Should Netflix finance a fourth season of ‘Hannibal’, years after it was cancelled?

Senior Advisor Kellyanne Conway Addresses The Media Outside The White House

****SPOILERS for Hannibal, a show which ended four years ago.

I love to binge-watch shows. I’m that kind of person. I’ll sometimes wait to watch a current show until several episodes have piled up and I can watch them altogether (I’m doing that with Billions right now). I sometimes wait until a show is already over before I start watching it. So it is with Hannibal. I’m a big Thomas Harris fan, and I’ve seen all of the film adaptations of Harris’s Hannibal Lector book series (sidenote: Hannibal Rising is an underrated film with great performances by Gong Li and Gaspard Ulliel). So I don’t know why I never watched the Hannibal TV series, but here I am. I’m currently in the second season and… good lord.

First of all, it’s a quality series. They spent MONEY on it, which is a rarity for hour-long network dramas these days. The artistic direction of the series is outstanding and disturbing in its detail. Second of all, the performances are great. I know everyone is obsessed with Mads Mikkelsen’s performance as “forty-something Hannibal Lector,” but Hugh Dancy absolutely kills it as Will Graham too. Laurence Fishburne, Hettienne Park, Gillian Anderson, Caroline Dhavernas and Raúl Esparza have all been amazing as well. The visual, dialogue and plot throwbacks to the books and movies have been brilliant.

All that being said, the police work is bugging me! While the show has better writing than most dramas, there are still some crazy leaps with the storytelling, and I do not believe that ALL of these FBI people would all collectively not be able to see Lector for who he really is. It’s bonkers! What was brilliant about Thomas Harris’s novels is that he never stressed that Lector had been working closely with tons of FBI people for years before he was caught. The core relationship was between Lector and Graham, not Lector and “a dozen FBI agents trained in behaviorial science who can’t see that they’re being constantly manipulated by a cannibal who continues to insinuate himself into every case.” I mean, I’m still watching. But I’m judging!

Anyway, the three existing seasons of Hannibal are about to go onto Netflix. Which has led Mads to suggest that Netflix should possibly finance a fourth season. He recently said in an interview that he was pissed that the show was cancelled after the third season, and that if showrunner Bryan Fuller will come back, he’ll definitely come back as Lector too. So should it happen? Four years later, should they get another season??

Photos courtesy of NBC/Hannibal and Mads’ IG.

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44 Responses to “Should Netflix finance a fourth season of ‘Hannibal’, years after it was cancelled?”

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  1. Chickaletta says:

    Okay but realistically HOW could you even continue the series when it ended perfectly?

    also, Ughh enough with every single show that ends ever must get a new season. I’m over it. it ruins the quality of what already came and they are never as good.

    (just my personal feelings about it).

  2. Lauren says:

    Yes please! I’d love to see another season. Mads as Lector is just perfect.

  3. Talita says:

    Please, please, please, renew Hannibal! It would be awesome! I reallly enjoy police/drama shows, but Hannibal is something else!

  4. Tiff says:

    The only answer to this question is yes!

  5. LouLou says:

    YES!!!

  6. DS9 says:

    Absolutely. It was art

  7. lana86 says:

    yes

  8. Va Va Kaboom says:

    Should I pretend this was a double post?

  9. Helio says:

    I really hope Netflix renews it ASAP as Hugh is aging badly.

    • Noki says:

      I was so excited to hear Hugh was going to be in Homeland,i waited for an intense seen betqeen his character and Carrie to no avail. A missed opportunity,i hope they do something together again there are so intense.

    • SallyTomato says:

      I loved the show and he’s on my Free Pass list, but I have to agree with you. *Hangs head in shame*

  10. Michael says:

    Bring back Santa Clarita Diet instead

  11. Teatimeiscoming says:

    YES. That ending was unsatisfactory. Also: the costume department deserved ALL the awards—half the fun of the show was what they were gonna wear

  12. Mamasan says:

    Bring back the Red Dragon too!!!

  13. PPP says:

    I loved this show, but honestly, the third season was a bit self-indulgent and started the trend Of Bryan Fuller’s constant orchestral slow-mo close-up style. It ended well; I can’t realistically see where Hannibal and Will’s relationship will go after this unless they go full murder husband… which, actually if they go full murder husband, definitely make a fourth season, slow mo and everything.

    • amilou says:

      This. I was obsessed during seasons 1 and 2, but 3 just about lost me…until the finale. If a fourth season could dial it back a bit to the look and feel of the first two seasons, I’d be SO THERE.

    • H says:

      I need Murder Husbands in my life with eyef*cling. Like all the time!

    • EditorM says:

      I love Mads! But the 3rd season was a self-indulgent mess. I would take a 4th season as an apology.

  14. Kristen says:

    YES

  15. Ariel says:

    Have you gotten to the thinly sliced corpse? Yikes. That is the episode that killed it for me. Amazing show, great writing, stellar acting. Just too icky for me.

