AMC Drama ‘The Killing’ Canceled Due To Ratings Drop

AMC will not renew "The Killing" for a third season, despite being "incredibly proud of the show." However, loyal fans of the murder-mystery drama might not have to live without it, as Fox Television Studios said it will "try to find another home for the show."

AMC released a statement, saying, "After much deliberation, we've come to the difficult decision not to renew "The Killing" for a third season," according to the Hollywood Reporter. It added that 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."

The series is regarded as a blemish to the otherwise immaculate library of dramas AMC has produced, such as "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men." Entertainment Weekly noted that after a strong debut last year with 2.7 million viewers, fans of the series felt slighted when one of the show's mysteries went unsolved.

The popularity of "The Killing" doesn't match that of AMC's other programs, but it still has a fan base that another network could be interested in. Fox Television Studios said in a statement that "The Killing" has "one of the best casts on television," and that it will be attempting to find a network interested in continuing where AMC left off.

The enthusiasm of the Fox Television Studios doesn't change the fact that when the show's second season premiered in April, ratings dropped 33 percent. Entertainment Weekly reported that the second-season premiere had just 1.8 million viewers, and the finale had only 1.4 million viewers.

In the series, the murder of Rosie Larsen was the show's "driving force," according to Entertainment Weekly. After the murder was solved at the end of the second season, with the viewership steadily falling, the cancel-ation was a reasonable move on the part of AMC.