Moving on to the Main Course


"We're conjoined. I'm curious whether either of us can survive separation." — Will Graham, "Hannibal"

As we near the mid-point in the third season, Hannibal (Mads Mikkelson) is about to be brought to justice. Either he'll be killed by someone he's wronged, or end up in jail. Of course, we know jail is more likely since the series will mirror the events of the books, at least in overall structure.

Recently, "Hannibal" was cancelled by NBC. Its third season will be its last. While I think it remains incredibly unique, and one of the best shows on TV, I wasn't surprised by the cancellation. It's never been a ratings juggernaut, and this third season has continued the slide. Nor was I disappointed, exactly.

Creator Bryan Fuller had mapped out future seasons, including doing the "Silence of the Lambs" story in a potential season four. But NBC passed, as did streaming services such as Amazon and Netflix. So the third season — featuring Hannibal's capture and the "Red Dragon" narrative will be the last.

Unless Fuller gets his wish to turn the series in a set of feature films. At first blush that seems like good news, but as I've reflected on it, I don't see that as a positive. "Hannibal" belongs on TV, and it seems fitting that the series will conclude with this story.

Why, you might ask? Because, to me, the series has been about Hannibal and Will Graham (Hugh Dancy). Graham had to discover who Hannibal was, now he's trying to catch him. And in the "Red Dragon" story, Graham has to confront Hannibal and work with him to catch another criminal. That continues the show's central and most fascinating dynamic.

The "Silence of the Lambs" story is about Hannibal and Clarice Starling. In the film, Graham isn't even a part of it. How would that work with the dynamic of this series? It wouldn't.

Secondly, how can Fuller reasonably expected to re-make the "Silence of the Lambs." That film, released in 1991, is iconic and one of the most decorated films in cinematic history. It's one of only three films ever to win Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress. It should never be re-made as a film. Doing the story in the context of TV could be something different, re-making the story on film is a misstep.

I've enjoyed "Hannibal," but it seems fitting the run should end here. And I can't wait to see it play out over the next seven episodes.

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