When it first appeared on this History channel in 2013, Vikings was virtually an immediate success. Based upon the anecdotes of the Norsemen of Scandinavia who are essentially the quintessential example of what a viking is, in theory, the show captivated history lovers with its authenticity. Their power and subsequent force was abundantly apparent, so apparent that the show ran for over seven years, concluding yesterday when Amazon Prime released the second half of the sixth season in its entirety. This clearly was not meant to be the final fate of the vikings however, as a spinoff is very closely approaching. Much like the YouTube Premium hit Cobra Kai, the Vikings spinoff Vikings: Valhalla will make its way to Netflix this upcoming March.
Though some of the narratives are semi-fictional, the infatuation with viking culture is obvious with the announcement of the Vikings spinoff coming rapidly following the original series’ end, but this time set a century into the future. Regardless, viking culture and history is so strong that it is impossible for there not to be some crossover influence; series creator Michael Hirst confirmed this but still ensuring incoming fans will not be disappointed: “You don’t need to know who Ragnar is to watch the new show. But it enriches the show and it hopefully will make people go back and find out.” Ragnar was a viking, played by Travis Fimmel, in the original series, and although the new series will have a whole new cast, Hirst’s comment confirms that the sequel should remain as authentic as the original.
While the history of the ancient vikings definitely has roots in religion, you don’t need to be religious to enjoy these vikings. Vikings was authentically brutish, something society seemingly craves in this social media driven era that emphasizes hashtags and filters. While Jeb Stuart will be joining Hirst this time around, Hirst lauds his knowledge of viking mythology to the point it is hard to believe his impact will be anything but positive. While Vikings is not making the transition to Netflix in the midst of the original like Cobra Kai did, the audience base is likely rather unique in comparison to Netflix and will introduce a plethora of potentially new fans who will be equally as enthralled; Netflix in turn gets the chance at another hit original. While half of a season is not much to hold fans of the original series over until Vikings: Valhalla hits Netflix, the series began filming a few months ago and is likely to hit the platform next year.
