AMC cancels 'The Killing'
Murder mystery series ran two seasons, at least told us who killed Rosie Larsen by the end
AMC has canceled "The Killing," starring Joel Kinnaman and Mireille Enos.
AMC has decided not to order a third season of "The Killing," bringing the mystery series to an end.
In a statement released to the media, AMC said, "After much deliberation, we’ve come to the difficult decision not to renew 'The Killing' for a third season. AMC is incredibly proud of the show and is fortunate to have worked with such a talented team on this project, from showrunner Veena Sud and our terrific partners at Fox Television Studios to the talented, dedicated crew and exceptional cast."
"The Killing," based on a Danish drama, followed a single police investigation into the murder of teenager Rosie Larsen. It debuted to strong reviews and solid ratings for AMC. But many viewers and critics grew dissatisfied over the course of the first season, with their frustration reaching a boil when the season ended with Rosie's murder still unsolved. (As I've said many times, it wasn't that alone that made people angry, but rather that people were already annoyed and were only hanging around in the hopes of getting closure on the case.)
The show didn't receive any Emmy nominations for season 2, and various reports suggested AMC's only interest in keeping the show on the air would be to stay in business with actor Joel Kinnaman, who played recovering addict cop Stephen Holder.
Apparently, that wasn't motivation enough to keep the series on the air, not that Fox TV Studios have given up entirely.
The studio states, "Fox Television Studios is extremely proud of 'The Killing,' the extraordinary writing staff and crew, and what we believe is one of the best casts on television. We will proceed to try to find another home for the show."
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupDean Winchester
July 27, 2012 at 3:06PM EST Reply to CommentBUT WHAT ABOUT THE SWINGSET?!?!
buckbeat
July 27, 2012 at 3:07PM EST Reply to CommentAt least The Newsroom will be around to hate-watch.
TomC I don't get why you would waste your time watching something you hate? Surely there are more productive things to do with your time.
July 30, 2012 at 9:27PM ESTDan
July 27, 2012 at 3:07PM EST Reply to CommentLinden can finally make that flight to Napa.
Jobin
July 27, 2012 at 3:12PM EST Reply to CommentI'm going to start a wool sweater wearing campaign until AMC brings this show back. Whos with me!?!
6 seasons and a movie!
Dan With enormous turtlenecks.
July 27, 2012 at 3:16PM ESTAdam We have to coincidentally wear the same pink sweatshirt.
July 27, 2012 at 3:27PM ESTthe minister Send Fox big bags of rainwater to boot. Full of red herrings and non-sequiturtles.
July 28, 2012 at 10:38PM ESTSwearin
July 27, 2012 at 3:16PM EST Reply to CommentJoel Kinnaman is the new Robocop, I think he'll be okay.
Chazz That's why they wanted to keep him around according to Alan.
July 29, 2012 at 5:29AM ESTAY
July 27, 2012 at 3:19PM EST Reply to CommentI'm honestly worried about AMC. Once Mad Men and BB are done next year, they have NOTHING. Small Town Security is a joke, most TruTV reality shows are better. They've bombed on this, Rubicon, etc. Hell on Wheels is good but not great and will always be compared to the much better Deadwood. Only hope is Walking Dead gets better, because while S1 was great, S2 was dull (in my opinion). They play CSI Miami several times a day (awful). The movies they have are good though, so there is that.
Tron Walking Dead finally had 9 million viewers, compared to 2.7 for mad men and 2.9 for BB. Just saying from a viewership standpoint, I think walking dead can carry the load while they try out new shows.
July 27, 2012 at 3:56PM ESTDax Mad Men is also not done until the year after next.
July 27, 2012 at 5:52PM ESTOliver I agree with the ideas behind your argument even if I disagree with the details.
July 27, 2012 at 8:23PM ESTAMC has two seasons to develop replacements for Mad Men and Breaking Bad before they lose a whole bunch of their audience and the momentum they have built up. They have been unable to develop shows on the same calibre since those two shows launched, which is rather worrying and makes me doubt their development strategy.
