STAYING IN
LIFE AFTER DEATH As Season 4 of the US version of The Killing premieres on Netflix, Henry Northmore looks at the growing trend of cancelled TV series returning via on-demand streaming services
T he US remake of The Killing might not have had the same cultural impact as the Danish original (which sparked the UK obsession with Nordic Noir) but it was still an absorbing and atmospheric crime thriller. Transposing the action from Denmark to Seattle with Mireille Enos stepping into Sofie Gråbøl’s shoes as the lead detective (now called Sarah Linden), the first two seasons roughly followed events of the first series of Forbrydelsen but in Season 3 it took its own path, heading into fresh territory with new plots and storylines.
The show suffered low ratings and was cancelled after Season 2 on AMC, but Netflix negotiated a deal where they split production costs in exchange for video-on-demand rights. Broadcast ratings continued to slide, however,
and now the online distribution service is funding the fourth and final series as a Netflix exclusive. ‘I’m just so excited about being on Netflix,’ showrunner Veena Sud said in an interview with TV Guide. ‘It’s created this new national pastime for many of us, where you get to spend a weekend, an evening or many evenings on a journey with characters in a way that’s very intense and very participatory. You’re not waiting for a week to find out what happens next. You can just click on “next” and you’re immersed again in the world. For The Killing that’s an ideal place for us to be.’
It also offers creatives a larger canvas with less restrictions (eg on swearing, gore and sexual content) and one without the intrusion of ad breaks. ‘We haven’t altered anything,
but what we’ve been able to add is more time,’ Sud continued. ‘Each episode of Season 4 is longer without commercial breaks, which, as a storyteller, is such a huge gift.’ It’s part of a trend where cancelled series are finding new life beyond network TV. Online broadcasters now have the power and money to produce their own content that can compete with the networks in terms of story and production values. On-demand has become the new battleground for viewers, so streaming services need their own exclusive content to lure in customers. Netflix has been particularly proactive with original series, such as the critically acclaimed House of Cards, while cult comedy Arrested Development was revived for a fourth season on Netflix seven years after it went off air. Yahoo! recently
48 THE LIST 10 Jul–21 Aug 2014