"The Killing" is dead. AMC announced that the controversial series has been canceled after two seasons, according to Deadline.
"After much deliberation, we've come to the difficult decision not to renew 'The Killing' for a third season," AMC said in a statement via Deadline. "AMC is incredibly proud of the show and is fortunate to have worked with such a talented team on this project, from showrunner Veena Sud and our terrific partners at Fox Television Studios to the talented, dedicated crew and exceptional cast."
Though "The Killing" earned critical acclaim when it first premiered on AMC in April 2011, the series experienced extreme backlash when the show's question, "Who killed Rosie Larsen?" wasn't answered by the end of Season 1. Sud assured the audience that the question would be resolved by the end of Season 2. "Our intent was not to mislead or betray," she explained. "We talked about the fans, and their passion, and all of the stuff that was being said on the internet. But the bottom line is, we close the door and we're a bunch of people in the room, and our job was, and continues to be, to tell the story that feels right by us."
While she delivered on the promise, the viewers did not return. The Season 2 finale of "The Killing" -- which is now the series finale -- brought in 39 percent fewer viewers than the much-despised Season 1 finale, according to EW. "By trying so desperately to hold onto its audience by not revealing Rosie Larsen's murderer until the end of the second season, it inadvertently drove many fans away," EW's James Hibbard concluded.