15 shows to watch if you like Game of Thrones

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Vikings — History Channel

What it is:  Vikings is a soap opera with lots of sword play, sex scenes and plundering for booty. Set in the Middle Ages, it tells the story of Ragnar Lothbrook (Travis Fimmel), a young Viking farmer who wants more for his clan than just the small-time wealth they acquire with nearby eastern raids. He begins to plot to bigger and farther adventures, but he has to fight against the powers that be because they see his ambition as a threat.

Everything I know about Scandinavian geography and history, I’ve learned from watching Vikings (which is probably why I never win at trivia). It tells the story of a community that is constantly in flux while the hierarchy of power is forever shifting around them. Sound familiar?

Why you’ll like it: It’s kind of like Game of Thrones-lite. There aren’t quite as many characters and settings to memorize, therefore there aren’t as many intersecting and tangled-up storylines. The History Channel, on which it originally airs, has far less money than HBO, so they are more economical about how the budget is spent. You probably won’t see as many sweeping crane shots or fire-breathing dragons, but you will get a lot of scenes of hunky and dirty me  fighting to death with giant swords in muddy fields.

Much like its more sophisticated older cousin, Vikings features a lot of very strong female characters calling the shots. Ragnar’s wife, Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) is one of the most multi-faceted and provocative women on TV. She drives the show just as much as any of her counterparts, and there episodes in which I am only there for her.

How to find it: Seasons 1-5 are on Hulu right now.