Yes, they do have TWD, which is an absolute monster, so it's not quite the end of the world, but relying on a single show to sustain the ratings of a channel is not a good long-term strategy.
the minister The problem is: far as I know they sacked all the execs who green lit all the good shows.
July 28, 2012 at 10:42PM ESTAt least TWD is finally showing signs of life. Most of S2 was unwatchable.
Dave
July 27, 2012 at 3:23PM EST Reply to CommentMy favorite story line from the Killing was Gwen quitting, starting a new career in Washington DC, quitting that and coming back to the campaign...all in a span of 3/4 days.
Dave
July 27, 2012 at 3:23PM EST Reply to CommentMy favorite story line from the Killing was Gwen quitting, starting a new career in Washington DC, quitting that and coming back to the campaign...all in a span of 3/4 days.
KathyB
July 27, 2012 at 3:27PM EST Reply to CommentDid not watch the second season. Stumbled upon the last twenty minutes of the finale. Reminded me of why I had not watched it.
Ben Kabak
July 27, 2012 at 3:34PM EST Reply to CommentI loved a mayoral candidate getting shot and paralyzed and campaigning a few days later. Or how he had NO family or friends ever.
Lassie That seems to happen a lot, some guy on a show gets shot and the ONLY person who visits (or shows up at his funeral, should he die) is his girlfriend, partner, or assistant. Sometimes his boss. It happened on NYPD Blue years ago, Bobby Simone had a heart transplant and his only visitor was his girlfriend. Maybe the writers don't want to confuse viewers by bringing in other friends and relatives as might happen in, like, real life?
July 27, 2012 at 4:08PM ESTRSG Yeah, that and Holder being beat all to hell, left for dead in the elements over night, being unconscious the next morning and running around that afternoon. That was as bad as Jack Bauer being defibbed and continuing the chase.
July 27, 2012 at 4:19PM ESTStar Girl
July 27, 2012 at 3:35PM EST Reply to CommentHow about a new show based on Det. Holder? I would watch!
Star Girl
July 27, 2012 at 3:47PM EST Reply to CommentA new series with Joel Kinnaman as Stephen Holder would be great, I would watch it
anon I would, too. (I actually liked Joel Kinnaman and Mirelle whateverhernameis as actors. I actually liked the show, though I could see why others didn't. I guess I don't have a short attention span or ADD, or aspergers or whatever the current thing to have is.)
July 27, 2012 at 4:11PM ESTRhonda84 The reasons people grew to hate the show have nothing to do with short attention spans or ADD.
July 27, 2012 at 5:22PM ESTJake Hey ANON, you're right...you probably don't have any of those issues you mentioned that you seem to ascribe to those who didn't like this show.
July 28, 2012 at 2:07AM ESTYou do, however, have a very serious case of Badtasteitis. It seems to be especially common in those who actually liked The Killing.
the minister I just finished War and Peace, which was quite fine. Atlas Shrugged a month ago, which was horribly written but interesting.
July 28, 2012 at 10:52PM ESTThe Killing wanted to be The Wire, but it was really more like the worst ever Homicide Life on the Streets stretched out 20-some episodes too long.
Attention span my shiny metal ass.
the minister I just finished War and Peace, which was quite fine. Atlas Shrugged a month ago, which was horribly written but interesting.
July 28, 2012 at 10:52PM ESTThe Killing wanted to be The Wire, but it was really more like the worst ever Homicide Life on the Streets stretched out 20-some episodes too long.
Attention span my shiny metal ass.
Mia Monroe
July 27, 2012 at 4:27PM EST Reply to CommentI'm sad about this. I'll miss the interaction between Linden and Holder a lot.
Gordon Harries
July 27, 2012 at 4:35PM EST Reply to CommentThe decision to have the murder mystery unfold over two years was madness.
(Also, here in England the show ended up in the much sought after 11: 20 PM slot, so I doubt anuone was watching here either. A shame, as it had a damn good cast.)
dead souls
July 27, 2012 at 4:45PM EST Reply to CommentA total mercy kill. Outside of Breaking Bad and Mad Men AMC is a joke.
