NBC's 'Hannibal' canceled: Will it be brought back on another platform?
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Molly Driscoll Staff writer
The NBC drama 鈥淗annibal鈥� has reportedly been canceled by NBC.聽
The show is based on the book series by Thomas Harris which was also the basis for the Oscar-winning 1991 film 鈥淭he Silence of the Lambs鈥� as well as various follow-up movies, including the 2001 movie 鈥淗annibal鈥� and 2002鈥檚 鈥淩ed Dragon.鈥澛�
鈥淗annibal鈥� is currently airing its third season and stars Mads Mikkelsen of 鈥淐asino Royale鈥� as Dr. Hannibal Lecter as well as Hugh Dancy of 鈥淢artha Marcy May Marlene鈥� as Will Graham, who works for the FBI.聽
According to the , low ratings contributed to the cancelation.聽鈥淣BC has allowed us to craft a television series that no other broadcast network would have dared, and kept us on the air for three seasons despite Cancelation Bear Chow ratings and images that would have shredded the eyeballs of lesser Standards & Practices enforcers,鈥� .
So here鈥檚 what fans likely want to know: is the show really canceled? In an era when acclaimed shows are frequently brought back by online streaming services 鈥� the recently canceled 鈥淭he Mindy Project鈥� was brought back by Hulu after Fox axed it and NBC鈥檚 comedy 鈥淐ommunity鈥� resurfaced on Yahoo Screen, among other resurrected shows 鈥� fans are increasingly hoping that cancelation isn鈥檛 the end. 鈥淗annibal鈥� executive producer Martha DeLaurentiis tweeted,
Possible obstacles to 鈥淗annibal鈥� reappearing somewhere else? As Aymar Jean 海角大神, assistant professor in the department of communication studies at Northwestern University, pointed out in an interview with the 海角大神 Science Monitor, most of the shows that have been revived are comedies. 鈥淐omedies are just a little bit cheaper to make [and] have dedicated fan bases,鈥� he said.
In addition, Hollywood Reporter writer Lesley Goldberg cited unnamed sources in stating that rights could have been a factor behind the decision to cancel 鈥淗annibal.鈥� The sources said Fuller suggested bringing in the iconic character Clarice Starling, portrayed by Jodie Foster in 鈥淪ilence of the Lambs,鈥� for the show鈥檚 new season, but that the rights may not have been secured.
