Last month, we reported that Vikings was being renewed for a fourth season on History. Now, the cable channel has made the renewal official. Production begins this spring in Ireland.
The current third season has been averaging an 0.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 2.57 million viewers. Season-to-season, that’s down by 25% and 41% respectively.
Here’s the press release about the renewal:
HISTORY(R) GREENLIGHTS FOURTH SEASON OF HIT DRAMA SERIES “VIKINGS”
#1 Cable Series Thursday Nights in Live +3
New York, New York, March 26, 2015 – HISTORY(R) has picked up a fourth season of its hit scripted series VIKINGS, it was announced today by Dirk Hoogstra, EVP and General Manager, HISTORY & H2. VIKINGS is created and written by Michael Hirst (The Tudors, Elizabeth) and five new episodes remain in the current season airing Thursdays at 10 p.m. with the season finale slated for Thursday, April 23 at 10 p.m.
On a Live +3 basis for the first five episodes in season three, VIKINGS is averaging 4.3 million total viewers, 2.2 million Adults 25-54 and 2.0 million Adults 18-49. For five weeks in a row, VIKINGS ranks as the number one cable series on Thursday nights in all key demos in Live +3 delivery.
Production on season four will begin this spring in Ireland.
“VIKINGS has raided the hearts of both audiences and critics, establishing itself as one of the most compelling, visually stunning dramas on television,” said Hoogstra. “We are so proud of our immensely talented cast and crew led by Michael Hirst, whose intriguing storylines and pivotal arcs have the perfect balance of scope, smarts and bloodshed to keep our loyal fans watching and wanting more.”
MGM Television brought the series to the network and brings VIKINGS to the global audience, serving as the worldwide distributor outside of Ireland and Canada.
“VIKINGS is a tremendous success worldwide thanks to the visionary talents of Michael Hirst, the entire creative team and our partners at HISTORY,” said Roma Khanna, President, Television Group and Digital, MGM. “We look forward to entertaining audiences worldwide with the next epic season.”
VIKINGS tells the extraordinary tales of the lives and epic adventures of these warriors and portrays life in the Dark Ages through the eyes of Viking society. The gripping family saga of Ragnar (Travis Fimmel), Rollo (Clive Standen), Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) and Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig) continues in season three as alliances and loyal friendships are questioned, faith is catechized and relationships are strained.
Created and written by Michael Hirst – one of the premier historical story-tellers in the industry (Academy-Award winning film Elizabeth; and the Emmy and Golden Globe nominated series The Tudors), Michael serves as Executive Producer along with Morgan O’Sullivan of World 2000 (The Count of Monte Cristo; The Tudors), Sheila Hockin (The Tudors; The Borgias), John Weber of Take 5 Productions (The Tudors; The Borgias), Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer and James Flynn (The Tudors; The Borgias). Dirk Hoogstra and Julian P. Hobbs are the Executives in Charge of Production for HISTORY.
VIKINGS is an international Irish/Canadian co-production being co-produced by World 2000 and Take 5 Productions. HISTORY broadcasts domestically in the U.S. VIKINGS is produced in association with Shaw Media, and the series also airs on HISTORY in Canada.
About HISTORY(R)
HISTORY(R), now reaching more than 96 million homes, is the leading destination for award-winning original series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across all platforms. The network’s all-original programming slate, including scripted event programming, features a roster of hit series including American Pickers(R), American Restoration(TM), Ax Men(TM), Counting Cars(TM), Pawn Stars(R) and Swamp People(R) as well as HISTORY(R)’s first scripted series Vikings, and epic mini-series and special programming such as The Bible, Houdini, Sons of Liberty, The Men Who Built America and the Emmy(R) Award-winning Hatfields & McCoys, Gettysburg, Vietnam in HD, America The Story of Us(R) and 102 Minutes That Changed America. The HISTORY(R) website is the leading online resource for all things history, and in 2011, the United States Library of Congress selected HISTORY(R)’s Civil War 150 site for inclusion in the historic collection of Internet materials related to the American Civil War sesquicentennial. www.history.com.
What do you think? Do you plan to watch the new season?
I will definitely watch the “Vikings”
I will absolutely be watching.
Yes!!!! One of the best shows on TV.
I sure will watch when it comes back on. Love the program!
Yes I’ll be looking forward to see the new season an record & watch the the new season can’t where.love the show
Absolutely. Have watched & recorded each episode since day 1. Save each show to watch a second time in between seasons. There’s enough history to continue for years to come.
I am absolutely histerical that we will have a 4th season of the show Vikings to watch this spring although i’m not sure that i can wait that long without going into Vikings detes.
ABSOLUTELY! answer to the query “do I intend to watch season 4”. A FABULOUS production–colorful and exciting; anxiously looking forward to the next season!
Great to hear of new season. But, writers need to remember we are looking for action, not slow moving scenes like Wessex farmers. JUSTIFIED died on the vine when it got slow and boring.
Yes, I will watch the new season, only because of pretty boy Travis Fimmel and the Irish setting. I yearn to see better writing, less sophomoric, hormonal, sensational, and pointless in terms of plot advancement or even character development. I have watched every episode, increasingly fast-forwarding through more and more scenes.
Lol. Way to over-analyze the best show on TV. Do u watch anything all the way thru? This series is one of the best in TV history. At minimum it’s very good. People reading this drivel you just wrote might actually think it’s true. If you’re fast forwarding Vikings, you must hate almost all TV.
Terrific series-glad there will be a 4th seasons. Great cast & script.
Absolutely yes!! There are only two shows I watch religiously…Vikings and Hannibal.
I couldn’t imagine not having these two to look forward to. VIKINGS truly is visually stunning and the story lines are great. I was shocked to learn the fates of Siggy and Athelstan. But, such surprises keep me intrigued. It really is amazing how u can be shocked week after week when the story is also Norse History!
Great news… this is a really good show.
Vikings is very good, but I have the feeling that the younger demos are looking for another Game Of Thrones where everything is on such a grand scale because it’s all fantasy. Vikings has a grand scale, but with all the politics woven into the story I’m guessing a lot of the demo ages find the stories a bit too slow for their liking. I hope with the lower numbers they will be able to keep going for some time because eventually in real history Ragnor’s sons become rulers of their own kingdoms. I’m not too sure they’ll go very… Read more »
you,ve got to be joking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have watched from the beginning, never missed an episode. It is great that they are continuing another season. I can’t explain why I like this show so much. It must bring out things about myself I am not aware of, either way I find it to be one of my favorite shows.