Watch The Killing Online - Full Episodes

"The Killing" is based on a hit Danish television show of the same title. Relocated to a perpetually rainy and gloomy Seattle, the US version focuses in its first two seasons on the murder of a teenager, Rosie Larsen. The show's Pacific Northwest setting and plot revolving around the death of a young girl with a secret sordid life caused many comparisons with the early 90s cult television show "Twin Peaks."

Two police officers are the main characters in "The Killing," Sarah Linden (Mirielle Enos) and Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman). Tension arises between the two almost immediately because Holder was hired as Linden's replacement, yet Linden cannot seem to let go of the case to begin her new life with her fiance in California and instead remains on the job.

The show also focuses on how others in Rosie's life are coping with her death, particularly her parents and younger brothers. Rosie is from a working class background, and the show gradually reveals that her family has a few secrets of their own.

Many of the episodes center around a character identified as a key suspect in the case before debunking that character's involvement and moving on to a new hypothesis. As the first season progressed, the candidates and staff in the city's mayoral race came to prominence as more information surfaced about possibly corrupt and criminal activities at the highest levels. The show's decision to end on a cliff hanger for the first season was controversial among viewers and critics, leading show runner Veena Sud to reassure fans that the crime would be solved in the second season.

The second season widened the potential political conspiracy to include the police and continued to explore the storylines and relationships established in the first season. As promised, the show did finally solve the crime with its season two conclusion.