.[5] He will portray Heahmund, a "warrior bishop". Vikings creator Michael Hirs
t, explains, I was looking at the history books, and I came across these warrior
bishops, he tells EW. 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 Chri
stianity and the message, and yet, on the battlefield, they were totally berserk
. [24]
Former WWE star Adam Copeland, (a.k.a. Edge), has been cast in a recurring role
for season five. He will portray Ketill Flatnose, a violent and bold warrior, ch
osen by Floki to lead a Viking expedition intent on traveling to Iceland to set
up a colony there.[25] Irish actor Darren Cahill will play the role of Aethelred
in the upcoming season.[26] Nigerian actor Stanley Amuzie told local media he h
ad landed a small role in the upcoming season.[27] Season five will also include
Irish actor, musician and real-life police detective, Kieran O'Reilly, who will
play the role of "White Hair".[28]
Norwegian music group Wardruna provided much of the background music to the seri
es. Founder Einar Kvitrafn Selvik also appeared as an actor.[29]
Broadcast
Main article: List of Vikings episodes
Vikings premiered on March 3, 2013 in Canada[30] and the United States.[10]
In the UK, Vikings premiered on May 24, 2013 where it was exclusively available
on the streaming video-on-demand service LoveFilm.[31] The second season premier
ed on March 24, 2015.[32] The third season began airing on February 20, 2015 on
Amazon Video.[33]
In Australia, the series premiered on August 8, 2013 on SBS One.[34] It was late
r moved to FX, which debuted the second season on February 4, 2015.[35] Season t
hree of Vikings began broadcasting in Australia on SBS One on March 19, 2015.[36
] Season four of Vikings began broadcasting in Australia on SBS One on February
24, 2016.[37]
Reception
See also: List of awards and nominations received by Vikings
Reviews
Metacritic ratings per season
Season 1 Season 2 Season 3
Rating 71[38] 77[39] 81[40]
The series received favourable ratings by critics after the first episode, with
an average rating of 71% according to Metacritic.[41] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix p
raised the series's casting, notably of Fimmel as Ragnar, and observed that Viki
ngs "isn't complicated. It (...) relies on the inherent appeal of the era and th
ese characters to drive the story."[42] Nancy DeWolf Smith of The Wall Street Jo
urnal noted the "natural and authentic" setting and costumes, and appreciated th
at 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 eve
n intellectual awakening".[43] Hank Stuever, writing for the Washington Post, fo
und that the "compelling and robust new drama series (...) delivers all the expe
cted gore and blood spatter". But he also wrote that it successfully adapted the
skills of cable television drama, with the care taken in acting, writing and se
nse of scope reminiscent of such series as Rome, Sons of Anarchy and Game of Thr
ones. He also suggested that the way the series emphasized "a core pride and nob
ility in this tribe of thugs" reflected "just another iteration of Tony Soprano"
.[44] Neil Genzlinger, in The New York Times, praised the "arresting" cinematogr
aphy and the actors' performances, notably Fimmel's, and favorably contrasted Vi
kings to Game of Thrones and Spartacus for the absence of gratuitous nudity.[45]
In TIME, James Poniewozik noted that the relatively simple generational conflict
underlying Vikings "doesn't nearly have the narrative ambition of a Game of Thr
ones or the political subtleties of a Rome", nor these series' skill with dialog
ue, but that it held up pretty well compared to the "tabloid history" of series
like 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
.[46] Clark Collis of Entertainment Weekly appreciated the cast's performance, b
ut considered Vikings to be "kind of a mess", lacking the intrigue of The Tudors
and Game of Thrones.[47] Brian Lowry criticized the series in Variety as an "un
relenting 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 wor
k as a mild diversion".[48] In the San Francisco Chronicle, David Wiegand was di
sappointed by the series's "glacial pace" and lack of action as well as the "fla
bby direction and a gassy script", while appreciating the performances and chara
cters.[49]
The second season received a Metacritic rating of 77%, and a Rotten Tomatoes rat
ing of 92% based on 12 professional critic reviews.
Ratings
According to Nielsen, the series premiere drew 6 million viewers in the U.S., to
pping all broadcast networks among viewers aged 18 to 49. An earlier claim of ov
er 18 million viewers was later retracted by the channel with an apology.[50][51
]
In Canada, the premiere had 1.1 million viewers. The first season has averaged 9
42,000 viewers.[52]
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, criticiz
ed its portrayal of early Viking Age government (represented by Earl Haraldson)
as autocratic rather than essentially democratic.[53] Joel Robert Thompson criti
cized depiction of the Scandinavians' supposed ignorance of the existence of Bri
tain and Ireland, and of the death penalty rather than outlawry (skoggangr) as t
heir most serious punishment.[54]
Monty Dobson, a historian at Central Michigan University, criticised the depicti
on of Viking Age clothing, but went on to say that fictional shows like Vikings
could still be a useful teaching tool.[55] The Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten r
eported that the series incorrectly depicted the temple at Uppsala as a stave ch
urch in the mountains, whereas the historical temple was situated on flat land a
nd stave churches were a hallmark of later Christian architecture.[56] On the ot
her hand, the temple as depicted does have similarities with reconstructions of
the Uppkra hof. The show also portrays the crucifixion of a prominent character i
nstigated by a Christian bishop, apparently as punishment for apostasy, whereas
in history Emperor Constantine outlawed crucifixion in the 4th century.[57]
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 ha
ve met are shown as of similar age, with the historical events amended for drama
tic 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 885. 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 h
aving his followers killed, and fighting his fellow Vikings, whereas in history
they were granted what became Normandy and continued to co-operate with their No
rse kinsmen. Furthermore, most of the principal characters are portrayed as bein
g from Norway, while according to primary sources they would most likely have be
en Danes.
Little is known about Viking religious practice[58] and so its depiction is larg
ely 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".[59] Regarding the historical differences and ac
curacy issues of the show, showrunner Michael Hirst said: "I especially had to t
ake 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 re
ach hundreds, occasionally thousands, of people. Here we ve got to reach millions.
"[60]
Kattegat, Hedeby and Gtaland are different geographical terms. Only Hedeby is a s
ettlement (today in northern Germany[61]), Kattegat is the sea between the Jutla
nd peninsula and today's Sweden, and Gtaland is the southern quarter of Sweden. T
here are many fjords surrounding Kattegat (especially in eastern Jutland, and al
ong the northern shores of Zealand and Funen), but Denmark lacks mountains. Only
in Norway do such fjords between mountains exist. Denmark and southern Sweden (
Scania) are covered with thick layers of fertile boulder clay or sandy soil, fre
e of stones.[citation needed]
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 comiXolo
gy in February 2014.[62][63] The comic was written by Michael Hirst, features in
terior artwork by Dennis Calero (X-Men Noir), and is set before the events of se
ason one. In addition to featuring Ragnar and Rollo battling alongside their fat
her, the comic depicts the brothers first encounter with Lagertha.[63]