Cult classic TV show compared to Game of Thrones heads straight to Netflix top 10

If you are a fan of Game of Thrones style family feuds, bloody battles and beards then Netflix's show is for you.

The entire series of Vikings has landed on the service in the US, some years after its pseudo sequel Vikings: Valhalla debuted on the streaming giant.

Vikings was a show that originally started out on the History channel in 2013 and ran for some seven years and six seasons.

It's a show that garnered a huge cult status and went on to find acclaim in the UK where it has been streaming on Prime Video UK (and still is).

It hasn't really found a proper home in the US until now, at least one where the show aired uncensored.

Given this is a show about inspired by stories of the Norsemen of early medieval Scandinavia, there's a fair amount of blood and nudity throughout - something the History channel decided to censor.

Now it is on Netflix in the US, though, the show can be seen in all its gory glory.

Vikings is a show loved by both audiences and critics. It's currently got 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the later seasons of the show lauded as the best.

It has also been nominated for some 14 Emmy awards - finally winning one for its visual effects in 2020.

The Guardian says about the show: "It deals mostly with one family, rather than the dozens that populate the world of GoT - the show is as good, if not better, at a lot of elements familiar to fans of George RR Martin's epic."

Time Out notes: The plotting and characterisation are simple going on simplistic, but business picks up as Ragnar takes the boys off to northeast England in episode two, and the whole thing has a drive and seriousness of purpose.

Washington Post reckons: In a way, it's all just another iteration of Tony Soprano, as Vikings emphasizes a core pride and nobility in this tribe of thugs and galoots.

You can stream Vikings now - and here are our pick for the best Netflix TV shows.