When NBC studios and showrunner Bryan Fuller decided to adapt the Hannibal book series by Thomas Harris, they had a big legacy to live up to. Although the character Hannibal Lecter made his film debut in Michael Mann's Manhunter, it was The Silence of the Lambs that brought Lecter to mainstream popularity. Anthony Hopkins' Oscar-winning performance continues to have a place in pop culture lore, so having a Hannibal television series without him sounded nearly impossible, especially when The Silence of the Lambs' sequels didn't match the same acclaim.
However, Fuller's Hannibal managed to step out of The Silence of the Lambs' shadow while still staying true to the spirit of Harris' novels, delivering one of the darkest shows network television put on in the 2010s. Gruesome cannibalistic stories combined with stylish visuals and a brilliant cast led to high praise from critics, as well as a cult following. Despite being one of network television's best reviewed shows, Hannibal was canceled after three seasons, and here's why.
The Origins of Hannibal
NBC initially began development for Hannibal when then head-of-drama brought in Bryan Fuller of Pushing Daisies fame to write the pilot. The pilot for the initial script was so good that the studio ordered a full season of the show before filming even began.
While many fans prior to Hannibal are familiar with Lecter and Clarice Starling's relationship in The Silence of the Lambs, Lecter's first story is from the novel Red Dragon, and it focuses on his relationship with FBI special agent Will Graham. This deceptive and complex dynamic is the main story of the first couple of seasons of Hannibal.
Mads Mikkelsen crafts his own stylish and sophisticated version of Lecter that terrifies and engages with audiences, but the highlight of the series is Hugh Dancy's performance as tortured investigator Will Graham. Graham's descent into the world of madness nearly destroys him as he endures intense mind games with Lecter. Besides the two leads, Hannibal is fortunate to get terrific supporting performances from Laurence Fishburne's Jack Crawford, Caroline Dhavernas' Dr. Alana Bloom, Gillian Anderson's Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier and Michael Pitt's Mason Verger.
The Downfall of Hannibal
What made Hannibal stand out both as a blessing and a curse was that it was an incredibly dark and complex show that aired on a big network TV station like NBC. Critics loved the show thanks to Fuller and his team's impressive filmmaking, as well as the Grade A performances by the cast, but the ratings didn't match the praise.
Even though the show proved that a great Hannibal story could be told without Hopkins' Lecter or Jodie Foster's Clarice Starling, their absence didn't help draw in audiences. Ratings were low from the series' beginning, but by Season 3, it had plummeted to the point of drawing below .5 in the 18-49 age demographic. Following the Season 3 finale, Hannibal was officially canceled. What also didn't help was the alleged piracy of the show, according to producer Martha De Laurentiis, who believes around one-third of the audience was illegally watching the show, hurting ratings in the long run.
Hopes For a Hannibal Revival
From the beginning, Bryan Fuller had stated that he wanted to do six seasons of Hannibal, even though he would've had trouble doing a version of The Silence of the Lambs due to rights issues. Since its cancellation, both Dancy and Mikkelsen also have been interested in reprising their roles if the series is acquired by a streaming service, but it had an exclusive deal with Amazon for some time, and Fuller moved on to produce American Gods Season 1. However, now that Hannibal is streaming on Netflix, interest in the show has returned, so the streaming platform could properly bring a conclusion to Hannibal.
Hannibal stars Mads Mikkelsen, Hugh Dancy, Caroline Dhavernas, Laurence Fishburne, Scott Thompson, Aaron Abrams, Gillian Anderson, and Hettienne Park. All three seasons are currently streaming on Netflix.