It would seem to go without saying that gloom permeates something called “The Killing,” but TV doesn’t always treat murder as seriously as this new AMC series, and when it does, it still tends to wrap things up in an hour.

But “The Killing” — based on a Danish TV series — wants you to feel the gloom, from its perpetually overcast Seattle setting (this series is rainy even by that city’s inclement standards) to the anguish that parents feel when they learn that their teenage daughter has died.

The show takes a novelistic approach that’s reminiscent of “The Wire.” Yet it’s not as obsessed with making social commentary, as it tracks from several points of view the investigation of the murder, led by Sarah Linden (“Big Love’s” Mireille Enos), a detective whose last day on the force — and whose plans to meet her fiance in sunnier California — are disrupted by the murder.

Enos, who is shorter than most of the cast, manages to use her petite stature to look more formidable, yet she also gives her character an underlying warmth that indicates just how much a case like this strikes at her soul.

As you might be able to tell from the whole detective-catches-a-tough-case-on-the-last-day thing, “The Killing” isn’t above cliches, and they surround Linden in the form of a not-as-cavalier-as-he-seems new partner (Swedish actor Joel Kinnaman) and in her single motherhood of a misbehaving teenage son (Liam James) who’s not too sure about the California move. But it manages to transcend the cliches, partly through its actors and partly through the writing, overseen by executive producer Veena Sud, a veteran of CBS’ long-running “Cold Case.”

“Cold Case” had its flaws, but one of the things it was good at was showing how family members were affected by a loved one’s death, and that’s “The Killing’s” biggest strength as it depicts the girl’s parents (Michelle Forbes, who was so good in the second season of HBO’s “True Blood,” and “Justified” alum Brent Sexton) dealing with the pain and guilt they feel after learning of the murder, and the difficulties they have in explaining what happened to their two young sons. Forbes is especially good as the distraught mother, who’s haunted by thoughts of what she could have done differently to keep the killing from happening.

Also affected by the death are a City Council candidate (TV stalwart Billy Campbell), as well as teachers, staff and students at the girl’s school, where there turns out to be a lot more going on than most adults expect. TV writers and producers love to talk about “character-driven” shows, but “The Killing” truly is character-driven, with the mystery providing a foundation for the show but taking a backseat to the ways various people are affected by the crime.

One point of concern, though, is that after a particularly strong first hour, the series feels just a little more run-of-the-mill in the three episodes that AMC sent for review, despite the moody atmosphere. But the show still feels deeper than a lot of similar productions, and it’s as effective emotionally as it is as a whodunit.

‘The Killing’

When: 9 tonight

Where: AMC