Should TV’s ‘Hannibal’ be Brought Back from the Grave?

hannibal show
NBC

On August 29th, 2015, Hannibal aired the season finale of season three and what would be, for the time being anyway, the show’s final episode as it was canceled by NBC. Now, five years later, there is some serious talk going around about bringing the show back for a fourth season, possibly on Netflix. The question is, does Hannibal deserve to be resurrected?

As a fan of the show and an avid television viewer, the answer has to be yes.

For three seasons, Hannibal was a very different animal in the world of network television. The acting was top notch and the violence, while pushed to the extreme, was written and filmed in a way that it was almost a symphony of blood, if you will. A deeply visual show, it took the familiar story of Dr. Hannibal Lecter and twisted it into something beyond the sinister, the blood and gore. It became a very strange love story, and a wonderfully complex one at that.

The twisted relationship between Hannibal Lector (Mads Mikkelsen) and Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) was a courtship that connected these two men in a way few could understand. As they continued their dance with each other, the stakes got higher as did the body count, and some of those who actually survived being in the same vicinity as these two might have been better off dead themselves.

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However, despite the feverish Fannibal fan base, and a lot of love from the critics/media, the low ratings eventually led to the show being canceled. As a fan, I was sorry to see it go, as it was something very different, a standout among the usual fare we are used to seeing on TV, especially network television.

Fast forward to 2020, and a few things have happened to point to a possible return of Hannibal to television.

After being on Amazon Prime for a time, Hannibal has now made its way to Netflix in the US. This has caused interest in the show to ramp up and the series can frequently be seen on the Netflix top 10 list of TV shows. This has raised more than a few eyebrows, as while Fannibals have always been diehard fans, there is obviously more than a passing interest in this show.

Also, there was a recent Zoom gathering with many cast members of Hannibal, which was also used as a platform to raise money for charity. “I am very hopeful,” said showrunner Bryan Fuller. “The great thing about the fact that if we are going to be meeting them and it takes five, six, seven years until we’re meeting them, that’ll just be how long they’ve been on the lam.”

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Fuller doesn’t mention Netflix by name, but the built-in fan base, the recent arrival of the show to the streaming service, and obvious renewed interest as seen by the numbers would make this an obvious pairing. The end of season three saw the show wrap up the Red Dragon storyline, setting the stage for a possible Silence of the Lambs storyline should season four happen. That is a very enticing thought, indeed.

With the entire cast ready to go, renewed interest in the show thanks to Netflix, and Bryan Fuller dropping the “very hopeful” line, it might just be time for fans of Hannibal to get a little excited at the idea of Hannibal returning for a season four. The current climate has definitely put the brakes on film and TV production but even with no official announcement, I wouldn’t be surprised if some news came out before year’s end.

Maybe the question shouldn’t be should Hannibal return, but when will it return? Nothing is for sure in the entertainment business but this will definitely be something interesting to watch over the coming months.


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