Bad News, 'Hannibal' Fans

Bad news for fans of horror on network TV — NBC has just canceled Hannibal after three seasons, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The current season, which has a huge online fandom, will be the show's last. Series creator Bryan Fuller wrote in a statement, "NBC has allowed us to craft a television series that no other broadcast network would have dared, and kept us on the air for three seasons despite Cancellation Bear Chow ratings and images that would have shredded the eyeballs of lesser Standards & Practices enforcers." Despite its short run, the folks behind the prequel to Silence of the Lambs seem less upset by the cancellation, and more grateful that it actually came to be as a series in the first place.

Fuller is also open to Hannibal continuing its run on another channel or platform, and it would be a likely outcome if there was enough support from its fanbase — look what happened with The Mindy Project and Hulu. Fox pulled the plug, but its fans (and brilliant writers and cast) kept it going online. Fuller continued, "Hannibal is finishing his last course at NBC’s table this summer, but a hungry cannibal can always dine again.” Considering its niche following, I wouldn't be surprised if Hannibal landed a streaming deal, where it can really push the limits of its aesthetic and style.

NBC followed up with its own cannibal pun-filled (yep, that's a thing) statement, “We have been tremendously proud of Hannibal over its three seasons. Bryan and his team of writers and producers, as well as our incredible actors, have brought a visual palette of storytelling that has been second to none in all of television — broadcast or cable."

Fans are clearly upset by the cancellation and are hoping that the show will find its way to another network. Take a look at the responses (and again, more cannibalism puns) on Twitter:

Images: NBC