The Killing (2007)

Crime · Drama · Mystery

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.

IMDb rating: 8.4 (32,865 votes)
Episode average: 7.9 -0.5 vs IMDb
Seasons: 3
Language: DA
Type: TV series

Rating trend: this show's seasons do not settle into one shape. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well.

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Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 3 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (2007)

7.95 avg 20 episodes 7.8 → 8.2 57 min avg

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Afsnit 1	7.8	707
2	Afsnit 2	7.7	563
3	Afsnit 3	7.8	520
4	Afsnit 4	7.7	504
5	Afsnit 5	7.6	496
6	Afsnit 6	7.8	485
7	Afsnit 7	7.8	479
8	Afsnit 8	7.9	470
9	Afsnit 9	8.0	466
10	Afsnit 10	8.0	462
11	Afsnit 11	8.0	446
12	Afsnit 12	7.9	449
13	Afsnit 13	8.0	438
14	Afsnit 14	8.0	438
15	Afsnit 15	8.1	433
16	Afsnit 16	8.0	425
17	Afsnit 17	8.0	429
18	Afsnit 18	8.3	459
19	Afsnit 19	8.3	448
20	Afsnit 20	8.2	507

Season 2 (2009)

7.75 avg 10 episodes 7.5 → 8.0 60 min avg

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Afsnit 1	7.5	416
2	Afsnit 2	7.5	364
3	Afsnit 3	7.6	352
4	Afsnit 4	7.8	341
5	Afsnit 5	7.7	342
6	Afsnit 6	7.8	341
7	Afsnit 7	7.8	330
8	Afsnit 8	7.8	331
9	Afsnit 9	8.0	328
10	Afsnit 10	8.0	363

Season 3 (2012)

7.88 avg 10 episodes 7.7 → 8.5 59 min avg

Big finale

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Afsnit 1	7.7	386
2	Afsnit 2	7.7	338
3	Afsnit 3	7.7	329
4	Afsnit 4	7.8	319
5	Afsnit 5	7.9	318
6	Afsnit 6	7.7	318
7	Afsnit 7	7.8	308
8	Afsnit 8	8.0	301
9	Afsnit 9	8.0	297
10	Afsnit 10	8.5	424