The Killing is an American crime drama television series based on the Danish television series Forbrydelsen, developed by Veena Sud and produced by Fox Television Studios and Fuse Entertainment and set in Seattle, Washington, which follows the investigation into the murder of a teenager (Seasons 1-2), a serial killer (Season 3) and a family murder (Season 4).
Season 1-2
From writer, executive producer and series showrunner Veena Sud, The Killing is based on the wildly successful Danish television series Forbrydelsen and tells the story of the murder of a young girl in Seattle and the subsequent police investigation.
The Killing ties together three distinct stories around a single murder including the detectives assigned to the case, the victim's grieving family, and the suspects.
Set in Seattle, the story also explores local politics as it follows politicians connected to the case. As the series unfolds, it becomes clear that there are no accidents; everyone has a secret, and while the characters think they've moved on, their past isn't done with them.
The Killing stars Mireille Enos as Sarah Linden, the lead homicide detective that investigates the death of Rosie Larsen; Billy Campbell as Darren Richmond, Seattle's City Council President and now running for Mayor; Joel Kinnaman as Stephen Holder, an ex-narc cop who joins the homicide division in the investigation to find Rosie's killer; Michelle Forbes as Rosie's mother, Mitch Larsen; and Brent Sexton as Rosie's father, Stan Larsen.
The pilot was directed by Patty Jenkins.
Filmed in Vancouver, The Killing is produced by Fox Television Studios and executive produced by Mikkel Bondesen for Fuse Entertainment. Fuse's Kristen Campo co-produces.
Season 3
Season three of The Killing focuses on a new case which is resolved over the course of 12 episodes.
The season begins one year after the close of the Rosie Larsen case (the focus of The Killing's first two seasons), with Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) no longer working as a Seattle homicide detective.
But when her ex-partner Stephen Holder's (Joel Kinnaman) search for a runaway girl leads him to discover a gruesome string of murders that may connect to a previous murder investigated by Linden, she is drawn back into the life she thought she'd left behind.
The new season also stars Peter Sarsgaard, Elias Koteas and Amy Seimetz.
Filmed in Vancouver, The Killing is produced by Fox Television Studios and executive produced by series creator Veena Sud, Mikkel Bondesen (for Fabrik Entertainment), Dawn Prestwich, and Nicole Yorkin. Kristen Campo and Ron French serve as co-executive producers.
Season 4
It all comes down to this: Season 4, the final season of the critically acclaimed crime thriller is a six-episode Netflix original that wraps up loose ends and reveals long-buried secrets.
Detectives Linden and Holder return to investigate both a gruesome mass slaying that exposes a dark family history, as well as a mysterious disappearance within the ranks of their own Seattle Police Department.
The fourth and final season of The Killing picks up right after the Season 3 finale.
As Detective Linden (Mireille Enos) and Detective Holder (Joel Kinnaman) struggle to manage the fallout from their rash actions at the end of last season, they are assigned a new case - a picture perfect family is murdered, survived only by the son, Kyle Stansbury (Tyler Ross), who was shot in the head during the massacre.
Joan Allen guest stars this season as Colonel Margaret Rayne, the headmaster of the all-boys military academy where Kyle attends. The new season also stars Gregg Henry, Sterling Beaumon and Levi Meaden.
The Killing is created and executive-produced by Veena Sud. Mikkel Bondesen is executive producer for Fabrik Entertainment. Kristen Campo also serves as co-executive producer for Fabrik. Season 4 is produced by Fox Television Studios for Netflix.
Special Notes
The series aired in the USA on AMC from 3 April, 2011 to 4 August, 2013. It moved to Netflix for the fourth and final season. There are 44 hour-long episodes in four seasons.
The Killing premiered in South Africa on DStv's M-Net Series channel on Friday 9 September 2011, at 21h30. It moved to M-Net Series Showcase when the former channel became defunct in July 2013.