History isn’t waiting to see how “Vikings” performs without “The Bible,” ordering a second season for its first original scripted drama series.
“The Vikings” received an official 10-episode Season 2 order on Friday (April 5) morning. The drama has four episodes remaining in a first season which will conclude on Sunday, April 28.
To date, “Vikings” has averaged 5 million total viewers per week, including 1.9 million viewers among adults 18-49. Those numbers, however, have been dramatically boosted by the phenomenal success of History’s “The Bible,” which has been its regular lead-in. “Vikings” will air its first “Bible”-free episode this week and the renewal gets out ahead of any ratings information that might be less encouraging.
“‘Vikings’ is a win win for us. As our first scripted series, ‘Vikings’ has paid off in a big way with critical acclaim, strong ratings and a passionate, loyal fan base. It came out of the gate strong and has stayed on top, solidifying History as a major player in the scripted genre, just as we are in reality,” blurbs Dirk Hoogstra, History’s EVP for Development and Programming. “We could not be more proud of the entire cast and crew and everyone involved in the making of ‘Vikings.’ Michael Hirst has captured audiences with his complex, compelling characters and brought the unknown, epic world of these warriors to life. Season Two will begin production this summer to air in 2014.”
Airing at 10 p.m. on Sundays, “Vikings” stars Travis Fimmel, Gabriel Byrne, Katheryn Winnick, Jessalyn Gilsig and a lot of guys with beards. Created by Michael Hirst, “Vikings” is an Irish/Canadian co-production, with MGM Television producing and serving as international distributor outside of Canada, US and Ireland.
For that reason, Roma Khanna, President, Television Group and Digital, MGM, states, “We are very excited that ‘Vikings’ is generating so much attention worldwide. MGM is thrilled to have the continued support and enthusiasm of our partners at History and to work with an amazing international team as they bring Michael Hirst”s vision to audiences around the globe.”