Vikings season 6: Show creator on series ending, what’s next

Vikings is ending on History following season 6, which should first premiere a little bit later this year. With that said, there’s something else worth noting here: The series was not canceled by any means.

We know that one of the most frustrating things out there about the end of the series is the sort of misinformation over precisely how things came to a close. While there are many shows that do get canceled, that’s not the case here. It’s often not the case for shows with a long run or with a “final season.” They are getting a chance to drop the curtain in a way that feels appropriate to them as opposed to one that is being forced on them. There’s a pretty clear difference.

For some more on the decision to tie up this show in particular, and also the future of the franchise, here is what show creator Michael Hirst had to say to TV Guide:

The History Channel didn’t cancel Vikings. Why would anyone want to cancel one of the biggest or most successful shows on television? Always in the top four and frequently, according to IMDB, the number one show in the world. The truth is that after nine seasons, and remember we changed from doing 10 episodes to 20 episodes after Season 3… so after nine seasons and 89 episodes, all of which I wrote myself, I knew that I’d finished my saga about Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons. It came to a natural and organic conclusion and one that I always hoped and prayed that it would reach. History and MGM concurred. We finished shooting amidst very emotional scenes and after seven wonderful years in November last year. But we are deep in discussions with both MGM and History to start shooting Vikings Part 2. … It will be made by the same creative team and the only major change is that most of the heavy lifting in terms of writing will not be done by me, but by Jeb Stuart, the amazing American writer responsible for instigating the Die Hard franchise. I will still be involved but my principal contribution has been telling the saga of the fame of Ragnar Lothbrok and his equally famous sons.

So basically, this is a case of the team closing one door and then opening up a new one. It still feels too early to know whether or not the new Vikings will be a success, but we’re absolutely looking forward to seeing if it gets the official green light beyond its current development state.

Related News – Check out more news on when Vikings could end up back on the air

Are you sad to see Vikings ended after season 6, or still hopeful for the future? Be sure to share some of your thoughts in the comments. (Photo: History.)