'Vikings' Renewed for Fifth Season

The History network has renewed its popular original series Vikings for a big fifth season. It's also added a high-profile new star to the show's cast, although the channel is not giving any hints about the role the new actor will play.

It's no surprise that Vikings got the nod from History for another season. The program has been the channel's best performer, and it's been an unqualified success across the cable landscape overall. It consistently ranks in the top ten among cable programs, and it easily wins the cable ratings race on Thursday nights across all age demographics.

The upcoming fifth season will consist of 20 episodes, making it much longer than the typical cable-series season and nearly as long as a broadcast series season. The series has not yet begun production on the new season, but shooting will begin in the summer, and the season is set to debut in 2017.

The new season will also feature the addition of Jonathan Rhys Meyers to the cast. Meyers has previously appeared in The Tudors, and his role will take up slack left with the departure of Clive Standen, who will leave Vikings at the end of season four. The nature of Meyers' role on Vikings, though, is being kept a secret for the time being by History.