Why is Vikings adopting split-season model; is it the best thing for the series?
Alas, the series is now in the midst of a midseason hiatus of relatively unknown length. History has yet to specify an exact return date; we’d love for it to be in the summer, but based on some of their scheduling so far this is a rather-dangerous thing to speculate on. Let’s put it this way: After season 4 ended in early 2017, who anticipated that we would be waiting all the way until November to see season 5? We hope that the midseason premiere is a little bit earlier than that now, mostly because filming for it has been done for a long time now and season 6 is currently in production.
Is the whole split-season format even a great idea at all? We know that there are plenty of diehard fans — as we just alluded to — who would have no problem watching a new episode every week of Vikings. Alas, we don’t exactly think that is who the series is catering to right now with some of their episodes. Instead, our feeling is that the folks over at History are thinking more in terms of their casual viewers and making sure that they deliver a lot of content while at the same time also keeping some of these people on board. The strategy for doing that is somewhat simple — provide ten episodes, and then offer up casual viewers a chance to catch up on those ten before the next ten premiere. It’s probably the right thing to do, especially since it’s a tried-and-true method for a number of other shows including Suits, Pretty Little Liars, and others.
The only surprise with Vikings is mostly just that there are 20 episodes a season to begin with and that Michael Hirst is responsible for just about everything. We’re not entirely sure how in the world it is that this guy has the necessary time to sleep, let alone do just about anything else.
Related – What’s happening with Vikings season 6 at the moment?
Once there is a Vikings season 5 episode 11 return date, we’ll share it at the site. For now, just keep enjoying the glorious return of Rollo while also hoping that we don’t lose any other major characters in the near future. Wasn’t losing Astrid in the midseason finale bad enough?
Do you want to see Vikings season 5 episode 11 on the air sooner rather than later, and do you like the split-season format? Share some of your thoughts on that subject below!
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