You have to feel for Bryan Fuller. No sooner has he got a TV series of his to three seasons (unheard of!), and the network are pulling the plug. It's like Pushing Daisies/Dead Like Me/Wonderfalls/Mockingbird Lane all over again (boy, his shows really do have a tendency to get cancelled quickly). Hannibal was his best yet, but it's almost definitely dead now. There was some vague hope from Fuller and fans that a streaming service like Amazon or Netflix might have resurrected Hannibal, as they have done for The Killing and Arrested Development, two other shows with cult appeal. In a manner as ruthlessly efficient and upsetting as a meal with Dr Lecter, both those companies have confirmed that, nah, they're not doing that. Despite three cracking seasons and exciting plans for the next four, that's got to be the final nail in Hannibal's coffin. An iron one, not a fingernail, which Dr Lecter probably serves as appetisers. Fuller himself reported on Twitter that both services had passed on reviving Hannibal, meaning the ball is now in the court of Yahoo and Hulu. ...Neither of whom are likely to give it a try either. Bummer. The actors' contracts all expired the week prior, which is a major stumbling block in bringing the series back, according to the people who know those sorts of things. Sure, Community gets six seasons and a movie, but not Hannibal! That's some real prejudice against serial killers and flesh-eating lunatics right there. Still, at least Fuller can busy himself with his upcoming adaptation of Neil Gaiman's fantasy novel American Gods for Stars. And Hugh Dancy can stop speaking in an American accent, which unnerved everybody who first saw him in David Copperfield. Is it too late for Hannibal? Is it even worth saving? Did Mads Mikkelsen do better than Anthony Hopkins? The floor is yours, commenters.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
