This Americanization of the 2007-2012 Danish thriller series of the same name moved the story to Seattle. The first season was similar to the original, as we followed two homicide detectives (Mireille Enos, Joel Kinnaman) on the hunt for the killer of a teenaged girl, and a charismatic politician (Billy Campbell) running for mayor; obviously, the storylines would converge. The case was drawn out into the second season when the killer was finally revealed; after first being canceled, The Killing was nevertheless picked up for a third and fourthĀ season, featuring new cases sans the politics. The show presented an unrelentingly bleak view of Seattle and that darkness rubbed off on the lead characters, street-smart Holden and glum single mom Linden. Very uneven, but always redeemed by great acting, real tension at times and compelling subplots.
2011-2014:U.S. Made for TV. 44 episodes. Color.Ā Created byĀ Veena Sud.Ā Cast:Ā Mireille Enos (Sarah Linden), Joel Kinnaman (Stephen Holder), Billy Campbell (Darren Richmond, 11-12), Liam James, Michelle Forbes (11-12), Brent Sexton (11-12), Kristin Lehman (11-12), Eric Ladin (11-12), Jamie Anne Allman (11-12), Brendan Sexton III (11-12) Peter Sarsgaard (13), Elias Koteas (13), Joan Allen (14), Gregg Henry (14), Tyler Ross (14), Hugh Dillon (13), Amy Seimetz (13), Bex Taylor-Klaus (13).
Last word: “Part of the compelling nature of the [Danish] series is the world reflects the internal life of the characters because itās so brooding and tragic and rainy and still beautiful there. Not like some bummed-out place where you donāt want to be. You want to be there. But part of you knows that itās a dangerous, not quite safe place to be. So I started to do some research and choose different cities, and obviously Seattle in the Northwest was kind of in that wheelhouse. But Seattle specifically vs. other cities because itās a city of contradictions. It’s a city on the edge of civilization. Itās beautiful skies, the frigid Puget Sound thatāll kill you if you fall into it. The most liberal, the most literate city in America. The hunting grounds of the Green River Killer. So thereās black and thereās white and thereās tragedy and thereās beauty in almost everything, just in that one place, that serves as the backdrop.” (Sud, Hitfix)
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