One of the most controversial shows on television returns this Sunday, April 1^st as The Killing begins airing its second season on AMC. The series, which is based on the Danish show Forbrydelsen, follows Detective Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) and her possibly shady partner Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman) as they try to solve the mystery of who killed local Seattle teenager Rosie Larsen. The show also revolves around prime suspect and Mayoral candidate Darren Richmond (Billy Campbell), as well as Rosie’s parents (Brent Sexton and Michelle Forbes) who are dealing with the aftermath of their daughter’s death.

The Killing was a bona fide hit last season for AMC, which is also home to such popular series as Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead. But The Killing made national news last year when fans of the series were in an uproar after the show’s finale aired. The episode had been advertised as giving final answers to the show’s main mystery, however all it did was offer new questions and no clues to who actually killed Rosie Larsen. Fans of the series took to Twitter in an angry fever relieving their pain by bashing the show’s failure to follow through with answers as promised. While many fans swore to never watch the series again, I have a feeling they will all be returning Sunday night for the second season in hopes that some answers may finally come to light. But don’t expect closure to the show’s main mystery Sunday night as producers have said publicly that Rosie’s killer won’t be revealed until the end of this season.

Earlier this week, along with several other members of the press, I had a chance to sit down with Mireille Enos, Joel Kinnaman, and Billy Campbell to discuss season two of The Killing. The actors talked about the series; it’s controversial season one finale, their surprise at the fan’s outcry, Linden’s engagement, Holder’s true intensions, Richmond’s ultimate fate, how the show’s success has affected the actor’s careers, and just who did kill Rosie Larsen?

Available on Blu-ray and DVD beginning March 13th is the first season of the hit AMC series The Killing, which will begin its second season on April 1st. The series stars Mireile Eros as Sarah Linden, the police officer in charge of finding Rosie Larsen's killer, and Joel Kinnaman as her reluctant partner Stephen Holder. The show's excellent cast also includes Billy Campbell (USA's The 4400), Michelle Forbes (FOX's 24), Brent Sexton (NBC's Life), Kristin Lehman (FOX's Human Target), Eric Ladin (AMC's Mad Men), Brendan Sexton III (Black Hawk Down), and Brandon Jay McLaren (Tucker and Dale vs. Evil). 

IAR is proud to present an exclusive deleted scene from Season One of The Killing entitled "Prove it," which will be available on the upcoming Blu-ray and DVD on sale March 13th.

AMC is a cable network unafraid to put it all out there with material other wouldn't even approach.  It currently has three hugely popular flagship series; one is set in the 1960's and centers on philandering ad-man with identity issues, another follows a chemistry teacher-turned-meth-cook-turned-malicious-bastard, and the latest is a comic book adaptation set in the midst of a zombie apocalypse.  The second season premiere of The Walking Dead, based on the Image comic by Robert Kirkman, was the highest rated basic cable drama of all time, with 7.2 million viewers tuning in.  Only two episodes into the second season but established as AMC's most popular show, the network has officially renewed the zombie epic for a third season, which will presumably premiere just in time for Halloween in 2012.

When Image Comics began publishing a series authored by Robert Kirkman that followed the story of a group of uninfected trying to survive after the zombie apocalypse, it was less a matter of "if" it would be adapted to another medium but rather "when" and in "what" format.  While many of the novels written in the zombie genre seem to lend themselves to the movie format (such as the upcoming World War Z), the scope and visuals of The Walking Dead clearly would have been better served in the television format.

Luckily, AMC did not disappoint.  Their first 6 episode season of the television adaptation perfectly captured the tone of the Kirkman comics.  A huge reason for that was bringing Kirkman into the production not only as an Executive Producer, but also as a writer.  The high production value and impeccable makeup effects (actors playing zombies had to attend "Zombie School" in order to accurately move and walk like zombies) only served to push the envelope for the zombie genre.

