AMC Officially Revives 'The Killing' for Third Season

Canceled series to return with new, self-contained story line

By Tim Baysinger -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/15/2013 4:12:48 PM

AMC is reviving The Killing.

The network on Tuesday reached a deal with Fox Television Studios to bring back the canceled drama for a third season. Veena Sud returns as executive producer, writer and showrunner and series stars Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman return in their roles as Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder.

The third season will feature a new, self-contained story line that will be resolved at the conclusion of the 12 episodes.

"The Killing from day one has been a truly original take on the crime drama. Veena Sud and the rest of the talented creative team are hard at work shaping the lives of Linden and Holder, portrayed by the terrific Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman," said Charlie Collier, AMC's president. "We're so pleased to welcome back The Killing for another season."

After initially premiering to 2.7 million viewers in April 2011, The Killing's second season was down considerably, following a polarizing season one finale in which the series' central question of who killed Rosie Larsen was not answered. Only 1.8 million viewers watched the premiere, while the finale -- which finally revealed Larsen's killer -- drew just 1.4 million.