Is Vikings: Valhalla a sequel to Vikings and should you watch the original series first?

gamesradar.com:

You’ve started watching Vikings: Valhalla – or want to, anyway. There is, however, an unfortunate roadblock getting in the way: Valhalla is a sequel to the series Vikings which aired on The History Channel and Amazon Prime Video.

Should you watch Vikings seasons 1-6 before starting Valhalla on Netflix? It’s a good question – one without a hard and fast answer at first glance. 

Below, we’ll address the issue for those who have already started watching Vikings: Valhalla, as well as those who have been a little more cautious and want to know if they have any boxsets to binge for homework. 

So, if you want some more in-depth detail on Vikings’ small-screen history before committing to sailing for Valhalla, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll keep spoilers to a minimum.

In short, no. At least, you don’t have to watch it. Vikings: Valhalla takes place around 150 years after the end of Vikings season 6. As such, the previous series has no direct impact on Valhalla and is a completely separate, standalone story. 

Bradley Freegard, who plays King Canute on the show, told GamesRadar+ that Valhalla is "its own show entirely." Series creator Jeb Stuart explained to EW that the original Vikings series and Valhalla do not have "any connected tissue.” So, no: Valhalla is not a direct sequel to Vikings.

While there are minor mentions of figures such as Travis Fimmel’s Vikings lead Ragnar and his brother Rollo (who have become figures of legend by the time of Valhalla), there is only one returning character, who we won’t spoil here. And not knowing who they are only adds to their mystery, which can be a good thing.

There is a case for the opposing point of view, however. Valhalla is teeming with different territories and factions vying