When we first started to hear rumors that The Killing might return for a third season after all, there was talk of Netflix possibly resurrecting the series, much in the way it's bringing Arrested Development back, except without the sizable gap between seasons. As it turns out, the show will return to AMC, the network where it originally aired. But Netflix will still play a role in the series' distribution to the masses. Just a few months after the murder-mystery drama airs on AMC, Netflix will offer it available streaming.
A deal was closed between Fox Television Studios (The Killing's producer) and Netflix after lengthy negotiations. The Killing's third season is expected to debut later this year on AMC, and will be made available streaming exclusively to U.S. and Canadian Netflix subscribers just three months after it airs. Deadline says says getting the rights to stream the show sooner rather than later was a big part of Netflix's end of the deal. And based on what Fox TV Studios president David Madden says, it sounds like this is a mutually beneficial arrangement between Netflix and the studio:
Our 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. Our showrunner, Veena Sud, has plunged our principals into new and dangerous worlds, with wicked twists and a climactic end-of-season resolution, and our acclaimed cast, including Mireille Enos, Joel Kinnaman and new cast member Peter Sarsgaard, are already thrillingly bringing it to life. We are delighted to be in business with Netflix to deliver Season 3, as well as past seasons of The Killing to a broader audience worldwide.”
This is good news, even for those who don't watch The Killing, as it's another example of the gap between the original run of a show and its streaming debut through a subscription service like Netflix or Amazon Prime being significantly shorter. A shorter window may benefit those series in generating interest and potential viewership during the months between seasons. Last month, we learned that CBS was planning on making Under the Dome episodes available streaming through Amazon Prime just days after each episode airs, when the show debuts this summer, which would allow people to get and stay caught up on the series while it's still on the air. The Killing deal pales by comparison to that, but it's still great news for the series and for streaming TV shows in general.
As mentioned, one of the benefits of getting a series onto Netflix while it's still on the air is that it gives new viewers (or those of us who have fallen behind) the opportunity to get caught up between seasons. Such is the case for The Killing right now, as both seasons are available on Netflix.
