10 Incredible TV Shows That Everyone Thought Would Be Terrible

9. Hannibal

Cobra Kai
Sony Pictures Television

Not only is The Silence of the Lambs pretty much perfect, Anthony Hopkins’s portrayal as Hannibal Lecter is one of the most captivating villains in cinema.

So when a show revolving around Thomas Harris' most iconic character was given the go-ahead, it sounded like it would be dead on arrival, ready to be served to the cannibalistic doctor himself (with a nice chianti). Not only would there be no Anthony Hopkins, the series wasn't allowed to incorporate ANY material from The Silence of the Lambs. So why bother make it?

But thanks to Harris' other novels, Red Dragon and Hannibal, the showrunners had plenty of material to work with to literally flesh out the show's title character.

But can Mads Mikkelsen’s portrayal of the serial-killing psychiatrist compete with Hopkins? Well, it’s like comparing Heath Ledger’s Joker with Joaquin Phoenix. They’ve approached the same character very differently so it’s not fair to compare them. Even though Hopkin’s incarnation of Hannibal is a standout, Mikkelsen's makes the character his own with his effortless hypnotic charm.

The show's only flaw is that it came to an end far too soon.

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James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows