Since 2013, Vikings has captivated with the intricate fictionalization of the legend, life, and family of Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), his greatest love Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick), and his many sons including Bjorn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig), Ivar the Boneless (Alex Høgh Andersen), and Ubbe Ragnarsson (Jordan Patrick Smith). The History Channel offers one of their best fictional drama series with the outstanding aid of Michael Hirst as the show’s writer-creator.
The actual sagas chronicling the powerful Ragnar Lothbrok are one of the most well documented, extensive, and memorable sagas of Norse lore to date, and Hirst stunned audiences with historical accuracy that blended well with a star-studded Scandinavian cast, impeccable writing, and a devotion to exceptional visuals that move the family lineage and the surrounding plots along. Here’s our list of every season ranked, from the okay ones to the top faves!
6. Season 3
Vikings are well known for their fierce passion for war and for practicing battle skills in their everyday lives. Season 3 brings the heat with major bloodshed either in the name of land and security or for vengeance and gold. Characters like Ragnar’s second wife, Aslaug (Alyssa Sutherland), and former Earlswoman, Siggy (Jessalyn Gilsig) take a back seat in their plots, while Viking exploration into old Wessex and Francia begins. Ragnar truly showcases his cunny nature and mastery of trickery with fresh battle tactics, but the ultimate betrayal takes form when his own brother Rollo (Clive Standen) trades his Viking heritage for instant riches and rewards by becoming a Christian and marrying into Parisian royalty. All the while, the Norse god of all gods, Odin, additionally makes an odd but prophetic appearance as Aslaug’s hidden lover, Harbard (Kevin Durand). His presence lingers throughout the season as a pivotal point in the overall series, kickstarting an even darker path for the tale of Ragnar.
5. Season 2
Season 2 finds us meeting King Ecbert (Linus Roache) of Wessex and his sanitized curiosity of varying cultures, ethnicities, and pagan values as Ragnar entrenches viewers throughout the season. Abducted Christian monk Athelstan (George Blagden) serves as a tie to both the spiritual Christian world and the physical spiritualized world of the Vikings and their Norse gods. Although Rollo’s betrayal of his brother and a shift in Ragnar’s physical cravings (sleeping with other women) takes center stage, we understand the growing distance between both brothers and gain insight into why Ragnar is notoriously known for his many sons. In this season, we gauge the ever-lurking dangers that come with power and fame as all of Ragnar’s family members, comrades, friends, and new interests are all put to the test when given the option of betrayal in exchange for instantaneous glory.
4. Season 1
The first season relied heavily on world-building and setting the tone for a historically accurate representation of Norse mythology, religion, systems, and values. Ragnar is presented as a curious farmer craving more for his own life, his family, and his Viking community. And with the infamous shieldmaiden, Lagertha, by his side, Ragnar overthrows the earl of Kattegat, shifting the events of his timeline forever while giving birth to the infamy that makes his name so legendary. Season 1 also sheds light on the pertinence of the oral tradition; the excitement and bright eyes when one recounts a legend sitting around a crackling hearth or when one would chant a bellowing war cry, with swords at the ready, itching for a blood bath.
3. Season 6
As a series finale, Season 6 does almost complete justice to the main characters and where their course over the last five seasons has brought them closer toward, farther away from, or right to what they each were looking for. The sons of Ragnar Lorhbrok have lived their lives exceeding their father's expectations and wishes while still maintaining their own identities — which, during the Viking Age, was rare, as your name and your status meant absolutely everything to your societal worth and existence. Several lead characters are thrown to their final battlegrounds of the mind and of the blood-soaked fields. In their glory, their weaknesses festered behind war wounds, and peaked in Season 6.
Tastefully, Hirst concludes the Viking series with impressive tact and a heartfelt homage to some beloved and iconic characters. The amount of loss and the turning tides of spiritual epiphanies works to the show's favor as the saga of Ragnar has taken such an elevated transformation. Ragnar's death and his sons' lives shape an entire history for the Viking people and they pioneered the spirit of hope, of glory, and of unshakeable love for their faith in the gods.
2. Season 4
A loss of overall faith, new addictions to drugs from the Far East, sexually transmitted diseases, and a yearning for knowledge all cloud and frazzle the once put together Ragnar. Bjorn and his new half brothers, Ubbe, Ivar, Sigurd (David Lindström), and Hvitserk (Marco Ilsø) all develop their own bullheaded notions of how best to be a Viking. Ivar in particular is taken under his father’s wing and joins Ragnar on his missions in battle and in negotiations.
Season 4 boasts powerful performances that move and invoke a spirit of bravado and familial love unlike any other. The Lothbrok saga recounts such an extensive and impactful history, detailing a family just trying to attain safety, recognition, and peace. But in a final twist, Ragnar falls a pawn and prisoner to his frienemy King Ecbert, who passes him along to King Aelle (Ivan Kaye) who kills Ragnar in a snake pit. Ragnar’s self-sacrifice to protect Ivar and their family draws emphasis on the dedication he maintained to helping his family reach the top.
1. Season 5
Cinematically, the show returns to showcasing the Norse mythology with dream sequences and a cross between the sublime spirit world and the living hell the main cast endures. Season 5 tops our list as the most aesthetically pleasing season to watch without regrets. Nightmares of an everlasting hell, a growing and quickly approaching abyss of chaos, even a break in the psyche of Lagertha herself all plague the downward spiraling paths of the Lothbrok family and the Kings and court of Wessex. Ivar the Boneless transforms into his title as a boneless entity with the eyes of a snake, manipulating his people, ruthlessly and senselessly massacring those who "cross" him, and even falsely claiming himself to be a god.
This season continues the conversation about faith and gods, with Ubbe Ragnarsson nearly sacrificing his own life to actualize his father’s dream for an abundance of quality land for their people. He fights for the Christians and successfully begins the pattern and language of negotiation instead of senseless battles and irrational losses. Illustrating the significance of having level-headed female powerhouses like Torvi (Georgia Hirst), Judith (Jennie Jacques), and Gunnhild (Ragga Ragnars), this season offered fans a masterful entrance into the mania and daydreams of several main characters as they navigate the new worlds of their making.