The Killing- Economic, social and political contexts

 The Killing is a Danish crime thriller series created by Soren Sveistrup and co-produced by DR and ZDF enterprises, which hold international distribution rights. The Killing episode 1 was first broadcast on Danish national television channel DR1 in 207, and has been transmitted in many other countries worldwide through ZDF enterprises.

The Killing was first shown on BBC 4 in the UK, attracting more viewers in the UK than its US counterpart Mad Men. The regular audience figures in Denmark were 1.7 million and in the UK approximately 500,000 viewers per episode. The Killing exemplifies the popularity and success of Danish television drama and demonstrates that first-class TV drama can be produced in Europe. The Killing illustrates the quality of long form television drama that has been produced in recent years under DR's public service remit. This remit, which was established in 1925, has principles similar to those of the BBC in the UK.

The Killing has had global success, but it spread particularly throughout Europe including UK, Australia, South America and Asia. It proved particularly attractive to middle-class viewers in the UK, and indeed this helped establish a special saturday slot on BBC 4 for subtitled foreign dramas. The Killing was so successful as a global product that it inspired American remake produced by Fox 21 television studios for the US domestic market, which Netflix globally distributed in 2014. As well its successful viewing figures and global reach, The Killing won awards for best international drama series including at the BAFTA's in 2011.

At the centre of the narrative of Episode 1 is Detective Chief inspector Sarah Lund. A notable character of the drama is that each episode represents a single day in the police murder investigation- its a 'whodunnit' narrative. Such elongated story telling allows for detailed exploration of the emotional reaction of the victim's family and friends to a horrific killing, something not often presented in TV crime drama. Sarah Lund is presented as petite, feminine and charming; a female detective wearing signature jeans and sweaters while she investigates a brutal killing.

The Killing episode 1 is a prime example of European long form TV drama produced under and grown out of a strong public service remit. This shares the conventions of a commercial form but is also concerned with wider social, political and moral issues. The Killing as described as 'Nordic Noir' as a way of defining its stylistic and narrative elements, and this term was subsequently used as a brand for Danish drama abroad. The killing employs a visual style that relies on open, forlorn spaces where it is often cloudy or raining, and interior shots with muted lighting and monochrome colour design, creating a distinctive look to the drama

The Killing episode 1, set in the Danish capital city Copenhagen, is filmed as a crime drama with elements of family drama and melodrama overlaid. This hybrid mix was intended by creators to attract both male and female audiences. Episode 1 presents different perspectives on the crime with a narrative that unfolds at a slow pace to reflect the cases daily progress in each episode. Each 50 minute episode covers 24 hours of the investigation, with the first series consisting of 20 episodes. It also reveals the economic context of a small publicly owned national broadcaster that can finance one LFTVD each season, and this is achievable only in co-operation with other European television producers- only 5% of danish drama is financed by the Danish public service fee. DVD box set sales and a number of international co-producers i.e BBC and distribution and co-operation agreements have aided the global success of Danish dramas, including the killing. By 2013, Danish drama had become very popular as content on multi platform online, such as Netflix, itself recognition of the quality and significance of Danish TV drama.