Irish made TV show Vikings tops the cable ratings for its debut
By Genna Patterson
The new Irish TV Show Vikings scored 8.3 million viewers during its debut on cable channel History on Sunday night according to IFTN, making the nine-part series the number one new cable series launch this year.
The show is a family chronicle, similar to Game of Thrones, told from the point of view of the Vikings and is full of battle scenes and power struggles. Gabriel Byrne stars as chieftain Earl Haraldson, who has a conflict with warrior Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel).
Ragnar was an infamous Viking commander and the scourge of France and England. The cast also includes Katheryn Winnick, Jessalyn Gilsig, George Blagden, Clive Standen and Gustaf Skarsgard.
Nancy Dubuc, President of Entertainment and Media, A+E Networks told IFTN; “People think they know the Vikings but the reality is more complex. We knew our audience had an appetite for this unexpected storytelling and it was a big bet that paid off.”
Vikings was written by The Tudors scriptwriter, Michael Hirst and produced by Morgan O’Sullivan (The Tudors, Inside I’m Dancing), John Weber of Take 5 Productions (The Tudors, The Borgias), Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer, James Flynn (The Tudors, The Borgias) and Sheila Hockin (The Tudors, The Borgias).
Vikings will be distributed internationally by MGM this year. As of yet no Irish release has been confirmed.
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