# Vikings > Canadian-Irish historical drama television series **Wikidata**: [Q2579463](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2579463) **Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikings_(TV_series)) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/vikings ## Summary Vikings is a Canadian-Irish historical drama television series created by Michael Hirst that originally aired from March 3, 2013, to December 30, 2020. Produced by MGM Television and Shaw Media for the History channel, the series consists of six seasons and 89 episodes, chronicling the adventures of legendary Norse figures. The show established a successful media franchise that was followed by the sequel series Vikings: Valhalla. ## Key Facts - **Classification**: Historical drama television series. - **Creator**: Michael Hirst (English screenwriter and producer). - **Production Companies**: MGM Television (American studio) and Shaw Media (Canadian division of Shaw Communications). - **Country of Origin**: Canada and Ireland. - **Original Network**: History (Canadian English language Category A specialty channel). - **Broadcast Run**: March 3, 2013 – December 30, 2020. - **Seasons**: 6 (Seasons 1 through 6). - **Episodes**: 89. - **Runtime**: 45.0 minutes. - **Sequel**: Vikings: Valhalla (aired 2022–2024). - **Cast Member**: Alex Høgh Andersen (Danish actor). - **Identifiers**: IMDB ID tt2306299, ISNI 316753336, VIAF ID 110570193X. ## FAQs ### Who created the television series Vikings? The series was created by Michael Hirst, an English screenwriter and producer known for his work in historical drama. ### When was Vikings televised and how long did it run? Vikings premiered on March 3, 2013, and concluded its run on December 30, 2020, spanning a total of six seasons. ### Which companies were responsible for producing Vikings? The series was produced by MGM Television, an American production and distribution studio, and Shaw Media, the television broadcasting division of Shaw Communications. ### Is there a continuation or sequel to the Vikings series? Yes, the series is followed by Vikings: Valhalla, a historical television series that aired from 2022 to 2024. ### What are the countries of origin for the Vikings series? Vikings is a Canadian-Irish production, originating from Canada, a country in North America, and Ireland, a sovereign state in Northwestern Europe. ## Why It Matters Vikings represents a major international collaboration between Canadian and Irish television production, bringing the historical drama genre to a global audience through the History channel. Its six-season run and high episode count demonstrate significant commercial success and viewer engagement, leading to the expansion of the franchise with the sequel series Vikings: Valhalla. The show also highlights the contributions of international talent, such as Danish actor Alex Høgh Andersen, and the involvement of major production entities like MGM Television and Shaw Media in creating long-form historical content. ## Notable For - Running for 89 episodes across six seasons between 2013 and 2020. - Being a co-production between Canada (Shaw Media) and Ireland. - Airing on the History channel, a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel established in 1997. - Being created by Michael Hirst, an English screenwriter and producer. - Featuring Danish actor Alex Høgh Andersen in its cast. - Spawning the sequel series Vikings: Valhalla, which aired from 2022 to 2024. - Having a standard runtime of 45.0 minutes per episode. ## Body ### Production and Development Vikings was developed by Michael Hirst, an English screenwriter and producer. The production of the series was a collaborative effort between two major organizations: MGM Television and Shaw Media. MGM Television is an American television production and distribution studio that was established in 1956. Shaw Media is the television broadcasting division of Shaw Communications, a company headquartered in Canada with an inception date of January 1, 2010. The series is classified as a historical drama, a genre defined as drama fiction works of art set in, or reminiscent of, an earlier time period. ### Geographic Origin and Setting The series is a Canadian-Irish production. Canada, one of the countries of origin, is a sovereign state and federation located in North America, composed of ten provinces and three territories. Ireland, the other country of origin, is a sovereign state and island country located in Northwestern Europe, which succeeded the Irish Free State on December 29, 1937. This bi-national production background places Vikings within the context of both North American and European television industries. ### Broadcast History Vikings aired on the History channel, which is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel that began broadcasting on October 17, 1997. The series premiered on March 3, 2013, and its final episode was broadcast on December 30, 2020. Throughout its run, the show maintained a consistent runtime of 45.0 minutes per episode. ### Series Structure and Seasons The television series is structured as a connected set of television program episodes under the same title, totaling 89 episodes over the course of six seasons. The specific seasons included in the series are: * Vikings, season 1 * Vikings, season 2 * Vikings, season 3 * Vikings, season 4 * Vikings, season 5 * Vikings, season 6 ### Cast and Characters The series features a cast of international actors, including Alex Høgh Andersen. Andersen is a Danish actor, holding citizenship in Denmark, and is known for his occupation within the acting profession. ### Sequel and Franchise The narrative and success of Vikings led to the creation of a sequel series titled Vikings: Valhalla. This follow-up series is a Canadian, Irish, and American historical television series that aired from 2022 to 2024. It is directly connected to the original series as the entity that "followed by" Vikings. ### Technical Identifiers and Data Vikings is cataloged with numerous technical identifiers across various databases and platforms: * **IMDB**: tt2306299 * **ISNI**: 316753336 * **VIAF**: 110570193X * **Wikidata ID**: Q13414778 * **Freebase ID**: /m/0k3lwy1 * **TVDB ID**: 142183 * **Instagram**: historyvikings * **Twitter**: HistoryVikings * **Facebook**: Vikings * **Wikipedia Title**: Vikings (TV series) ## References 1. IMDb 2. [Source](https://screenrant.com/vikings-show-characters-languages-english-old-norse-explained/) 3. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013 4. Google Knowledge Graph 5. [Source](https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%95%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%92%D7%99%D7%9D_(%D7%A1%D7%93%D7%A8%D7%AA_%D7%98%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%95%D7%99%D7%96%D7%99%D7%94)) 6. Kinopoisk 7. Online-Filmdatenbank 8. Bechdel Test Movie List 9. The Movie Database 10. FilmVandaag.nl