Netflix played a big role in bringing the third season of crime drama The Killing back from beyond the grave, after AMC previously had declined to renew the show.
The Internet streaming service cut a deal with Fox Television Studios to exclusively offer The Killing Season 3 on streaming three months after the finale airs in AMC. The first two seasons of the show were already available on streaming the U.S., and the agreement brings those to Canadian customers as well.
AMC last year said it wouldn’t bring back The Killing for a third season, before announcing a deal in January with Fox Television to revive it.
According to Fox Television Studios president David Madden, the agreement with Netflix “played an extremely significant part in the studio's strategy that enabled us to bring The Killing back for a third season.”
The third season of The Killing, set to begin its 12-episode run on AMC in May 2013, will be available exclusively via Netflix streaming after its airing in the U.S. The first two previous seasons of The Killing are now available for members in Canada to watch instantly.
The show, based on the Danish series Forbrydelsen, follows various murder investigations led by homicide detectives. Season 3 picks up a year after the end of the previous season, when homicide detective Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) has left her job -- but she's drawn back in after her ex-partner Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman) discovers a gruesome string of murders connected to a previous murder investigation by Linden.
"We're excited to see The Killing back on TV and we're especially proud to bring Season 3 to our members so soon after it premieres on AMC," Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said in a statement. "The Killing is a terrific serialized drama and we know our members love these high-quality shows."
