AMC kills ‘The Killing’ again after third season

AMC has killed The Killing for likely the last time. The cable network said on Tuesday that it will not renew the show for a fourth season after reviving it for a third.

The home of successful drama hits like Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead and Mad Men first cancelled The Killing after a lackluster season two in July 2012. The show started off well with critics, but when the season one finale didn’t reveal who the culprit of the main crime was, the complaints started coming in and few returned for season two.

Despite that, the rumblings that the show may come back for a third season started in January when AMC began talks with Fox TV studios. Netflix also entered the picture and signed on to stream new episodes of season three.

But it wasn’t enough. According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Killing started off its third season with 1.8 million viewers, but dipped during the season and 1.5 million tuned in for the finale.

“We have made the difficult decision not to move forward with a fourth season of The Killing,” AMC said Tuesday. “We want to thank our great partners at Fox Television Studios, creator Veena Sud, an extraordinary cast and the dedicated fans who watched.”

“While we would have loved to produce a fourth season for AMC, FTVS is immensely grateful to everyone involved with this moving series: our brilliant cast, led by Mireille Enos, Joel Kinnaman and season three's Peter Sarsgaard, our stellar executive producer, Veena Sud, a remarkable writing and producing team, and a tireless, dedicated crew,” FTVS said in a statement. “Most of all, FTVS thanks the terrific fans of The Killing, who communicated their appreciation for the show throughout its run.”

It looks like The Killing may really be over, unless Netflix saves the day again. As for AMC, the network has plenty of upcoming dramas, including Line of Sight and Halt & Catch Fire. The network’s Breaking Bad is ending soon and Mad Men is set to end next year.

image: AMC