Who killed Rosie Larsen?

I don’t know, but if the answer isn’t revealed pretty soon AMC’s summer hit ‘The Killing’ might see a mass exodus of fans they can’t recover from.

What am I talking about?

Here are the facts:

* While show runners didn’t specifically say they would answer the central mystery of the show last season, the advertising that accompanied it certainly suggested that the final episode of season one would tell us who killed the teenager. Instead, it ended on a cliffhanger and thousands of fans cried foul on the Internet.

* Show star Mireille Enos further infuriated fans when she basically told them to get over their dissatisfaction. I love Enos, but that is not the way you endear yourself to the rabid hordes on the Internet. It’s a different world, and Hollywood stars have to live in it.

* In response to the controversy, show writers and producers announced that the killer would be revealed early in season two. This placated some fans – while others continued their nonstop complaining.

* Recently, Joel Stillerman, AMC’s executive vice-president of original programming altered the timeline. Fans WILL find out who killed Rosie Larsen in season two. They just won’t find out until the final episode of season two – another full 13 episodes away.

Fans are crying foul again. Quite frankly, I don’t blame them.

Here’s the thing, I’m not a proponent of instant gratification (unless I’m shoe shopping). I don’t think you have to answer every single little question at the exact moment that impatient fans want it. I understand that’s not how you sustain a quality television show.

You know what else I understand? That toying with your fan base is a sure fire way to get them to turn on you. Just ask the people who ran ‘Heroes’ – oh wait, that show was cancelled because fans started abandoning it in droves.

In an interview with TV Guide, Stillerman said he believed that it was only a small (and vocal) group of fans that were upset with the finale.

I can tell you right now, that isn’t the case. Most people I know who watched the show were upset by the ending --  and the message boards exploded with angry viewers. That’s not a “small minority.”

I’d be lying if I said I was going to give up on ‘The Killing.’

First of all, the first season was quality television. The acting was topnotch, the characters were richly drawn and the central mystery was intriguing. When you couple that with the fact that there’s not a lot on this time of year, I really can’t see myself giving up on the show.

 

That being said, if they can’t sustain the show like they did in the first season, and if the murder mystery falls flat, I will have no qualms about dropping the show.

The show runners have a lot to prove this season. Let’s hope they’re up to the task, because if they’re not, I don’t think they’re going to get a third season.

'The Killing' premieres with a 2-hour episode starting at 8 p.m. tonight. 

What do you think? Are you going to tune back into ‘The Killing’ or are you giving up?