'The Killing' is back for a fourth season on Netflix on August 1. What should we expect from the final six episodes?
‘The Killing’ just can’t be killed. AMC’s cult crime drama thriller premiered on the network in 2011, but was quickly canceled following its second season. Ultimately, it was revived for a third, but then canceled for a second time in September 2013. Two months after its cancellation, Netflix had announced it would be picking ‘The Killing’ up for a fourth and final season consisting of six episodes, because Netflix always saves the day. Joel Kinnaman, who stars on the show as Stephen Holder, recently spoke with the Los Angeles Times on why the switch to Netflix was a good thing. “The viewership of the show wasn’t as big as AMC might have hoped, but what I think Netflix and everybody realized was that the people that watched it really appreciated it. It meant something to them,” he said.
Joel Kinnaman says the final season of 'The Killing' was "liberating"
Because of the show’s dedicated following, online petitions surfaced to bring back the show for season four. One reached over 10,000 signatures. Now with the move to Netflix, how will it affect the show in general? For what it’s worth, the main roles are returning, as well as showrunner Veena Sud, so the main core isn’t going to change. What is going to change, however, may be the overall tone of the show. Now that it’s no longer on a network, ‘The Killing’ can basically do whatever it wants, and it’s planning on taking full advantage of that. "This season Holder gets to talk like Holder should have been talking," Kinnaman said regarding his character. "We can use whatever words you want to use. There's no rating. Sometimes you could feel a little held back by those limitations that were set up."
More: 'The Killing' resusitated for fourth and final season
While reactions were varied about his quote on sites like Reddit, it’s clear that the atmosphere of the show demands a certain type of language. ‘Breaking Bad’ handled it well by simply censoring swears in the network airing and uncensoring them for the DVD, but ‘The Killing’ avoided it all together. Luckily, the “no rating” approach that the show will begin to take will surely come off as natural, mostly because finding a dead body would make anyone mutter out an expletive. With that said, Kinnaman explained not to expect any increase in sexual content, but we can probably assume that an increase in visual violence is a given.
'The Killing' star Mirelle Enos will join Kinnaman for the final six episodes
Obviously, sex, swearing, and violence doesn’t make good television (but it doesn’t hurt), so does ‘The Killing’ have something up their sleeves for a big final season? Though fans may be a little bummed that the season is only six episodes long as opposed to the show’s usual thirteen, Kinnaman says that the episode length will increase from 42 minutes to 55 minutes, which gives an extra hour and a half of content across the season. There hasn’t been too much info revealed about the plot, but it allegedly involves Kinnaman’s Holder and Mireille Enos’ Linden investigating a murder at an all boys academy. For anyone still going nuts about last season’s cliffhanger, you can bet that will be touched upon as well. As for the future of ‘The Killing,’ is season four REALLY the end of the series? We’ll believe it when we see it, but for now, we’ll just get ready to binge watch the new episodes when they premiere on Netflix on August 1.
DC Comics' villains team up for an overcrowded action movie that never quite finds its...
The Suicide Squad was formed by Amanda Waller, the head of Belle Reve Penitentiary and...
When there's nowhere left to turn, the bad guys might just turn out to be...
Rick is one of the hottest screenwriters in Hollywood but after the death of his...
Is it really wise to trust your most dangerous sworn enemies? Sometimes you have little...
A meaty, fascinating story is splintered into three plot strands that battle for the viewer's...
With a script by Brad Ingelsby (Out of the Furnace), this thriller has more substance...
During the Second World War, many Russian men were able to make a name for...
Jimmy Conlon is a former hit man for the mob whose life of crime have...
JW has served three years of his prison sentence so far after being arrested for...
There's a robust, intelligent tone to this action remake that makes it continually intriguing, even...
Alex Murphy is a hard-working police officer who lives an ordinary life with his beautiful...
It has taken a few years for this Swedish crime thriller to break out internationally....
Matt Weston is a young CIA agent who, for the past year, has been bored...