Killing Spree for SoHo

SoHo will follow season two of The Killing, which continues tonight at 8.30 on Sky 10, with the subtitled Danish original, Forbrydelsen. 

The bad news is it won’t screen in HD but the good news is it’s much better than the US re-make.

It was released here on DVD last year and series two comes out next month on disc.

Its July 26 premiere in The Killing’s slot could spearhead a slew of European crime dramas screening here, with the Rialto Channel considering The Bridge, The Government and Braquo.

SoHo’s also keen to broaden its programming beyond US cable channels.

But Sky’s director of entertainment, Travis Dunbar, says Australian and UK dramas are harder to acquire because of free-to-air output deals (although two of the best Aussie dramas of last year, Cloudstreet and Killing Time, went to Sky’s Vibe and Prime channels).

“As we always have to buy UK content on an independent basis, we are dependent on the vagaries of supply,” he told Onfilm.

“Obviously, BBC drama particularly has been acquired by the larger free-to-air networks, but often languishes in very late off-peak slots.

“We have to be swift in terms of acquisition. That said, we have made ‘run-of’’ series commitments to both The Hour and Top Boy.

“British drama will remain a staple of SoHo, but there is simply less of it available, and most of the shows only run four-to-seven eps.”