The first ever scripted series from the History Channel, "Vikings" offers six seasons of all the blood and glory any "House of the Dragon" or "Game of Thrones" fan could ask for. It loosely follows the sagas of Ragnar Lothbrok, a legendary figure featured in Norse poetry. Ragnar is brought to life in a memorably visceral performance by Australian actor Travis Fimmel. A larger than life character who would be right at home in Westeros, Ragnar is a scourge to the coasts of medieval England and France, launching raids on the likes of Northumbria, Wessex, and even Paris.
Without dragons, sorcery, or undead wights to interrupt the story, "Vikings" charts a rich tapestry of betrayal and ruthlessness in its best episodes. Unlike the stolid and sometimes interminable pace of "Game of Thrones," "Vikings" employs multiple time-jumps to great effect over its run, eventually showing Ragnar's sons as they attempt to take over his kingdom and live up to his legacy. If six seasons isn't enough, it's even got a spinoff of its own called "Vikings: Valhalla," set over 100 years after the events of the first show. The spinoff follows the adventures of Leif Eriksson, a warrior and explorer from Greenland who is thought to have set foot in North America some 500 years before Christopher Columbus.
