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Netflix is bringing 'The Killing' back to life

Netflix is bringing 'The Killing' back to life

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The Killing (AMC)
The Killing (AMC)

The crime drama The Killing was recently cancelled for the second time, but Netflix has stepped in to give it one more chance. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the company will be producing six more episodes of the show, which will be billed as its final season. The show's writing staff and crew will be returning for the final episodes, scheduled to start production in February. They will be released in true Netflix fashion: simultaneously across all of its territories worldwide.

Created by Veena Sud, The Killing tracks the relationship of Detectives Linden (Mireille Enos) and Holder (Robocop's Joel Kinnaman). The show first centered around the death of a character named Rosie Larson, and drew favorable reviews and more than a few comparisons to Twin Peaks in the process. After the Larson storyline was concluded, the show was cancelled, but AMC reversed course and brought it back for a third season.

AMC will not be involved

Netflix played a role in that development as well. The show had proved to be a popular streaming option, so Netflix paid a premium to stream the third season just 90 days after it aired on AMC, down from the usual one-year window. That additional income allowed AMC — which saw ratings faltering — to reduce the fee it paid to Fox Television Studios, the company that actually produces the show. For this fourth season, however, Netflix is moving forward without any involvement on AMC's part.

"The rich, serialized storytelling in The Killing thrives on Netflix," Cindy Holland, the company's vice president of original content, 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." With the move, Netflix is demonstrating once again why it's a compelling option for customers. To creators of shows like The Killing, who may find their artistic ambitions cut short by politics and the reality of modern ratings systems, it's proving why Netflix a compelling home for original programming, as well.