Netflix picks up AMC’s The Killing for 4th and “final season”
AMC’s critically acclaimed crime drama The Killing appears to be the Rocky of television shows as it continues to get knocked down by being cancelled, but somehow manages to keep getting back up! The latest reincarnation of the series will see the show, and lead characters Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder (played by Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman), leaving AMC and heading to Netflix for a six-episode run that is being billed as the “final season.”
As well as actors Enos and Kinnaman, the show’s creator Veena Sud will also be on board. “It’s a true testament to The Killing creator Veena Sud, and the stellar cast led so compellingly by Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman, that fans remained so passionate about the show,” says Fox TV Studios president David Madden. “We’re gratified that our partners at Netflix recognized this, and are giving us the opportunity to complete the story in a way that will be satisfying to our loyal audience.”
“The rich, serialized storytelling in The Killing thrives on Netflix, and we believe that it is only fitting to give Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder a proper send off,” Cindy Holland, vice president of original content for Netflix, said in a statement. “We are looking forward to offering fans – both existing and new – a series that we know is perfectly suited for on-demand viewing.”
The Killing was initially canceled after its first story arc concluded after two seasons. Due in large part to the success of the show on Netflix, the streaming video company was able to work out a licensing partnership with AMC to ring the series back for a third season this year. Although the reviews continued to be positive, the ratings were relatively flat, and AMC was reluctantly forced to announce in September they were canceling the show again and that Season 3 was to be its last. Soon after the announcement, The Killing’s studio began exploring alternative options, and they began talks with Netflix approximately a month ago.
According to reports, the show will begin filming in Canada in February and the series will revolve around a new case.
Personally, I couldn’t be more thrilled about the announcement! The Killing is perhaps my favorite cop drama of all time and it’s hard to find two better rough-edged characters on the right side of the law in the history of television than Linden and Holder! Actually, I’m hoping this six-episode “final season” is actually just a segue for a bigger master plan to bring back yet another popular television franchise. Think about it: A no-nonsense, red-headed female investigator partnered with a rather freewheeling male detective with a last name that sounds like boulder…
You heard it here first folks! I think The Killing Season 4 case will have supernatural elements and then we will see Linden and Holder pick up where Scully and Mulder left off in a revamped X-Files!
“The truth is still out there…”