The Killing on AMC HD - Page 30

What I'd like to know is when are they going to resurrect 'Rubicon'...?

This would make me so happy. Definitely took some getting into but had really picked up steam the last half of the season.

I very seriously doubt that they will even SHOW it again, much less make more of them. It was a favorite of mine, but I have no illusions of them making any more.

You read my mind, partner! When I saw that, against all probabilities, The Killing had been renewed for a third season, my first thought was to wonder what Veena Sud must have on AMC's suits. Either that, or I want to buy a rabbit's foot from her.

Yes, mistakes were made .. but the good news is, it looks like they've taken that to heart for Season 3 .. and for all the warts, I'll take it by far over some of the dreck that continues year in and year out ..

Thanks for the link! Thanks to Sud's change of direction for Season 3, she not only changed the minds of AMC's execs, she changed my mind too. I have decided to watch Season 3 because (1) we don't have to deal with the stale Rosie Larson story any more and (2) we get to see more of Linden and Holder. Despite my detestation of Sud's tactics in stretching out what should have been a one season story into two, I have always enjoyed the performances of both Mireille Enos, as Linden, and Joel Kinnaman, as Holder. It will be refreshing indeed to see them in something fresh, for the first time since Season 1. I still don't trust Sud but can't imagine that AMC doesn't have her on a pretty short leash.

From THR,

Elias Koteas to Co-Star in 'The Killing' Revival

Interesting. Similar premise to the third and final Danish original series. Not exactly the same - the Danish storyline was a kidnapping not runaway, and the previous crime that precipitates the current one was not investigated by Sara Lund (aka Sarah Linden), but it sounds pretty similar. It was a great series - would thoroughly recommend it to anyone if you can enjoy viewing with subtitles (which I do!)

BTW - All three of the original Danish series are now out on Blu-ray in the UK. S1 is 1080/50i 2.0, S2 is 1080/24p 2.0 and S3 is 1080/50i 5.1. (The 50i is carrying 25p material 2:2, the 24p looks to be a slow-down from 25p) That's around 40 hours viewing! (S1 was 20 eps, S2 and S3 were 10 eps, all running around 58-59 mins ISTR)

I don't mind foreign language series with subtitles but Amazon UK's price for the Series 1-3 BDs of the original Danish version of The Killing gives me sticker shock. £59.99 is a bit rich for my blood. That works out to more than $30 a series. Also, I assume that these BDs are Region B and my all regions BD player is giving me fits. Thus, I guess I'll just pass for now

Yep - we pay quite a premium for Blu-ray TV series this side of the pond - though £60 for 40 hours isn't too bad... That's £2.25 for 90 minutes - a lot cheaper than a 90 minute Hollywood movie Blu-ray.

We're used to the old £1=$1 conversion rates...

It's a niche release as well - Blu-rays of foreign series are not going to be selling in truckloads.

If you like great Scandinavian crime fiction - check out The Bridge (aka Bron/Broen) - a Swedish/Danish series that was more popular than Forbrydelsen/The Killing in the UK (and I loved it). It's available on Blu-ray with English subtitles. They're making a second series. I can't wait. It has another really strong female lead - though she makes Sara Lund look really well adjusted!
Edited by sneals2000 - 1/29/13 at 5:26pm

Yes, the female lead is definitely a fascinating character, I'm looking forward to seeing more of this series(The Bridge).

I do like Scandinavian crime fiction. I have read several of Henning Mankell's Wallander books and have watched a number of episodes of the British series, starring Kenneth Branagh as Wallander, on PBS. Although I did fool around and get my unstable all regions BD player to start working again today (don't ask), Amazon UK's price for the BDs of The Bridge is still more than I want to pay right now.

Speaking of great European TV series, I have been watching my DVDs of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People, starring Alec Guinness as George Smiley. Although I had seen both series many times before, neither has lost its ability to hugely entertain me.

If you like the Branagh Wallanders, check out the two Swedish series (SVT commissioned adaptations of the novels with Rolf Lassgård in the title role, and more recently TV4 commissioned 26 episodes based on one novel and 25 new storylines written by Henning Mankell starring Krister Henriksson. The latter was made by the same production company who co-produced the BBC series) They're both available on DVD. The newer ones have higher production values - but Lassgård is a brilliant Wallander.
They're not European - they're British ;-)

Sorry I insulted the Cousins by calling them European. I knew better, honest. More seriously, I wish that the discs of great Scandinavian TV dramas, which are thick on the ground these days, weren't so breathtakingly expensive. I paid a premium in order to get the Series 3 Downton Abbey BDs early but they were cheap compared to Amazon UK's price for The Killing.

I guess I have been out of the loop as I didn't know it was cancelled, but I am glad it is back!. Love the slow-burn atmospheric tone..

