10 Things Hannibal Does Better Than The Movies

9. Hannibal Treats The Audience As Intelligent Beings

The difference between the TV show and the films is that the films need broad audiences to be successful. There has to be an element of simplifying the story to make sure that it is accessible to a large variety of audience types. That being said, the Hannibal Lecter movies - Silence Of The Lambs in particular - go to great effort to treat the subject matter of Thomas Harris's with the respect they deserve. Which was probably why the oscars, while greatly deserved, were a surprise win for a film that went with a dark subject matter mainstream audiences were't used to. Hannibal struggles with the ratings partly because of the subject matter and the way it is presented isn't as accessible to wider audiences. But it is a better show for it. Recently we ran an article looking at TV shows that don't treat audiences like idiots and we listed Hannibal as number one. It is easy to see why: the dialogue assumes the audience has a knowledge of the psychological discussions. The FBI don't state the obvious when they complete their investigations; they are reasoned and knowledgeable. The audience has to pay attention, focus on the finer details and remember what has come before. But the pay off a week - or several weeks - down the line is immense, as the gripping season two finale proved. Hannibal treats the audience as intelligent beings and refuses to dumb down the dialogue and plot to appease the masses. That makes this show very special indeed.