George P
July 27, 2012 at 6:19PM EST Reply to CommentI was hoping that when this much awaited day came, the headline would be "AMC kills The Killing", and the byline "Veena Sud oblivious; says 3rd Season will be a return to form, a la Season 1"
Brock
July 27, 2012 at 6:25PM EST Reply to CommentNothing against the talented actors, who will be better off down the road, but good freaking riddance.
MoreTears
July 27, 2012 at 6:36PM EST Reply to CommentThe Killing was a good series and I never saw any of its detractors say anything against it -- anything at all -- that was the least bit sound, but -- BUT -- I completely agree with the decision to end the series now. The producers completed their version of the first case the Danish series tackled (the Larsen murder), so there are no loose ends to tie up (unlike with Rubicon's ending), and it was clear that the show had lost the public relations war and was never going to recover from that. In a country where TV series go on forever and make heaps of money on the strength of their appeal to idiots (CSI franchise! CSI franchise!), something has to be said for the virtue of a series being SHORT. Move on and make something new is a good principle for the TV industry in general, and AMC specifically can now move on and make something in place of The Killing that may be even better.
Jake If making something better than The Killing is the goal, then AMC is setting a pretty low bar.
July 28, 2012 at 2:17AM ESTMoreTears Jake, I understand you were just looking to take a cheap shot at The Killing, but just as a point of logic, "better than The Killing" doesn't mean "just slightly better than The Killing." It can mean something as great as Breaking Bad or Mad Men, or even better.
July 28, 2012 at 3:50AM ESTCol Bat Guano "never saw any of its detractors say anything against it -- anything at all -- that was the least bit sound"
July 28, 2012 at 4:22AM ESTThen you have a serious reading comprehension problem.
MoreTears Sorry, but the nonsense was both easily comprehended and easily rejected -- as nonsense should be.
July 28, 2012 at 5:02AM ESTCol Bat Guano So you're saying there wasn't a single flaw in The Killing that deserved criticism? That it was the perfect show? Man, how did so many people miss its perfection?
July 28, 2012 at 2:34PM ESTKmarko Moretears is just Veena posting again....
July 28, 2012 at 3:51PM ESTMoreTears Col Bat Guano: No, The Killing is not perfect. There are perfectly valid criticisms of the show that can be made, and have been made. You and I argued about his before, here, and my position after season two is the same as it was after season one: The Killing is not great, but it is at least good. In my post above -- which you are responding to -- I referred to the comments of the show's "detractors." That is, I rejected as "unsound" the comments and arguments of people trying to make the case that The Killing is BAD. Those kinds of comments are different than criticisms making the case that a show is NOT PERFECT. There is a very large chasm separating BAD and NOT PERFECT.
July 28, 2012 at 6:13PM ESTCol Bat Guano And The Killing was firmly on the BAD side.
July 28, 2012 at 10:21PM ESTMoreTears Col Bat Guano: You honestly thought it necessary to state that you think it is bad, as if I didn't already know that is your position and you are sticking to it?:)
July 28, 2012 at 10:38PM ESTVG "There are perfectly valid criticisms . . . that can be made" ? "never saw any of its detractors say anything against it . . . that was the least bit sound".
July 29, 2012 at 3:41PM ESTOkay.
JanieJones
July 27, 2012 at 9:16PM EST Reply to Comment\shocker/
Actually I liked Joel and Mirelle's interactions. They are decent actors.
The Killing was not, in the end, a masterpiece of storytelling ala BB and Mad Men. I hope the actors find good work elsewhere.
I'm sure Sud will find her way back to network television where she belongs. Sorry, I couldn't resist as she was so boastful and somewhat arrogant after S1. Her comments flamed by disappointment of how to turn a good drama bad in an instant.
