The Killing (Danish TV series)

The Killing
Series 1 Danish poster
DanishForbrydelsen
LiterallyThe Crime
Genre
Created bySøren Sveistrup
Starring
ComposerFrans Bak
Country of originDenmark
Original languageDanish
No. of series3
No. of episodes40
Production
Producers
  • Sandra Foss
  • Piv Bernth
Running time50 minutes
Production companyDR
Original release
NetworkDR1
Release7 January 2007 (2007-01-07) –
25 November 2012 (2012-11-25)
Related
The Killing (American)
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The Killing (Danish: Forbrydelsen, lit.'The Crime') is a Danish police procedural drama television series created by Søren Sveistrup and produced by DR in co-production with ZDF Enterprises. It premiered on the Danish national television channel DR1 on 7 January 2007 and has since been broadcast in several other countries.

The series is set in Copenhagen and revolves around Detective Inspector Sarah Lund (Sofie Gråbøl). Each series follows a murder case. Each fifty-minute episode covers twenty-four hours of the investigation. The series is noted for its plot twists, season-long storylines and dark tone, and for giving equal emphasis to the stories of the murdered victim's family and the effect in political circles alongside the police investigation. It has also been singled out for the photography of its Danish setting and for the acting ability of its cast.

The Killing has proved to be an international success, particularly in the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands, receiving numerous awards and nominations including a BAFTA Award and an International Emmy. It has become something of a cult show. Novelisations of each series have been published by Macmillan.