The US remake of Danish hit The Killing began its UK run on Channel 4 last night at 9pm, with a double-bill that attracted an average of 2.19 million viewers (10.3% of the audience). 231,000 additional viewers were watching on Channel 4+1 from 10pm.
The response to The Killing in the UK is going to be very interesting, seeing as BBC4 broadcast the original show earlier this year. More Brits will be able to compare and contrast than Americans. Of course, the vast majority of people watching this US remake won't have seen the original, but some will also have heard about the American discontent over the season finale. Will any of that impact the show? I don't think so. I think we oversell the power of social media these days, as most "normal" viewers won't be aware of how this remake slowly lost its critical acclaim. My own opinion is well-known here: the show has a fantastic start, a handful of entertaining episodes to follow, but then it runs around in circles for six hours, before ending on an infuriating note.
What do you think? Did you watch The Killing on Channel 4? Have you seen original? If so, how did it measure up? Will you continue to watch this 13-part drama, based on these two episodes, or was it too depressing and relentlessly grim for you?