The problem is, over here, we see the conversion rate.

At the current rate, it works out to be $80 for the set. I didn't even pay that for the over-priced HBO stuff and waited for it to come down in price.

$80 here buys almost a year's worth of Netflix streaming.

I'm hoping that Netflix, will start picking up some more of the foreign series like Forbrydelsen, Bron(The Bridge), Wallander etc...

I've been hearing some good things about the "Utopia" series which just started on the UK's Channel 4. Another series that might have a hard time finding it's way to American audiences? Or another "watered down" US remake? Aren't we all getting tired of US TV executive thinking?

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/utopia/episode-guide/series-1

I'm thinking that somewhere in deal made with AMC that the European version of "The Killing" had to be kept out of the US market.

I made clear in a number of posts that Sud's bait and switch tactics of turning Season 1 of The Killing into a cliffhanger instead of wrapping it up as she said in the beginning she would do, infuriated me. Not surprisingly, then, I thought that Season 2 was a failure, despite wonderful performances by its stars. I then decided not to watch a Season 3, no matter what. But the change of pace promised in Season 3 and my high regard for Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman have made me change my mind. I am now really looking forward to Season 3.

I must be an anomaly because I never got bent out of shape about the Rosie Larsen cliffhanger. It didn't infuriate me; in fact, I looked forward to the complex mystery continuing on. I didn't pay any attention to any pronouncements AMC or Sud may have made about the storyline being all wrapped up in one season, and didn't care. I watched the show for the atmosphere and acting. Maybe I'm just used to serialized shows - basically all I care about on TV - continuing beyond the end of one season. In any event, all the kerfuffle seemed to be much ado about nothing. I thought the second season, and the eventual resolution, was terrific television.

Looking forward to the new season and more Sarah Linden in more bulky sweaters, more twitch-perfect Steven Holder, more convoluted, twisty-turnie mysteries, and more gloomy rain! Bring it on.

I don't think your reaction was particularly anomalous. Despite my howls of protest and several others, I think most posters here long ago made their peace with the bait and switch that led to Season 2 of The Killing and decided to just relax and enjoy it. That Season 2 didn't work for me doesn't lessen my anticipation of Season 3 a bit.

It takes a lot to get me riled up; what happened with 'The Killing' didn't rise to that level. Now, if you want to talk about what happened to LOST, which I thought at one time had a shot at being the greatest TV series of all time....

LOL, down boy. That last season of Lost is one that will come up as a comparison of what not to do in almost every sci-fi drama from here on out.

Regarding The Bridge (aka Bron/Broen),

^^^ Concerning The Bridge, I wonder if they'll have a English/Spanish soundtrack? In Bron/Broen, didn't the detectives speak in their own language throughout. Of course, I think the languages(Danish/Swedish) are similar enough that the majority of what is said can be understood(Danes understanding Swedish in particular). I doubt they would dare have an English/Spanish mix throughout with subtitles, it would be fine with me, but I can't imagine they would go that far. LOL

You're right about Bron. They were speaking both Danish and Swedish (at least I read they were; lord knows I couldn't tell, lol). As for The Bridge, I could see them doing a mix of English & Spanish, if the Spanish were kept to a minimum. It would certainly add to the authenticity.

On a related note, the second season of Borgen is now on BD.

The English/Spanish dynamic should be okay, what worries me more is whether or not they bring over the Asperger-like behavior of the female Swedish detective from the original series and the family issues of the male Danish detective. Without those two aspects this show will just be another cop procedural you can see on CBS every night of the week. Given that it's FX, which typically gives us more compelling content than the big nets, I'm hoping for the best.

Speaking of European TV, is the fourth series of Spiral(Engrenages) ever going to be released on disc or is it going to get pushed back again? Been watching Amazon.uk and its release has been rescheduled at least twice already, currently set to drop on March 25, which I think is even later than it was just a few weeks ago.

They have to bring the behavior of the Swedish cop over or the show wouldn't be the show. I though the Linden cop in the American 'The Killing' did a fairly good job of capturing Sarah Lund in the Danish version, didn't quite get it, but it was acceptable, it may just be the first one you see is gonna win, like the Swedish Lisbeth Salander was far superior to Rooney in the American version of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo', and she was very good, but I thought the Noomi version was much better.

Absolutely agree. Another thing American versions of these shows do is talk too much, too much verbal exposition instead of just relying on the ability of the actor to convey what they are thinking and feeling. That's something AMC's version of The Killing suffered from and one of the large differences between Enos' and Gråbøl's portrayals of the Linden/Lund character.

Whoo hoo. The Killing Returns on June 2nd with a 2 hour season premiere!

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/the-killing-to-live-again-on-amc/