The Killing Renewed for Fourth Season by Netflix

Deadline is reporting that crime drama The Killing has been picked up for a fourth season by Netflix. Reportedly set to feature six installments and billed as the final season, season four will feature the return of Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman, as well as showrunner Veena Sud, whose four-person writing staff will convene shortly. There’s been no word released on when the season would premiere.

The Killing was cancelled for the second time this past September, despite improved reviews for its third season and okay ratings. The numbers, though, were in line with where the show ended its second season, numbers that got it cancelled the first time. The show was only able to make it back for said third season due to Netflix agreeing to take on part of its licensing cost, but with AMC having two new dramas in the pipeline and renewing Hell on Wheels after a surprisingly strong showing on Saturdays, it won’t be returning to television for its final go-around.

It’s very rare for an original scripted series to be resurrected by another network, considering how much red tape has to be cut through and how the financials have to be in perfect alignment, so for The Killing to be brought back from the dead twice in the span of less than two years is nothing short of remarkable. Though Netflix is billing the fourth season as the final installment in the journey of Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder, the fact that it does well enough on the streaming service to even get another season after a second cancellation makes me think that a (currently hypothetical) fifth season isn’t such a stretch.

Do you think that Netflix made a good decision in renewing The Killing for a fourth season? What type of case would you like to see Linden and Holder pursue next season? Would you like to see more cancelled cable dramas be resurrected by Netflix?