AMC cancels ‘The Killing’ after two seasons

After just two seasons, AMC has decided to pull the plug on The Killing. The series’ first season was widely acclaimed, but its finale was criticized and turned off viewers, many of whom did not return for season two.

“After much deliberation, we’ve come to the difficult decision not to renew The Killing for a third season,” AMC said in a statement. “AMC is incredibly proud of the show and is fortunate to have worked with such a talented team on this project, from showrunner Veena Sud and our terrific partners at Fox Television Studios to the talented, dedicated crew and exceptional cast.”

In its own statement, Fox promised fans that it will try to find another network or some way to continue the series. “Fox Television Studios is extremely proud of The Killing, the extraordinary writing staff and crew, and what we believe is one of the best casts on television. We will proceed to try to find another home for the show,” the studio said.

The Killing is based on the Danish series Forbrydelsen (The Crime). It starred Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman, who were both nominated for Emmys. They played detectives investigating the murder of the young Rosie Larsen, with each episode taking up a day of the investigation. The series got off to a stunning debut last year with 2.7 million viewers, reports Entertainment Weekly. Many were turned off, though, when the season finale didn’t reveal who the killer was.

Sud insisted that it was supposed to take more than one season to find the killer, but ratings continued to decline anyway throughout season two.

The Killing has become a rare flop for AMC, which is going to need another big series to replace Breaking Bad, since that show is entering its final seasons. The network is also the home of Mad Men (which also only has two seasons left) and The Walking Dead.