
Scripted series · DR1
The Killing
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How The Killing actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
The Killing reads strongest on Character Depth, Tension and Cliffhanger Intensity.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
The Killing is a Danish police procedural set in the Copenhagen main police department and revolves around Detective Inspector Sarah Lund and her team, with each season series following a different murder case day-by-day and a one-hour episode covering twenty-four hours of the investigation. The series is noted for its plot twists, season-long storylines, dark tone and for giving equal emphasis to the story of the murdered victim's family 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 run
Seasons
3 seasons · 40 episodes.

Season 1 · Complete
Season 1
200720 episodes
7.9IMDbDetective Chief Inspector Sarah Lund is looking forward to her last day with the Copenhagen police force, planning to move to Sweden with her fiancé and transfer to the Swedish police. However, everything changes when a 19-year old woman, Nanna Birk Larsen, disappears only to be found raped and brutally murdered. Along with her colleague, Detective Inspector Jan Meyer, Sarah is forced to head the investigation as it soon becomes clear that she and Meyer are chasing a very intelligent and dangerous murderer. Meanwhile, local politician Troels Hartmann is in the middle of a hard-fought mayoral campaign when evidence links him to the murder, adding a political thread and further intrigue to the storyline. At the same time, the girl's family and friends struggle to cope with their loss. Over a span of 20 days, suspect upon suspect is sought out as violence and political pressures cast their shadows over the hunt for the killer.
Best episode · S01E03 Episode 3

Season 2 · Complete
Season 2
200910 episodes
6.7IMDbAfter the resolution of the Larsen case, Lund is demoted and works as a passport officer in the southern town of Gedser. Ulrik Strange, a detective from Copenhagen, visits Lund on behalf of her former boss, Lennart Brix, and asks for her help in solving the murder of military legal adviser Anne Dragsholm. Dragsholm was found murdered at the memorial for executed members of the Danish resistance in Ryvangen Memorial Park, tied to a replica of an execution post used by the firing squads of the German occupying power. Despite initial uninterest, Lund joins the investigation and comes to suspect that the murder is not as straightforward as it seems, despite the forced confession of Dragsholm's husband. Meanwhile, Thomas Buch, the newly appointed Minister of Justice, suspects that his predecessor was involved in the cover-up of a massacre of Afghan civilians by Danish soldiers, and that this incident is connected with Dragsholm's murder.
Best episode · S02E01 Episode 1

Season 3 · Complete
Season 3
201210 episodes
7.7IMDbThis final series of Forbrydelsen explores the global financial crisis as the ostensibly random murder of a sailor leads Sarah Lund through the financial community. Lund has ambitions for promotion and a new lifestyle, but at the same time is struggling to maintain a relationship with her son Mark. Through the investigation she finds herself thrown together with a former lover, Mathias Borch, who now works for Special Branch.
Best episode · S03E10 Episode 10
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.

S03E10
Episode 10
It's election day and the Prime Minister has everything to gain, as long as Emilie's fate remains uncertain. Kamper is still haunted by personal demons, and issues of loyalty from within his own ranks rear their ugly heads once again. Meanwhile, as Lund and Borch start to look ahead, police are led to an undisclosed location in a last ditch attempt to find Emilie before it's too late. They are followed by a now dangerously tense Robert Zeuthen. Will the operation succeed in bringing the girl to safety?
- Directed by Hans Fabian Wullenweber
- Written by Søren Sveistrup, Michael W. Horsten

S01E20
Episode 20
Lund is determined to catch Nanna's killer despite being taken off the case, and Hartmann is on a downward spiral - until he receives crucial information. Meanwhile, Pernille and Theis invite friends and family to Anton's birthday party - but there is a sinister twist to the evening in store.
- Directed by Kristoffer Nyholm
- Written by Søren Sveistrup, Torleif Hoppe

S01E01
Episode 1
Monday, November 3. Police detective Sarah Lund is about to leave her job in Copenhagen to move to Sweden. Troels Hartmann is gaining ground in his efforts to lead his party to power at city hall. Theis and Pernille Birk Larsen are the happy parents of three children. The discovery of the blood-stained belongings of a young girl prompts a police investigation that will change the lives of all involved.
- Directed by Birger Larsen
- Written by Per Daumiller, Torleif Hoppe

S03E01
Episode 1
Denmark is the midst of a fiercely contested election race, set against the backdrop of the financial crisis. With ten days to go to the election, Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Lund prepares to celebrate her 25th year in the police force and looks forward to the prospect of a new job in the force. But her relative peace is shattered when body parts are found at Copenhagen dock only hours before a scheduled visit by the prime minister.
- Directed by Mikkel Serup
- Written by Søren Sveistrup, Torleif Hoppe

S02E01
Episode 1
Ten days after lawyer Anne Dragsholm was found dead at a WWII memorial, the police have her husband in custody for her murder. But the chief of investigation calls on Sarah Lund, who has transferred away from the crime squad, to return to Copenhagen to look over the case. Meanwhile, a young politician is made minister of justice after his predecessor is incapacitated, and a convict seeks parole from a detention facility to be with his wife and child
- Directed by Kristoffer Nyholm
- Written by Søren Sveistrup, Torleif Hoppe

S02E07
Episode 7
After finding the chaplain assaulted in his church Sarah Lund chases the offender, but ends up battered in an alley. She is brought back in charge of the investigation. Monberg has taken his own life shortly after his confrontation with Buch. Buch comes about a previously unknown medical report and decides to challenge his colleague the minister of defense over his secrecy. Raben continues his rogue investigation and tracks down a former soldier who he believes to be responsible for the Afghanistan incident.
- Directed by Charlotte Sieling
- Written by Torleif Hoppe
Recently aired
Latest Episodes

S03E10
Episode 10
- Directed by Hans Fabian Wullenweber
- Written by Søren Sveistrup, Michael W. Horsten

S03E09
Episode 9
- Directed by Hans Fabian Wullenweber
- Written by Søren Sveistrup, Torleif Hoppe

S03E08
Episode 8
- Directed by Kathrine Windfeld
- Written by Søren Sveistrup, Michael W. Horsten

S03E07
Episode 7
- Directed by Kathrine Windfeld
- Written by Søren Sveistrup, Torleif Hoppe

S03E06
Episode 6
- Directed by Natasha Arthy
- Written by Søren Sveistrup, Michael W. Horsten

S03E05
Episode 5
- Directed by Natasha Arthy
- Written by Søren Sveistrup, Torleif Hoppe
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Created by
- Søren SveistrupCreator
Executive production
- Piv BernthExecutive Producer
Writing
- Søren SveistrupWriter
- Per DaumillerWriter
- Torleif HoppeWriter
- Michael W. HorstenWriter
Direction
- Kathrine WindfeldDirector
- Kristoffer NyholmDirector
- Birger LarsenDirector
- Henrik Ruben GenzDirector
- Natasha ArthyDirector
- Morten ArnfredDirector
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- MZ Choice Amazon ChannelStreaming
- Mhz ChoiceStreaming
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