NBC Cancels 'Hannibal,' Is It Really the End?
Dr. Hannibal Lecter will be serving his last meal at NBC in August. NBC has announced that the series will not return for a fourth season after it completes its 13-episode Season run two months from now.
The psychological thriller just started its Season 3 run, but its ratings has not improved despite the show's critical acclaim. The show's creator and executive producer Bryan Fuller has acknowledged this as well. In a report in TVLine, Fuller was thankful to NBC for keeping the show on the air for three seasons.
"NBC 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 Cancellation Bear Chow ratings and images that would have shredded the eyeballs of lesser Standards & Practices enforcers," he said in a statement. He also said that NBC and their president Jen Salke "have been fantastic partners and creatively supportive beyond measure."
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The network issued a statement as well.
"We have been tremendously proud of Hannibal over its three seasons. Bryan and his team of writers and producers, as well as our incredible actors, have brought a visual palette of storytelling that has been second to none in all of television — broadcast or cable. We thank Gaumont and everyone involved in the show for their tireless efforts that have made Hannibal an incredible experience for audiences around the world."
The show's cancellation did not come as a surprise, given the series' poor ratings. Its June 11 had a very low turn-out -- only 1.7 million viewers -- which was the series' lowest ever, according to the report.
Fuller, however is hopeful that he will be able to continue his work with "Hannibal." In another report in Deadline, Fuller is said to have taken to Twitter with the battlecry #SaveHannibal hours after news of the cancellation broke out, urging fans to continue watching the show's last ten episodes. Another executive producer of the show, Martha De Laurentiis, said that they "are exploring options with other potential partners" and asked fans to "join us in sending a message to other potential partners."
One of these potential partners is Amazon, who currently has an exclusive contract with NBC Universal to stream the show's episodes, which will run for four years. The show will also make an appearance at the upcoming Comic-Con, which may be a good way for Fuller and team to get additional fan support.
With Fuller saying that his ideas for Season 4 is "cool" and that he cannot wait to work the series some more, this may not be the end of "Hannibal" yet.
