Episodes into “Hannibal’s” third season, NBC failed to renew the show for a fourth due to low Nielsen ratings. “Hannibal” gave NBC a rare gift, and it didn’t want it.
Though “fannibals” were initially optimistic about the chances of the show surviving, NBC is cutting it off with surgical precision, not unlike its titular cannibal. Things haven’t exactly been looking up as late; as both Amazon, which has streaming rights, and Netflix have passed it up. We hope that Hulu or some other godlike figure will swoop in and save the day at the last moment, playing savior almost as if it were premeditated. Perhaps they are curious to see what will happen.
Bryan Fuller, the developer of “Hannibal,” hasn’t had the best time bringing his creations to completion. “Dead Like Me” withered in the wake of Fuller’s departure in its first season, becoming dead like itself. “Wonderfalls” fell prey to cancelation after one season. “Pushing Daisies” aired two seasons before it began pushing daisies. At least “Hannibal,” Fuller’s latest meditation on death, made it to three full seasons — though he had plans for six in total. Currently halfway through the third season, NBC will allow “Hannibal” to air throughout the rest of the season.
Perhaps these shows were all destined to face their untimely demises considering the gloomy themes they dwelled on. Despite all being critically lauded, their respective networks decided that they’d rather commit TV cannibalism than go on producing shows that didn’t provide the ratings they wanted. So, the networks swallowed their shows whole and renewed “Glee.”
Fans had rebuked NBC for canceling their show, some personally adopting Hannibal Lecter’s own mantra: “Eat the rude.” Many made jokes about sending bloody organs to NBC studios, and likely some threatened this in serious. They mourned the sinking of their ships and prayed NBC would at least allow them the small privilege of seeing who exactly is taking care of Will’s dogs while he’s gallivanting about in Europe.
Although NBC has committed serious crimes in the past — such as driving “The Office” into the ground, cutting the final seasons of “30 Rock” and “Parks and Recreation” in half, airing the monstrosity who was “Joey,” etc. — canceling “Hannibal” is not necessarily one of them. In fact, looking at the Nielsen ratings for the series, which are often the only numbers primetime networks care about, one wonders how “Hannibal” managed to last so long in the deep, dark well its ratings carved for it. NBC threatened to spray the hose again, and it was not messing around.
This last week, “Hannibal’s” rating was only 0.4, meaning only about 0.4 percent of TV households were watching the show at any given minute — and this was after the announcement that NBC had canceled the show. Comparing it to a show sharing its timeslot, “Under the Dome” received a rating of 1.0. If we pull ratings from the rest of the night, “The Big Bang Theory” received a 1.4, “The Astronaut Wives Club” received a 0.8 and “Big Brother” received a 1.9.
Can we forgive NBC? It is unreasonable in general for networks to only consult the Nielsen ratings when so many other indicators of a show’s success exist — such as the enthusiasm of the series’ fandom, the amount of times the show has been streamed, the sales made from the NBC website as well as from the recent auction — but, as it is the current standard for networks to measure a show’s profitability, NBC wasn’t being entirely irrational in its decision to hang “Hannibal” out to dry. At least the network had the decency to ask, “Bowels in or bowels out?”
But to truly solve the mystery of this crime, we must get inside the mind of the killer, even if it means reenacting the horrifying death of this show with our bare hands. Why didn’t general audiences fall for “Hannibal’s” clever ploys?
Based on the books by Thomas Harris, “Hannibal” serves as a sort of overreaching prequel that frequently incorporates elements of the novels in highly novel ways. The show expands on the relationship between Will and Hannibal introduced by Harris in “Red Dragon,” a professional association that eventually evolves into a multi-faceted, more than slightly homoerotic, highly unhealthy friendship. Harris’ novels are by no means light reading, but the visual nature of “Hannibal” allows the show to adopt a whole new realm of horror. In addition, the show draws a stark contrast to “Silence of the Lambs,” the movie that stands as the most well-known adaptation of the books. “Silence of the Lambs” prides itself in its relative realism while “Hannibal” relishes its surreal, nightmarish plane.
As the series progresses, “Hannibal” becomes increasingly more impenetrable to the casual viewer. It repels nonchalant audiences in the same way that put “Arrested Development” on the chopping block. It refuses to stop and explain what’s happening, and it is incredibly dense in its subtext and thematic material. It is a challenging show, and refuses to apologize for that. While longtime viewers love the show specifically for these reasons, it turns off those who aren’t looking for a commitment.
As well, the show has become endlessly more artful, often indulging in experimental angles, complex slow-motion shots and bloody dreamlike forms. No other shows on network television look like this. “Hannibal” has, from the outset, focused on the beauty inherent in the terrible —the draw of a character like Lecter — but many aren’t able to look past the gore to examine what’s really inside (spoiler: it’s even more blood). To be fair, the show is one stocked full of decapitation, gouging, biting and the masterful cooking of human flesh. The people who can’t handle the violence can hardly be condemned.
Despite being one of the best-acted shows on television (it features Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen and Laurence Fishburne amongst others), entirely beautiful and tightly written, “Hannibal” might have been too self-indulgent in its own art to notice its impending descent, much like Hannibal Lecter himself. A place wasn’t made for you, “Hannibal.” At least not in the world of primetime television.
Maybe we’ll send off the show with words from the impeccably mannered cannibal himself: “I’ve always found the idea of death comforting. The thought that my life could end at any moment frees me to fully appreciate the beauty and art and horror of everything this world has to offer.” Though “Hannibal” may end here, we will attempt to honor every part of it. This is our design.
(However, let’s not count out the Food Network.)
