AMC’s ‘The Killing’ season 3 could air in May; writers return to work

Somehow, it looks like AMC was not able to kill off “The Killing” just yet. Despite the show being officially dead in the water earlier this summer, the assistance of Netflix to make the show more affordable to the network has allowed it to not only come back on the air, but with a premiere date that will not really be very different than back in season 2.

Multiple sources are confirming that a potential season 3 of “The Killing” will premiere on AMC in May 2013, and showrunner Veena Sud and many of her writers are already back at work trying to craft some more stories for Linden and Holder moving forward.

There is no question at the moment that the third season is going to present a massive challenge for the two: how do you move forward following the Rosie Larsen case? As cynical as some people may choose to be about the divisive choice to split up the investigation into two separate seasons, there is one thing that is a near consensus: the conclusion of the Larsen case was both surprising and fantastic. It’s next to impossible to end a murder case on TV so that everyone is satisfied, but Sud and company came pretty darn close.

“The Killing” is now one of the rare examples of some sort of alternative TV service or cable provider actually being able to step in and keep the show on the air. DirecTV did this with both “Friday Night Lights” and “Damages,” but despite there being rumors surrounding some other shows over the years (including “Pan Am” and “Terra Nova”), this is really the first time that Netflix has offered help to a show while it still airs on its original network. (They are bringing back “Arrested Development” as a Netflix exclusive.)

Are you stunned by this un-cancellation, or are you too excited to care?

Photo: AMC