With so many fantasy movies and TV shows available to viewers, it can sometimes be hard to choose which ones you want to watch. Moreover, once you see something you like, you will probably want to see something similar.
Vikings is coming to a close and nobody knows when its spin-off series will premiere, so fans can only resort to watching similar shows for now. Here are 10 Shows To Watch If You Love Vikings.
Da Vinci’s Demons
Compared to other shows on the list, Da Vinci’s Demons is mostly fantasy though it does take many historical elements and uses them wisely. The series takes Leonardo da Vinci as its main character and recounts the fictional story of his early life.
The show has been generally received very well with the visual effects, costume design, and soundtrack receiving nominations on various awards. If you are a fan of the artist, you will probably enjoy Da Vinci’s Demons even though it doesn’t stick to reality much.
The Tudors
Running for four seasons, The Tudors is a show that focuses on Henry VIII. After he becomes the King of England, he successfully proceeds to rebuke the Catholic Roman Church and forming the Church of England while also marrying six times during the process.
Set in 16th-century England, the show is not as historical as you would expect it to be and often diverges from the real events. Nevertheless, it is very interesting to watch and has been popular with viewers throughout its whole run.
Marco Polo
As the name suggests, the series focuses on the life of Marco Polo, an Italian merchant and traveler, who had contributed a lot to expanding the trade routes and exploring the world. The show is a Netflix original that largely focuses on Polo’s early life at the court of the Mongolian Khagan Kublai Khan.
Even though it only ran for two seasons, Marco Polo still had a fair amount of success. The second season was especially received with positive reviews. In fact, the President of Mongolia honored the show’s creator and creative team with an award for positively portraying Mongolian subject matter.
Camelot
Camelot is a TV show based on Arthurian legends with King Arthur, obviously, being the protagonist. After King Uther dies, Merlin appoints Arthur as the new king who was actually raised as a commoner. Arthur has to face various challenges of having such a position.
What’s interesting about Camelot is its cast that brings some great performances to the show. Arthur is played by Jamie Campbell Bower while Morgan le Fay is played by Eva Green. Merlin is played by Joseph Fiennes who you may know from Shakespeare in Love and The Handmaid’s Tale.
Britannia
Set in AD 43, Britannia tells the story of General Aulus Plautius who decides to succeed where Julius Caesar failed and conquer the far and mystical land at the edge of the Roman Empire. Opposing him are Kerra, daughter of the King of the Cantii, and Queen Antedia who have to put aside their differences to fight the invaders.
Britannia is one of the more recent TV shows on this list. Its first season premiered in 2018 and the second season was released last month, but it is still unclear whether or not there will be a third season. Nevertheless, the show is definitely worth a watch if you loved Vikings.
Knightfall
Knightfall is a historical fiction drama series created for the History channel (the same channel that created Vikings). It recounts the story of the Knights Templar, a Catholic military order that was active from around 1119 to 1312.
The story begins in 1306 when the Knights Templar were one of the most powerful organizations in the Christian world. However, their leader and the main protagonist of the series Landry du Lauzon (a fictional character, by the way) is upset by their failures in the Holy Land and becomes enthusiastic yet again when he learns that the Holy Grail has resurfaced.
Medici
Set in Renaissance Florence, Medici recounts the story of the Medici family who were the bankers of the Pope. Each season of the series explores a particular moment of the family’s history and gets into details about the political and artistic landscape of Renaissance Italy.
Unfortunately, the third and final season premiered just two weeks ago. Yet, you can still enjoy this amazing show considering that you probably saw its cast in other fantasy movies and shows. It includes Richard Madden (Game of Thrones), Sean Bean (Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings, Troy), Annabel Scholey (Britannia), Bradley James (Merlin), and others.
The Bastard Executioner
If you are looking for a mini-series, then The Bastard Executioner is the one for you. With only ten episodes, this historical series tells the story about a knight called Wilkin who vows to put down his sword after he is shown the horrors of his actions, but he ultimately can’t keep his promise.
Despite being criticized for its extreme violence and pacing, the show was still praised a lot for its writing, action sequences, and acting. If you love the extreme scenes in Vikings, then this is probably one of the best shows in this sense that you can find.
Reign
This historical romantic drama might not be known much, but it is actually pretty good. Reign is a television series that tells the story of Mary, Queen of Scots, as she arrives in France and marries Prince Francis. She befriends her handmaidens and the drama begins.
The show ran for four seasons, and even though it had many historical elements, it was still mostly fantasy than an accurate recounting of historical events. Nevertheless, with its focus on romantic storylines, Reign was compared to Gossip Girl and found many teenage fans.
The Witcher
Even though it didn’t become the next Game of Thrones as many people had thought it would, The Witcher still turned out to be a pretty good adaptation with the majority of the audience (both video game fans and book fans) enjoying the series.
The story follows a witcher named Geralt who is a mutated monster hunter struggling to find his place in the world. The world he lives in (which is very similar to the Middle Ages in Eastern Europe) is a very cruel one with people often being worse than the beasts Geralt is hunting.