  16. Ari says:

    RESOUNDING YES #hannigram #4evah

  17. MissMarierose says:

    I’m not sure I want a fourth season because the last one ended so well, but I’ll watch anything with Mads Mikkelsen or his brother Lars. They’re both so good! Right now I’m watching Lars Mikkelsen in Herrens Veje. Highly recommend it!

  18. Veronica S. says:

    Hannibal is one of those shows that has such an absolutely insane premise/tone at times that it never would have worked if everybody in the cast, from directors to actors, hadn’t been totally dedicated to that deeply operatic vision of total madness. Sometimes it doesn’t quite get where it needs to be, but when it worked, DAMN, did it work. And honestly? I really enjoyed the moxie of the writers to take the book ending for Claire’s character and instead apply it to William (i.e. Hannigram). That was a bold move. My issue with a four season is that I’m not sure the current ending could be topped unless they were really willing to go the darkest depths of the ending’s implications.

    But Mads Mikkelsen was incredible in that show. Just a sublime performance on his part, utterly terrifying. I can also see why Netflix would want to renew something with a built in fanbase instead of risking money on a totally new product. So…we’ll see. Netflix is only getting cautious now because they’ve had a year of very stupid moves. (It’s still insane to me that they didn’t just give the Lucifer series a whole two seasons off the bat instead of dragging it into a drama that forced them to extend S5 into more episodes AND then have to desperately try to get the actors to come back for a season 6!)

  19. Mabs A'Mabbin says:

    Cannibalism never tasted so sultry. This twisted artistic noir had me at aperitif. I would consider another delicious serving indulgent and savory. I say pop the cork.

  20. jc says:

    They totally should bring it back for a 4th season!

  21. Bibliomommy96 says:

    Mads as lector made me feel very weird things about Hannibal! He is so sexy, and brought Hannibal to a totally different level.

  22. H says:

    Oh G-d, yes please! The subtext between Will and Hannibal? My favorite Murder Husbands needs to be explored. 2020 is a sh*tshow, but this could make it one tiny bit better.

  23. Valiantly Varnished says:

    Ummm…HELL YES. This was my favorite show when it was on air and I miss it. Mads Mikkelsen is a forever bae for me.

  24. Coco says:

    More! More!

  25. Gil says:

    Absolutely. Bryan Fuller can build a whole season only to lead us to the final scene of Hannibal tv series. I mean I still think about it. Who cooked the leg? Why did she grab a fork? Damn it, I need to know. Bring Hannibal back (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)

  26. LoonaticCap says:

    I screamed YES when I saw the headline and I’d be happy since I was very unhappy with the cancellation.
    THAT BEING SAID
    I used to watch this in my bed undercovers during winter and had very – VERY bloody nightmares after each episode. But i was obsessed with it. OBSESSED. I’ve considered rewatching it but I’m scared I’ll get nightmares again 😢
    But I vote YES.

  27. GreenBunny says:

    I loved seasons 1 and 2. The episode with the killer under the bed that thought she was dead still messes with me to this day. I don’t like my foot or hands to hang off the bed at all because of that episode. But I couldn’t finish season 3. What he did to Eddie Izzard’s character with the leg really bothered me for some reason. Probably because I was pregnant at the time and hormones and whatnot, but I just couldn’t finish the season. Maybe if there’s a fourth, I’ll go back and watch.

  28. Duchess of Corolla says:

    Yes times a zillion!!! I love that show and its surreal interpretation of the Hannibal Lecter saga. Mads Mikkelsen is brilliant!

    I remember when the show was first coming on, thinking that no one could rival Anthony Hopkins’ Lecter. Mads Mikkelsen’s Lecter is a gem! The supporting cast (Dancy, Fishburne, and company) are equally compelling.

    Bring Hannibal back ASAP!!

  29. Cee says:

    I loved Hannibal so yes, please let any streaming company to bring it back!

  30. Coco says:

    OH GOD YES!!! PLEASE!!!

  31. Shoshone says:

    I honestly remember thinking that the 3rd season was a little rushed pace wise. Not final season Dexter rushed (jeez!) but a pretty packed plot line even so. It is a quality production and the attention lavished on menus, cooking and meal prep is just insane. Mads is crazy good and so is Fishburne and Dancy among others. Bring it on.

  32. Northernlala says:

    YES, YES, A THOUSAND TIMES YES!!!

  33. babsjohnson says:

    “Rôti de cuisse”
    I loved that show, I will happily rewatch it. Season 3 lost me though, I didn’t finish it. I will try to this time.

  34. YEAH says:

    YES YES YES YES

  35. Elizabeth Konold says:

    “Fate and circumstance have returned us back to this moment, when the teacup shatters.“

  36. Alice says:

    Anything that lets me watch Mads for hours on end! (Drooooooool)

  37. SJR says:

    Yup, I’d watch a season 4.
    Mads…good actor, great looking man.

    Also, yes bring back Santa Clarita Diet, dammit!
    Olyphant was fabulous, the story had original and quirky and funny all going for it!

  38. KLO says:

    Yes.