Hannibal: 6 Reasons It Should Come Back (And 4 Reasons It Shouldn't)
2. The Ratings Issue Might Still Not Improve
Hannibal was an absolutely brilliant, high-quality show with a fiercely loyal fanbase, yet was very much considered to be a niche program and was set up to fail. This, of course, ultimately led to its cancellation.
Despite Hannibal's stellar quality, it pulled in ratings deemed unacceptable for a network television show in prime time. NBC decided that this was a result of the show's graphic nature and moved the program to a later time slot, which only made things worse. By the third season, Hannibal pulled in the lowest television ratings it ever had, finally giving NBC an excuse to pass on a renewal.
Other outlets have expressed interest in picking up the show, but still have cold feet and it's easy to see why. Regardless of what the reasons were, there is a major stigma that goes along with shows that are cancelled for poor ratings. And while the publicity surrounding the revival would certainty help, there's still no guarantee that anyone will pick it up, nor that Hannibal will maintain the ratings necessary to stay alive much longer than another season, which could make the whole thing all for naught.
This is easily one of the biggest obstacles they would have to overcome.