Amazon Offered Hannibal a Season 4, Blame the Creator He Refused

The story of Hannibal Lecter, popularized by the 1991 cult film The Silence of the Lambs, was revived more than twenty years later thanks to Bryan Fuller. The TV show, based on the books by Thomas Harris, described the events leading up to and including the book Red Dragon.

All the characters mentioned in the source material were in place, and the plot was dedicated to the collaboration of profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and Dr. Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen ), who together caught the most violent maniacs.

Hannibal Was a Real Visual Feast

Fuller's Hannibal became the pinnacle of the visual style. The meaningful glances between Graham and Hannibal, the bodies of the victims transformed into art objects – it's no surprise that the series has gained a cult following among fans, and even almost ten years after the finale, it has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 92% from critics and 94% from viewers.

Mads Mikkelsen also contributed to the aesthetics of Hannibal, equally convincing in his coldness as he boils someone's liver while listening to classical music, and during analytical sessions with Will Graham, when he instills destructive ideas in the FBI agent’s head.

On the other hand, the series was also designed for fans of Harris' books: there was enough room for those storylines that were forgotten in other adaptations.

Hannibal Was Canceled After Season 3 Because of Low Ratings

Fuller and co. managed to film Red Dragon and touch on some motifs from later books, but the show was destined to finish its path rather early.

Bryan Fuller has repeatedly faced the prospect of his shows being canceled due to low ratings. However, NBC producers continued to renew Hannibal, hoping that the aesthetic thriller would one day attract the right audience.

Unfortunately, by the show's third season, it became clear that not only were the ratings declining, but so were the main characters' storylines. Network executives made the difficult decision to cancel Hannibal after its third season.

Hannibal Was Almost Saved by Amazon, But Brian Fuller Refused

However, the show had a real chance to be revived on streaming services thanks to the active fan community. Amazon was the first to be considered because it had the rights to air the three seasons of the show. The streaming platform was willing to revive Hannibal as long as Fuller began filming a fourth season immediately.

But Fuller refused to play by Amazon’s rules, and fans never saw the fourth season, but are still drawing pictures of Dancy and Mikkelsen hugging (and kissing).