I still miss Rubicon.
unclevanya
July 28, 2012 at 12:33AM EST Reply to CommentJUST going to breaking bad and passed this news. I do not watch this show, but if it is someones favorite, sorry for it to leave. I am such a fan of BB and to enjoy this show and already know next year it will be gone is truly crazy. What is wrong with AMC? How do you cancel a show when BB got so many emmy nominations? forgetting that. It's the talk of every column, every critic. etc etc.
Does this seem odd? who is behind their decisions?
Only 6 more weeks off BB after a whole year.
Someone should have these people rethink their opinions. Don't ruin it for everyone.
Warwick Is "cancelling" the same as ending the show on a high note? Vine Gilligan (the creator) is ending the show on his own terms - he made the decision. It sounds like the right decision, especially when he only expected it to last three seasons to begin with.
July 28, 2012 at 11:49AM ESTWarwick *Vine = Vince
July 28, 2012 at 11:50AM ESTTruck This reads like borderline spam. I guess that's Hitfix's demographic, though.
July 28, 2012 at 4:19PM ESTTim Isola There is sooooooooooo much more story left to tell. Vince is the master of the 13 episode season and he could easily give us a season 5 and final season 6, 13 episodes each and go out on the HIGHEST note possible, known as the greatest show in tv history. As you can see here in season 5, they are just getting started rebuilding their new empire again and what , we only have 5 eps left and then have to wait another year? Give nme a fucking break. I am so angry about this you have no idea. This season should be 13 episodes about Walt becoming the man, the boss, scarface, brutal and dark as ever, and season 6 should be Hank finding out and everything that goes with that. Like his medical bills being paid for with meth money for one thing, the whole family is in on this, and he could easily get a season 6 full of dark agonizing complicated episodes based around that, culminating in their inevitable final showdown, people dying, walt killing family members, how dark , how far is vince willing to go, we need to see, we deserve to see all that. With all that in mind the show would very much "Go out on top". SO i wanna know who the fuck it is at AMC that is so eager to prematurely end this all time masterpiece of a TV show. And i have to say, knowing all this, is taking away from my enjoyment of these season 5 episodes, which would be a perfect first 3 of a 13 ep season, but not for the way they are doing it. I just dont get it. I pray vince and AMC realizes they need more episodes to properly conclude this, and not no MOVIE bullshit, it needs to end as what it is, a Brilliant TV show.
August 4, 2012 at 6:44AM ESTBalaji K
July 28, 2012 at 2:42AM EST Reply to CommentWe will proceed to try to find another home for the show.
^There's still one final twist left.
Tim Isola
July 28, 2012 at 5:49AM EST Reply to CommentTHANK GOD. They really need to step it up.Stop forcing these utterly ridiculous reality shows on us and start focusing on bringing us the next all time great drama, since they are hell bent on prematurely ending breaking bad with still soooo much high quality story left to tell, but dont get me started, riles me up too much. But thank god they cancelled this garbage show at least
Paula Newman
July 28, 2012 at 10:44AM EST Reply to CommentI'm really hoping Joel Kinnaman will get a series of his own. I know he's in some movies but I want to see him every week. He did such a fantastic job as Holder.
UnHoly Diver
July 28, 2012 at 1:53PM EST Reply to CommentIn a word: Good.
Chazz
July 29, 2012 at 5:36AM EST Reply to CommentI loved how there was one episode where they clearly had no idea what to do for an intriguing cliffhanger at the end of the episode. So out of the clear blue sky they invented a brooding Asian guy following Linden and spying her through the window.
Also, there wasn't a single piece of characterization this season that Richmond would be in business with the bad doers but sure enough, basically randomly, he's schmoozing with that Ames guy and the casino lady.
Arguably one of the worst shows on TV.
Miles Ellison
July 29, 2012 at 11:10PM EST Reply to CommentWhen you try to attract discerning audiences with quality original dramatic programming and the tagline "Story Matters Here", the people creating the shows your network airs had better have their game together. The creators of The Killing clearly did not. If AMC isn't careful, they're going to wind up getting in line to chase the audiences that watch the likes of Basketball Wives, Love & Hip Hop, and other exploitative reality show trash. That's probably not a market AMC wants to compete in.