Vikings vs. The Last Kingdom vs. Game of Thrones: Full Comparison

Vikings is loosely based on Viking Age events and characters depicted in the Norse sagas and by historians, but the show writers made many ahistorical connections and bake together hundreds of years of events in around 30 years. While it does make for excellent entertainment, the story does suffer a bit. Score: 7/10

The Last Kingdom is based on the excellent book series The Saxon Stories, and follows the original story well. This means a solidly structured story throughout, although sometimes a bit too convenient for the main characters, and sometimes without enough time for each character to shine and develop. Score: 7/10

Game of Thrones is based on A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, who was also involved in the show for the first six seasons. GRRM’s story is a modern fantasy masterpiece, up there with the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, and the show did it justice while he was involved. When he wasn’t, it suffered greatly. Score: 8/10

Vikings features one of the best lead characters in TV (Ragnar Lothbrok portrayed by Travis Kimmel), backed up by a handful of other interesting characters who you become invested in over the seasons. Other regular characters come across as less believable and interesting, especially the ones introduced after the fourth season. Score: 8/10

The Last Kingdom is The Uthred Show and almost entirely center around him over the five seasons, with some exceptions (i.e. Alfred, Beocca). Uthred is an intriguing character (though not quite reaching Ragnar Lothbrok levels), but the supporting characters feel underdeveloped. Score: 7/10

Game of Thrones features so many characters that have found their way into millions of hearts and minds, both from the books and the show. The show-makers initially did a terrific job adapting them to the screen, but also made some dubious choices for the later half of the show. Score: 9/10

Vikings did a great job casting in the first three seasons, absolutely nailing Ragnar as the main protagonist, as well as Floki, Rollo, Lagertha, and Björn (to name a few). Many of the Vikings are actual Scandinavians, which saves the later sub-par casting choices (i.e. Ragnar’s sons) a little bit. Score: 7/10″}

The Last Kingdom made some great casting choices for key characters such as Uthred, Beocca, King Alfred, and Ubba. Many of the Danes are played by actual Scandinavians, which adds to the authenticity and believability of the characters. Score: 7/10

The Game of Thrones casting choices were mostly legendary (at least early on), with the likes of Jon, Sam, Ned, Baelish, Arya, and many more. On the other hand, the casting of Robert Baratheon, both Daarios, Euron, Manse, and flashback-Rhaegar are all examples that were sub-par in my opinion. Score: 8/10

Vikings features tons of epic scenes that fires on all the blockbuster cylinders, with clever techniques that woos the audience aplenty. This presents an intriguing, expressive, and mystical Viking world for us to enjoy. Although some of the cinematic elements do tend to feel over the top every now and then. Score: 8/10

The Last Kingdom delivers a high level of cinematography creating an authentic image of Viking Age England, but as it is entirely centered around the Saxon-Dane conflict in England, it does tend to get repetitive from time to time. Score: 7/10

The level of cinematography in Game of Thrones is up there with the best as far as TV goes. Some of the episodes are nothing short of cinematographic masterpieces, and were it not for a couple of deep-dives in quality toward the end, it would’ve been a perfect score. Score: 9/10

The Vikings main theme and overall score is phenomenal, and really helps capturing the intriguing and mystic side of the Norse world. Many musical elements feel unique and very fitting as well, which helps the overall creative value immensely in shows like this. Score: 8/10

The Last Kingdom soundtrack and score don’t stand out in many ways, but they still deliver a high level throughout the show. Some of the main recurring themes (such as the dramatic wailing female vocals) tend to feel a bit repetitive after a few seasons. Score: 7/10

There are few TV scores that can beat that of Game of Thrones. Ramin Djawadi created countless iconic songs that are etched into our minds forever. Viewers are also treated to music performed in the show by the likes of Sigur Ros, Coldplay, and Ed Sheeran – which should give you a good idea of the quality. Score: 10/10

Vikings might draw inspiration from historical events, but it does not claim to be an accurate representation of the time period. This is a show meant to entertain first and educate second, with loads of compromises in favor of looking cool (hair styles, costumes, etc.) rather than authentic. Score: 5/10

The Last Kingdom isn’t a reliable historical source, but it has received praise from historians for accuracy. Especially for certain portrayals (King Alfred, Aethelflaed), referring to the Norse invaders and settlers as Danes more than Vikings, as well as general events, terms, and looks. Score: 8/10

Game of Thrones provided an authentic portrayal of the ASOIAF story and characters for the first five seasons. As the last two seasons aren’t based on actual books it’s hard to judge the accuracy of those, but fans of the books would say they likely are not very accurate at all to the canon. Score: 7/10

Vikings features plenty of epic Norse brawls that can get anyone’s blood pumping, with a level of action that is comparable to the best of theatrical releases. Favorite scenes include the siege of Paris and the battle against King Aelle, while other scenes bring down the score slightly. Score: 8/10

The Last Kingdom offers more than a few grand battles between the Danes and the Saxons and the level of action does not disappoint. Viewers are treated to exciting duels as well as historical details, that bring a fresh perspective to medieval-style sword battles. Score: 7/10

Game of Thrones produced what is likely some of the best action scenes and battles we’ve yet to see on TV, including The Battle of the Bastards which simply left me in awe. Some later scenes fail to impress (i.e. The Battle of Winterfell), bringing the score down slightly. Score: 9/10

Vikings isn’t known for its dramatic flair, and the show sometimes struggles to engage viewers in the relationships between the characters. There are some dramatic elements that hit home and some really exciting twists, but the drama ultimately takes the backseat to the action in this show. Score: 6/10

The Last Kingdom succeeds in building and telling some heartfelt stories over the seasons, and there are more than a few dramatic twists that feel on point and not too obvious. That said, some of the drama can feel manufactured at times, and prevents the show from reaching higher scores. Score: 7/10

Game of Thrones has defined what constitutes great TV drama for many, building on GRRM’s superb comprehension of human relationships, secret schemes, rivaling factions, and hunger for power. Until the last few seasons, when all of this seems to have been forgotten in a haste. Score: 8/10

Vikings is consistently improving from seasons 1 to 4. However, after season 4 the show hits a sharp decline that doesn’t really recover, leaving viewers wondering what could’ve been. Score: 6/10

The Last Kingdom only gets better as the show progress through the Danish-Saxon conflicts in Britain, and although we have yet to see how the planned movie (i.e. the grand finale) will turn out, few shows can deliver this type of consistency. Score: 9/10

Game of Thrones is world-renown for how inconsistent the last few seasons of the show were, hurting an otherwise VERY impressive improvement from season to season in the majority of the show’s life. Fans were ultimately left disappointed with the ending of an otherwise superb series. Score: 7/10