Killing Eve Season 3 - What We Know So Far

Since it premiered in 2018, the BBC America series Killing Eve has been a smash hit with audiences, telling the cat-and-mouse story of a detective and a serial killer dancing around one another in a potentially deadly race to find the other. The push-and-pull dynamic of Sandra Oh's Eve Polastri, a Canadian-born MI6 detective living in London, and Jodie Comer's Villanelle, a sadistic contract killer who becomes obsessed with Eve, has taken the small screen by storm. With a strong central narrative focusing on attraction, obsession, and bloodshed — as well as terrific central performances from Oh and Comer's talented supporting cast – Killing Eve is the definition of a true a TV sensation.

To that end, the series will definitely be back on your television before too long. In January 2020, after Killing Eve had already been renewed for its third season back in April 2019, news broke that it would return for a fourth season as well. From its revolving door of talented female showrunners to Comer and Oh's undeniable chemistry, Killing Eve is top-notch television, and fans can't wait until it comes back. Here's everything you need to know so far about the upcoming third season of Killing Eve.

Spoilers for the first two seasons to follow!

Springtime always brings with it warmer weather, spring flowers, and the promise of rebirth and renewal; however, it also always brings a new season of Killing Eve. This year, fans got an unexpected announcement that one of their favorite shows would be back even earlier than expected.

Back in February of 2020, BBC America and AMC, who distribute the show in the United States as well as across the pond, made the announcement that Killing Eve would hit the airwaves on April 26, 2020 — giving fans plenty of reasons to get excited about Eve and Villanelle's triumphant return to their television screens. But at the end of March 2020, the announcement came that Killing Eve fans wouldn't even have to wait until the end of April for season 3. The show will be back weeks earlier than planned with a new premiere date of April 12, 2020.

The networks didn't announce why they moved the premiere up, but in any case, it's a nice gift for Killing Eve fans — complete with a YouTube video to mark the announcement that also ended up on Instagram and Twitter. You can catch the premiere of Killing Eve season 3 on April 12 at 9 PM EST.

Knowing exactly when the third season of Killing Eve will premiere is especially exciting for fans, as the second season closed out with a jaw-dropping cliffhanger. After chasing Villanelle throughout Europe at the expense of her safety and her sanity following a truly unexpected turn of events, Eve finally comes face to face with her nemesis in Rome. Amongst the Roman ruins, the two engage in a tense conversation that culminates in Villanelle shooting Eve, which perfectly mirrors the end of the first season, where Eve stabbed Villanelle in Paris.

As far as Eve's fate goes, there's little doubt that she'll survive, since the show would be nothing without Oh and Comer. She'll certainly have a lot to figure out, though, from making senes of Villanelle's violent act to struggling with the fact that Carolyn might be hiding a dark connection. Villanelle, too, might have a complicated reaction to leaving the woman she loves for dead. 

Watching these two women duke it out was a thrill ride throughout first two seasons of Killing Eve, and it shows no sign of slowing down for the third.

Killing Eve is undeniably well-written and perfectly shot, but when it comes right down to it, the show would be nothing without Comer and Oh's central performances (for which the actresses have won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, respectively). Naturally, Comer (whom you may recognize as Rey's mom in The Rise of Skywalker)and Oh will be on hand for Killing Eve season 3 — alongside Fiona Shaw, who plays Oh's double-crossing MI6 boss Carolyn Martens, and a ton of new cast members.

In late 2019, Entertainment Weekly broke the news that a whole host of talented actors would be joining Killing Eve – including Gemma Whelan (Game of Thrones), Turlough Convery (Ready Player One), Camille Cottin (Call My Agent), Pedja Bjelac (Harry Potter), Steve Pemberton (Inside No. 9), Raj Bajaj (A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding), and Evgenia Dodina (One Week and a Day). After that, it was announced that Dame Harriet Walter (Succession) and Danny Sapani (Harlots) would join the slate as well.

Beyond new cast members, Killing Eve's third season will be helmed by a new showrunner as well, which is becoming a bit of a tradition for the show. After Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge kicked off the first season, Emerald Fennell (whose new film Promising Young Woman hits theaters on April 17) took over for the second. Suzanne Heathcote (Fear the Walking Dead) will pick up the reins for the third.

Mixing comedy with drama and violence is a calling card for Killing Eve, which has displayed its "killer" sense of humor ever since its premiere. On Valentine's Day 2020, the show released its first short teaser for the third season, which only runs for 16 tense, exciting seconds. Set to the "Hallelujah" chorus from George Frideric Handel's "Messiah, HWV 56," the Killing Eve season 3 teaser features Comer and Oh obscured by fluttering red silks as it flashes messages like "Happy V Day" and "Rejoice."

This is the second teaser released for the third season of Killing Eve. In January 2020, the series gave viewers another brief glimpse in a short video that didn't include either Comer or Oh, but showed off a cake adorned with cherries, a stuffed pig, and a tube of lipstick, among other cryptic objects. 

Despite the show's dark edge, these teasers make it clear that there's a serious sense of whimsy underneath the violence, carrying on the perfectly balanced tone that made the first two seasons of Killing Eve so popular.