Those Who Kill

This 10-episode 2011 Danish TV series was the inspirational source for the same-named 2014 A&E series starring Chloë Sevigny, James D’Arcy, and Bruce Davison. The U.S. version had a poor critical reception and A&E’s decision to switch the broadcast run over to the Lifetime cable network didn’t help. But the Danish original also suffered from low ratings, and a proposed longer run was canceled after the first season. Tough but gorgeous Inspector Katrine (Laura Bach) and her dyspeptic boss Magnus (Lars Mikkelsen) team with the brilliant yet reclusive cerebral forensic psychologist Thomas Schaeffer (Jakob Cedergren) in tracking down a serial killer who is responsible for the deaths of four women whose bodies are buried in the woods outside of Copenhagen. The only real surprise here is just how much Danish TV police dramas copy their U.S. counterparts, most evident in the connect-the-dots aspects of the script and the clichés that define the characters’ quirks and weaknesses. To its credit, the leads do their best with the material, but their efforts are defeated by flat-footed direction and predictable plotting. Not recommended. (P. Hall)