Vikings: Valhalla Showrunner Reveals How the Sequel Differs From the Original

On Feb. 25, Netflix released its new Vikings sequel, Vikings: Valhalla. Here's how showrunner Jeb Stuart says his show compares to the original.

By Jillian Fabiano Feb 26, 2022 12:01 AMTags
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Jeb Stuart says Vikings: Valhalla is its own show. 

Stuart, who has served as a screenwriter for Die Hard and The Fugitive, is now taking on the sequel to Michael Hirst's celebrated historical drama Vikings. And on Feb. 25, the showrunner for Netflix's new series Vikings: Valhalla explained that the series is unlike its predecessor. 

"It's always tricky following a successful show with a following," he told Variety. "One thing that I do know was going to be a recipe for failure was trying to do a show that was 'Jeb Stuart writing a Michael Hirst script.'" 

He explained that while he was a fan of the original show, he and Hirst are "just two entirely different writers."

"I'm actually trying to please fans like me," he continued, "and at the same time, trying to make a show that would reach a bigger audience in some respects so it doesn't have to seem too much like Vikings."

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2022 TV Premiere Dates

The original Vikings series, which debuted in 2013, aired on the History Channel for seasons one through 6A. It closed out its run on Prime Video with season 6B in 2020.

So, how exactly will Stuart's take be different? Well, for starters, the sequel is starting off on a streaming service. "Vikings was written with a different framework," he explained. "What you can do on a Netflix show you can't do, say, on a network show. I can kind of make a mini-movie every week."

Bernard Walsh/NETFLIX

He continued, "My tastes lean into action, lean into suspense and lots of character-building. At the same time, we're actually shooting on some of the same sets and some of the same locations. We only use one actor from the original series, who is sort of transcendental, but there's a lot of new freshness to it overall."

For reference, John Kavanagh, who played the Seer on the original series, returned for the reboot. 

See how the shows compare for yourself! Vikings: Valhalla is now available to stream on Netflix.

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