Let's start with the blatantly obvious: Bryan Cranston is a flat-out great actor.  The 2004 marionette action-satire Team America: World Police – in which Cranston played no part whatsoever but bear with me here – acting jokingly depicted as an incredibly rare, potentially deadly, and endlessly applicable skill.  That's the kind of acting Bryan Cranston does, the kind of acting that's like a superpower could secure him a spot in the Justice League.  Cranston could act his way out of a bunker buried miles below the Earth's surface and emerge in daylight without a fleck of dirt on his person.  But it's not simply because Cranston is a fantastic thespian (and by all accounts, a really nice guy) that he's our latest Rogue of the Week, it's his smart selection of unshowy supporting roles since breaking big on AMC's Breaking Bad.

We normally don't spend a whole lot of time on television news around these parts, this being a movie news section and all, but last night saw the 2011 Primetime Emmy Awards go down here in sunny Los Angeles, and we'd be remiss if we didn't share the full list of winners.  Glee's Jane Lynch hosted the ostentatious goings-on, which saw AMC's Mad Men winning the coveted Outstanding Drama Series trophy, while Modern Family won in the Comedy Series category.  Also worth noting, Peter Dinklage won a supporting actor award for his role as a man who always pays his debts on Game of Thrones, Melissa McCarthy took home a trophy on account of Mike & Molly, and Martin Scorsese naturally got some dramatic directorial kudos for helming the Boardwalk Empire pilot.

After becoming a hugely-discussed home for transcendent televised drama series with Mad Men and Breaking Bad, cable network AMC surprised a whole lot of people The Walking Dead, a large-scale apocalyptic zombie tale based on the comic book by Robert Kirkman.  Despite initial trepidation from many potential viewers, the series premiere dropped last Halloween to huge ratings and widespread acclaim.  Directed by showrunner and The Shawshank Redemption helmer Frank Darabont, the premiere boasted the polish and sophistication of any feature film, and the bonus features included on the impending Blu-ray and DVD release of the first season provide insight into the production. 

A behind-the-scenes clip entitled 'We Are the Walking Dead' has made its way online, and it shows Darabont appraising an under-construction Abrams tank interior, as well as KNB Effects mastermind and consulting producer Greg Nicotero showing off the tremendous varieties of corpses.  There's even a look at "zombie school."

Netflix's streaming Watch Instantly service is fast becoming America's favorite way to watch movies (instantly). The library of available titles is so vast and mutable that you, the avid instant watcher, could no doubt use a guide as you navigate the streaming frontier.

Luckily for you, we'll be here every Tuesday to update you on the latest titles available for instant-watching, as well as bringing attention some gems and even some enjoyable calamities out there in the instantly watchable wilds.

Kevin Smith has said publicly that he'll retire from directing movies after he completes his two-part hockey opus Hit Somebody, which will follow his self-distributed horror film Red State, but that doesn't mean he'll limit himself to overseeing his podcast empire and frequent length Q & A sessions.  The man who highlighted the plight of underemployed register jockeys everywhere is returning to world of commerce with the tentatively titled Secret Stash, a television reality series set in Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, Smith's comic shop in Red Bank, New Jersey.  The show, which will star Smiths longtime buddies Bryan Johnson and Walt Flanagan, has just officially gotten the greenlight from AMC, the cable network that boasts the likes of Mad Men and Breaking Bad.

On any given week during the year, Friday is a unique day, with the work-week done and the fertile possibilities of two free, sociable days spread out before the beleaguered workers of the world.  Such it is with San Diego Comic-Con, as well.  The single biggest and most potent gathering of nerdlingers on this island Earth is all anticipatory excitement on Friday, with attendees feeling very much like children on Halloween, dumping pillowcases full of sugary, fun-size sweets on the floor.  Of course, all that candy will eventually lead to stomach aches and diabetes, but in that moment, all that matters is the promise of sweetness to come.  IAR will, of course, be covering Comic-Con International, but the sheer abundance of bite-sized events and panels at the Con assures that no one organization can cover it all, so we're providing a rundown of the Friday panels that might just be of interest to you, our dear reader.