AMC Drama Improves 21% from Season Two Finale

AMC’s The Killing – which was canceled last year and then revived for a third season – returned to 1.8 million total viewers in its premiere Sunday at 8 p.m., on par with its second season debut.

Compared to the drama’s second season finale last June, Sunday’s two-hour episode grew 21%, according to Nielsen data.

The Killing was brought back to life by Fox Television Studios after it struck a deal with Netflix, which makes the third season available to subscribers just 90 days after airing on AMC. The third season will feature a new self-contained storyline to be resolved at the conclusion of the 12-episode order, with stars Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman returning and the addition of Peter Sarsgaard.

- source: multichannel.com

It ain’t easy being a fan of AMC’s “The Killing.” Critics weren’t overly impressed with the first two seasons of the dark drama, and viewership — while not what horrible — was low enough that the network actually canceled the show. It earned a reprieve only when Fox Television Studios stepped in to co-finance the production of a third season.

Maybe that’s why the show’s third season kicked off with a two-hour installment Sunday which, while just as dour and depressing as ever, felt far more accessible than before. In fact, at times, it came across almost like — gasp! — “Law & Order: Seattle.”

No, Linden (Mireille Enos) and Holder (Joel Kinnaman) aren’t turning into Benson and Stabler, but there’s a sense of accessibility to the proceedings that definitely wasn’t there when “The Killing” transitioned between its freshman and sophomore years.

That’s not to say there weren’t some shocking and startling moments throughout the course of the proceedings.

Rape & Murder, Inc.
Thank heavens for Gregg Henry, who — as Holder’s probably-temporary new partner, Carl — added a hint of humor to the season premiere, which otherwise seemed to be trying to convince viewers that the unofficial motto of Seattle is “The City Where Light, Hope, Good Cheer and Teenagers Go to Die.”

It’s going to be a rough season for all the parents watching the show, based on the way grubby young girls are being picked up by the new serial killer roaming the streets, but while death is basically inevitable with a series called “The Killing,” it was far more shocking when the small but scrappy Bullet was raped by Goldie, soon to be known around the ‘net as the Limping Pimp.

Dead(ly) man walking
Although it’s currently unclear exactly what role Death Row inmate Seward has in the aforementioned series of serial killings, which seem to mimic his M.O., Peter Sarsgaard’s already done plenty to make his character horrifically memorable.

Despite the crimes that put him on the fast track to execution, Seward possesses an innate charisma that he used several times to toy with those who ventured into the vicinity of his cell, but none were quite as disturbing as the first. He responded to a visiting priest’s offer of spiritual salvation by chatting calmly with him, then abruptly reaching out, grabbing the back of the man’s head and repeatedly slamming him face-first against the bars.

For the trees
Although “The Killing” currently feels less like an AMC product and more like something you might see on CBS (there’s a lot of “Criminal Minds” in the show’s DNA at the moment), there were a lot of less flashy but still captivating story lines in the season premiere, and the one that grew more and more intriguing over the course of the episode was that of Seward’s son, who endured six days with his mother’s decomposing corpse and has since developed a recurring tendency to draw the same series of trees. Viewers have still just seen the son only from afar, but after getting a long, lingering and shudder-inducing look at the actual location represented in his drawing, there’s little doubt that fans will be getting up close and personal with the lad in short order.

- source: today.com

Following the success of AMC’s second screen Story Sync experience for The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad, the network today announced The Killing: Story Sync, a second screen experience to launch in conjunction with the premiere of the third season of The Killing on Sun., Jun. 2 at 8/7c. During the live telecast, this dual-screen experience allows viewers to deepen their experience of the story, while interacting with the series and each other, offering an enhanced experience with well-curated content. Users can access The Killing: Story Sync on computers, tablets and mobile devices at: TheKillingStorySync.com.

“For viewers looking for a high-quality, curated, second screen experience, Story Sync complements linear viewing with content that offers a richer, deeper engagement specifically designed to supplement the story playing out on the primary screen,” said Mac McKean, AMC’s senior vice president of digital media. “We know a significant portion of our audience is engaging in social media and other second screen applications while they watch these shows, so our goal with Story Sync is to offer the best experience possible with authentic elements carefully integrated with the creative on television.”

In 2012, AMC was honored with Variety’s Entertainment App Award for Best Second Screen TV App for The Walking Dead: Story Sync. The award recognizes innovation and excellence within the entertainment app industry. The Walking Dead: Story Sync was also recognized by the 2012 Social TV Awards for Best Mobile phone, iPad or Tablet Social TV Application.

The Killing: Story Sync special features include access to media on the smartphone of Bullet, a new character featured in season three. There will also be crime scene and evidence photos. Users can access documents related to the investigation and the case and get a closer look at key evidence. Users will be able to test their own observational powers by attempting to answer timely questions testing their knowledge of evidence and show events and weigh in on the case via targeted polls.

The Killing stars Mireille Enos (Sarah Linden) and Joel Kinnaman (Stephen Holder) along with new cast members Peter Sarsgaard, Elias Koteas and Amy Seimetz, and is executive produced by series creator Veena Sud. The show’s third season focuses on a new case that will be resolved over the course of twelve episodes, ending with a two-hour finale.

Season three begins one year after the close of the second season, with Sarah Linden (Enos) no longer working as a detective. But when her ex-partner Stephen Holder’s (Kinnaman) search for a runaway girl leads him to discover a gruesome string of murders that connects to a previous murder investigation by Linden, she is drawn back into the life she thought she’d left behind.

The Killing is produced by Fox Television Studios and executive produced by Veena Sud, Mikkel Bondesen, for Fabrik Entertainment, Dawn Prestwich and Nicole Yorkin. Kristen Campo and Ron French serve as co-executive producers.

- source: blogs.amctv.com