The Killing Season (U.S. TV series)

Last updated
The Killing Season
Genre Documentary
True crime
Directed byJoshua Zeman
StarringJoshua Zeman
Rachel Mills
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Alex Gibney
  • Joshua Zeman
  • Rachel Mills
  • Stacey Offman
  • Dave Snyder
Production location(s)United States
Camera setup Multi-camera
Handheld HDV cameras
Running time42 minutes
Production company(s)Jigsaw Productions
Gigantic Pictures
Release
Original network A&E
Picture format NTSC (480i)
HDTV (1080i)
Audio format Stereo
Original releaseNovember 12 (2016-11-12) 
December 3, 2016 (2016-12-03)
External links
Website

The Killing Season is an American true crime documentary television series which debuted on November 12, 2016, on A&E. Executive produced by Alex Gibney, the series follows documentarians Joshua Zeman and Rachel Mills as they explore the case of the Long Island serial killer and other unsolved cases such as the Eastbound Strangler, and the victims and investigations that have been connected to the cases. [1] Some new investigating and interviewing is done during the series, including contacting internet amateur crime investigation group Websleuths.com group members, and following-up on Websleuths activities. [2]

True crime is a non-fiction literary and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people.

Alex Gibney American film director and producer

Philip Alexander Gibney is an American documentary film director and producer. In 2010, Esquire magazine said Gibney "is becoming the most important documentarian of our time".

The Long Island serial killer is an unidentified suspected serial killer who is believed to have murdered 10 to 16 people associated with prostitution, over a period of nearly 20 years, and dumped their bodies along the Ocean Parkway, near the remote Long Island, New York beach towns of Gilgo and Oak Beach in Suffolk County, and the area of Jones Beach State Park in Nassau County. The remains of four victims were found in December 2010, while six more sets of remains were found in March and April 2011. Police believe the latest sets of remains predate the four bodies found in December 2010.

Contents

Series producers found sex worker serial killings to be a bigger problem than they expected and they look for obstacles that law enforcement has in solving the murders. [3]

Production

A&E announced in September 2016 that the series would premiere on November 5, 2016, however the premiere was later delayed by one week. [4] The theme music for the series is the 1979 recording of "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus. [5]

Bela Lugosis Dead single

"Bela Lugosi's Dead" is a song by English post-punk band Bauhaus. This song was the band's first single, released on 6 August 1979 by record label Small Wonder. It is often considered the first gothic rock record.

Bauhaus (band) English gothic rock band

Bauhaus were an English post-punk/gothic rock band, formed in Northampton, England in 1978. The group consisted of Daniel Ash, Peter Murphy, Kevin Haskins (drums) and David J (bass). The band was originally named Bauhaus 1919 in reference to the first operating year of the German art school Bauhaus, although they shortened the name within a year of formation. One of the first gothic rock groups, Bauhaus were known for their dark image and gloomy sound, although they mixed many genres, including dub, glam rock, psychedelia and funk.

Reception

The Killing Season has received generally positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, it has a score of 63 out of 100 based on four reviews. [6]

Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of media products: films, TV shows, music albums, video games, and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged. Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc Doyle, and Julie Doyle Roberts in 1999. The site provides an excerpt from each review and hyperlinks to its source. A color of green, yellow or red summarizes the critics' recommendations. It has been described as the video game industry's "premier" review aggregator.

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal air dateUS viewers
(millions)
1"Whoever Fears Monsters"November 12, 2016 (2016-11-12)0.472 [7]
Four dead bodies with red-painted toenails wrapped in burlap. Who are they and how did they get here?
2"The Most Dangerous Game"November 12, 2016 (2016-11-12)0.432 [7]
More bodies in Long Island. Questions about how many killers are involved and are they sending messages to each other or competing for the same territory?
3"Danse Macabre"November 19, 2016 (2016-11-19)0.535 [8]
Producers visit Atlantic City, NJ to investigate a similar case.
4"A Darkness on the Edge of Town"November 19, 2016 (2016-11-19)0.529 [8]
The body count of sex-workers rises and the show looks at more victims and suspects and law enforcement in New Jersey and Daytona Beach Florida.
5"Different Seasons"November 26, 2016 (2016-11-26)0.428 [9]
Josh and Rachel are in Florida looking into the case of the Daytona Beach Serial Killer.
6"A Killer on the Road"November 26, 2016 (2016-11-26)0.519 [9]
After a private investigator's alarming revelation that there exists long haul truckers moonlighting as serial killers terrorizing America's interstate system.
7"Wasteland"December 3, 2016 (2016-12-03)0.478 [10]
Discovering that the current systems in place to detect serial killers are severely broken, and suffering from an inability to connect the dots.
8"American Nightmare"December 3, 2016 (2016-12-03)0.480 [10]
With the help of local advocates and ex-FBI, Rachel and Josh search for eight missing women on Albuquerque's West Mesa when they discover they may be dealing with something even more sinister than a lone serial killer.

See also

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References

  1. Genzlinger, Neil (November 11, 2016). "Review: 'The Killing Season' Examines Long Island Case". The New York Times. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  2. "The Killing Season". Websleuths. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  3. Killoran, Ellen (November 11, 2016). "Why So Many Sex Worker Murders Go Unsolved". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  4. Petski, Denise (September 16, 2016). "'The Killing Season' From Alex Gibney Set at A&E For November Premiere". Deadline. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  5. Thomas, Leah (November 12, 2016). "'The Killing Season' Theme Song Fits The Dark Subject Matter". Bustle. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  6. "The Killing Season : Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Metcalf, Mitch (November 15, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Saturday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.12.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  8. 1 2 Metcalf, Mitch (November 22, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Saturday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.19.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  9. 1 2 Metcalf, Mitch (November 30, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Saturday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.26.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  10. 1 2 Metcalf, Mitch (December 6, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Saturday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.3.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved December 9, 2016.