Barely a month separates us from the April 3 two-hour premiere of AMC's next series The Killing.  Based on the popular Danish series Forbrydelsen, The Killing "tells the story of the murder of a young girl in Seattle and the subsequent police investigation."  Mireille Enos (Big Love), Billy Campbell (The 4400), Joel Kinnaman (Snabba Cash), Michelle Forbes (True Blood), and Brent Sexton (Life) star.

I've let The Killing sneak up on me, but AMC has released a couple featurettes that drew me in right quick.  Watch both after the jump.

This one is a little bit older, but if you haven't seen it yet, it makes more sense to watch first as a Killing primer.

The Killing - A First Look

And here's the newest featurette -- an introduction to the characters.

Inside the Killing - The Characters

The Wire is obviously the epitome of this every-angle exploration of local crime.  Could The Killing do with Seattle what The Wire did with Baltimore?  Well, no -- they're filming in Vancouver, after all.

But I'm from Seattle, so I'm on the hook as the homer.  As long as The Killing makes me homesick for the Pacific Northwest and finds time for some quality atmospheric drama, I'm in.  Based on what's presented in these featurettes, I like my chances.

The Killing ties together three distinct stories around a single murder including the detectives assigned to the case, the victim's grieving family, and the suspects. Set in Seattle, the story also explores local politics as it follows politicians connected to the case. As the series unfolds, it becomes clear that there are no accidents; everyone has a secret, and while the characters think they've moved on, their past isn't done with them.

The Killing stars Mireille Enos (Big Love) as "Sarah Linden," the lead homicide detective that investigates the death of Rosie Larsen; Billy Campbell (Once and Again) as "Darren Richmond," Seattle's City Council President and now running for Mayor; Joel Kinnaman (Snabba Cash) as "Stephen Holder," an ex-narc cop who joins the homicide division in the investigation to find Rosie's killer; Michelle Forbes (True Blood) as Rosie's mother, "Mitch Larsen;" and Brent Sexton (W., In the Valley of Elah) as Rosie's father, "Stan Larsen." The pilot is directed by Patty Jenkins (Monster).