Will There Be A Vikings Season 7?
Ever since it premiered in 2013, Vikings has been subverting expectations and winning over fans of richly plotted historical dramas. The show was the History Channel's first foray into scripted programming. Many were skeptical when it was announced, but now that the show is getting ready to wrap up its sixth season, it's clear the network's instincts were spot on.
The series takes place in the 9th century and tells the thrilling saga of some of the most important figures in the early history of the Scandinavian Vikings. Over the course of its six seasons, we've seen harrowing invasions, the rise and brutal fall of kings, and more than a few heartwarming romances. While the show has handled its constantly rotating cast of characters well over six action-packed seasons, History announced that this season of the show would be its last.
Despite that announcement, fans are still hoping that there will be more adventures from their favorite Medieval Norwegians. In our era of reboots, re-imaginings, victorious fan campaigns, and surprise un-cancellations, is there still hope for Vikings season 7?
History is serious that season 6 of Vikings will be its last
The sixth season of Vikings was split into two 10 episode halves. The first aired in early 2020, and the second will premiere at a yet to be determined time before the end of the year. At the time of writing, fans of the show still have new episodes to look forward to. However, the second half of the sixth season will be the show's swan song.
History confirmed to Deadline that the sixth season of Vikings will be the show's last. The midseason finale ended with series protagonist Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig) mortally wounded following an epic battle with the Rus. Showrunner Michael Hirst told TV Guide that Bjorn was not dead, but very seriously wounded. Whether he'll survive his injuries is anybody's guess at this point. As for fan favorite Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) and the villainous Ivar Lothbrok (Alex Høgh Andersen)? Their fates remain an open question to be answered on the back half of the season later this year.
Just because there won't be a continuation of the Lothbrok saga, however, doesn't mean it's the end of Vikings altogether. The Viking Age lasted for centuries, and there are still many stories to tell.
Vikings: Valhalla set to fill the void after Vikings ends
Just as one saga comes to an end, another begins. Before season 6 was confirmed as the last for Vikings, a spinoff series was announced. Vikings: Valhalla is a collaboration between MGM and Netflix, and will be exclusive to the streaming service. While Hirst will serve as an executive producer, writing and showrunner duties will be picked up by Jeb Stuart, the screenwriter responsible for Die Hard and The Fugitive (via The Wrap).
In an official statement, Netflix's original programming executive, Channing Dungey, said of the upcoming show, "Vikings: Valhalla promises to be everything that fans love about the franchise: heart-pounding, unstoppable action rooted in rich characters and dramatic storytelling that shines the light on family, loyalty and power."
At the time of this writing, a few details have been released about the spinoff series. With an assist from the historical record, we can actually use these details to speculate quite a bit about what the upcoming Netflix original has in store for Vikings fans.
What to expect from Vikings: Valhalla
Thanks to a few breadcrumbs of information Netflix and MGM dropped for us about Vikings: Valhalla, we can make some educated guesses about how the new series will expand on the original. In a tweet about the spinoff, Netflix teased some of the historic figures that would appear in the series: "This saga will follow the most famous Vikings who ever lived: Leif Erickson, Freydis, Harald [Hardrada], and William the Conqueror!"
There are a few things we can determine from this announcement. All of these historic figures lived during the first half of the 1000s, which means the new series will take place around 100 years after the original. Harald Hardrada and William the Conqueror were the kings of Norway and England, respectively. William was actually a descendant of Rollo, who is portrayed on Vikings in a fictionalized manner by Clive Standen (via Ancient History Encyclopedia).
Leif Erickson and Freydis have more exciting roles in Viking history and hint that the new show will be branching off to new horizons. The two were brother and sister, whose father was Erik the Red (who was introduced as a character during season 6 of Vikings). Erik's exile from Iceland led to the European discovery and eventual colonization of Greenland. Leif and Freydis are most famous for their trips to a land the Vikings of Greenland called Vinland, which we now know to be the eastern coast of Canada (via Encyclopedia Britannica).
We'll have to wait for Vikings: Valhalla to drop on Netflix to know exactly how the story will unfold but we can likely expect the show to take a trip across the Atlantic ocean.