Country of origin United States Original network AMC | No. of episodes 12 | |
Original release June 2 (2013-06-02) – August 4, 2013 (2013-08-04) | ||
The third season of the AMC American crime drama television series The Killing premiered on June 2, 2013, concluded on August 4, 2013, and consisted of 12 episodes. The series was developed and produced by Veena Sud and based on the Danish series, Forbrydelsen (The Crime). Set in Seattle, Washington, this season follows detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder as they investigate a string of murders that connect to a previous case of Linden's. AMC originally announced that they had canceled the series in July 2012, but, in January 2013, officially announced it would return for a third season, which would ultimately be the last to air on AMC. On November 15, 2013, Netflix announced it would produce a fourth and final season to consist of six episodes.
Contents
Plot
This season takes place one year after the conclusion of the Rosie Larsen case (the events of the first two seasons). Sarah Linden is brought back into her detective work when the investigation into a runaway girl leads Stephen Holder to discover a string of murders, which connect to a previous murder case Linden worked on.
Main
Recurring
Production and development
AMC announced on July 27, 2012 that the series would not be renewed for a third season. However, Fox Television Studios announced that they were attempting to shop the show to other networks. In August 2012, it was revealed that Fox Television Studios was in talks with both DirecTV and Netflix in an attempt to revive the series. In November 2012, it was confirmed that Fox Television Studios were in final negotiations with Netflix in order to continue the series for a third season. AMC, who had originally canceled the show, was also included in part of the deal. The deal in question would gain the network the privilege of airing the new episodes before they are hosted by Netflix in return for sharing any associated production costs with Netflix. Variety reported on November 30, 2012 that the show would be returning to AMC, planning for a May 2013 debut, with production set to begin months before that. Series developer Veena Sud returned as showrunner and returning writers include executive producers Dawn Prestwich and Nicole Yorkin. On December 12, 2012, it was confirmed that cast members Billy Campbell, Michelle Forbes and Brent Sexton would not return for the third season.
On January 15, 2013, AMC and Fox Television Studios announced that the series had been renewed for a 12 episode third season. Production started on February 25, 2013 in Vancouver, Canada and ended on June 25, 2013.
In March 2013, Netflix closed negotiations with Fox Television Studios with a deal to be the exclusive subscription service for the series' third season. In the U.S., Netflix will stream the season approximately three months after its finale. Episodes were made available a day after the U.S. TV broadcast by Netflix UK and Ireland.
In a May 2013 interview, Sud stated her inspiration for the third season came from Streetwise (1988), Mary Ellen Mark's book of photographs about teenaged runaways in Seattle. Sud also stated she was "very fascinated" with Gary Ridgway, the serial killer of numerous females near Seattle and Tacoma, Washington in the 1980s and 1990s. In a separate interview, Sud said Peter Sarsgaard's character, Ray Seward, is inspired by Werner Herzog's documentary Into the Abyss (2011), about two men convicted of committing three murders in Texas.
Reviews
Early reviews for the season were generally positive, scoring a 69 out of 100, based on 22 reviews from Metacritic. Linda Stasi of the New York Post gave the premiere high praise and focused on the runaways' stories, saying "These kids are so tough, so dirty and so helpless — yet somehow still hopeful — that it will break your heart. The fact that someone's out there killing them will get you involved." Newsday's Verne Gay spoke about the season as an art form, stating "Everything fans loved about it the first season is back. The rain, the gloom, the pervasive sense of doom... The colors, or lack of them — the ALMOST reds and greens, smudged by deep shades of gray and brown... You start to think this isn't a TV show so much as the palette of a seriously depressed artist." Alan Sepinwall of HitFix spoke of the premiere as "the closest thing to a fresh start the show is going to get" and added that "there are some promising developments here suggesting this could ultimately be a more rewarding viewing experience than The Killing 1.0." New York Magazine's Matt Zoller Seitz compared the series' seasons, saying "As was the case with the first two seasons of The Killing, this new one takes its sweet, sweet time getting going, and as it slowly gains momentum, it carries itself as if it's the greatest series in the history of American television, single-handedly reinventing the police procedural for the 21st century."
Some reviews were more negative. Brian Lowry of Variety stated: "Beyond the central duo's initially sparsely connected threads and the splendid addition of Peter Sarsgaard as Ray Seward ... much of the narrative meanders — so slow, bleak and dreary, it's difficult to muster much interest as to when (inevitably) it's all going to begin to intersect."
Accolades
Peter Sarsgaard received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the 4th Critics' Choice Television Awards.
Home media releases
The third season of The Killing was released on DVD on June 3, 2014, in region 1, exclusively through Amazon's CreateSpace manufacture-on-demand program. In regions 2 and B, it was released on October 27, 2014.