Others may blame the loss of Travis Fimmel as Ragnar Lothbrok at the end of Vikings season 4 for the decline in ratings. However, while many felt Ragnar’s sons have not measured up to the charisma of their father, the loss of viewership after Fimmel’s departure was only slightly more than the drop between previous seasons. More specifically, Vikings season four lost just less than two-tenths of a share and an average of 180,000 weekly viewers when compared to season three, according to TV Series Finale. After Ragnar journeyed to Valhalla, season five proceeded with another 370,000 fewer viewers per episode on average and a full two-tenths lower rating in its key audience demographic than the previous season. Then again, perhaps Vikings just ran out of historical material to adapt. The show took liberties with the tale of the Age of the Vikings and its legendary hero and could have continued to do so, but details about the actual raids on England and France have always been fairly thin. The scripted drama was already well outside the normal History channel fare in terms of historical accuracy as it was. Whatever the reason might be for what some consider a premature end for the highly successful Vikings, Hirst promises fans a dramatic ending saying, “If you have tears to weep, be prepared to weep them as you watch season 6. I’m very proud of the show. I did what I wanted to do; that’s the truth.”
