Netflix has picked up a bit of an unenviable, but fully earned, reputation for running low-quality shows for too long while cutting the best ones short. You could look to earlier cullings, like with Marco Polo, Bloodline, and Hemlock Grove getting the axe, or any number of more recent ones. Sense8, Altered Carbon, The OA, Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Glow, The Society, and a whole host of others were all ripped by the streaming giant.
Of course, as Netflix didn’t show its viewing figures before December 2023, we don’t have a clue how popular any of the cut shows were. According to the January-June 2023 report published in December, Vikings: Valhalla Season 2 ranked as the 22nd most-viewed in terms of hours, which may be behind the show ending with Season 3. As yet, the acclaimed Viking drama doesn’t have a release date, but a distinct window for battle has already been marked.
Getting that Vikings fix
Vikings are a very hot theme and setting right now. It’s at its most prevalent in the world of fun online slot machine games, where there are hordes of Viking games. Chief among them is, naturally, the official Vikings slot based on the show, followed by the new Viking’s Legacy Everyway, Vikings of Fortune, Viking Forge, Vikings Unleashed Megaways, Volatile Vikings, Lightning Vikings, and so many more.
On TV, Vikings was the original massive hit Viking drama. Somehow spawned by the History Channel, it proved to be a huge hit as it passed between channels before its final series in 2020. All six seasons are available to stream on Prime Video in the UK and boast a Reelgood score of 93/100. Another platform journeyman of sorts was The Last Kingdom.
Started on the BBC and moving to Netflix, it offers the view of the conflict between the Saxons and the Vikings in Britain while Alfred the Great and his descendants attempt to forge England. Again, it has a fittingly high review score of 89/100 on Reelgood, and now, all five seasons can be watched on Netflix. Better still, Netflix gave it a proper send-off with a movie at the end of the series and didn’t cancel it before the conclusion of the protagonist.
Valhalla might return this summer
Netflix is keeping its cards close to its chest when it comes to a bunch of its biggest upcoming releases. In its Tudum presentation from February 2024, most shows didn’t have a release date that wasn’t set to arrive in the next month or so. Vikings: Valhalla Season 3, the confirmed final season of the show, is without a release date at the time of writing, but Netflix isn’t above surprise-dropping shows and features on its platform.
Where it might just get thrown into is the June-July window. It has clearly become a battleground for the major platforms. HBO’s Max will be giving flight to House of the Dragon Season 2, Apple TV+ will unleash The Bear Season 3, and Prime Video gets The Boys Season 4. Netflix could easily weigh in amongst these beloved heavyweights with the final season of the Vikings series.
While it may have been given its ending sooner than many fans will want, Vikings: Valhalla will at least get a planned conclusion and will arrive in 2024.
