It looks like the stars have aligned for Netflix to bring back Hannibal. Ever since its 2015 cancellation, creator Bryan Fuller has publicly stated that the team behind the show hasn't given up on bringing it back. With its June debut on Netflix, star Mads Mikkelsen has been teasing the idea of a season 4. Not only is Netflix perfectly poised to bring back the show, it should bring it back.
Based on the characters from the Thomas Harris novels that inspired the movie Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal follows the relationship between forensic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lector and FBI criminal profiler Will Graham, who uses his ability to empathize with serial killers to solve crimes. Little does Will know, Hannibal Lector is secretly one of the most prolific serial killers of their time. While the NBC show gathered a cult following in its three seasons, Hannibal was cancelled, despite its critical acclaim.
Frankly, Hannibal was never a good fit for NBC. It's surprising that a show that dark and borderline gory lasted as long as it did on the network. Fuller likely had to hold back due to the constraints of being on network television. Netflix has garnered a reputation for being a safe haven for films and television shows to push the envelope and deliver mature content without as much required restraint. Hannibal and Netflix are the perfect fit for each other. With Hannibal heading to Netflix in June, now's the perfect time for the platform to make plans to bring back the show.
Netflix Should Bring Back Hannibal
This wouldn't be the first time Netflix brought back a show from the dead. After streaming the original series on its platform, Netflix revived indie darling Arrested Development in 2013 for an additional two seasons. More recently, Netflix bought the rights to the Fox show, Lucifer, and renewed it for two more seasons. As it's become a hotspot for true crime shows in recent years, Hannibal would be the perfect original content to continue to drive that interest on Netflix.
Fuller has stated that the show different and weird, but he was incredibly proud of it. As his level of weirdness reached some gory heights, NBC undoubtedly put some restrictions on what he could do. Those restrictions wouldn't exist at Netflix. In its three seasons, Hannibal showed gruesome, yet morbidly beautiful murders — just imagine the visual spectacle Fuller and team could pull off with the creative freedom allowed at Netflix. The show's rabid fanbase would flock to an unhinged season 4 of Hannibal. Beyond that, other true crime shows like Mindhunter, which embrace the same sort of violent content, have been massively successful for the platform. If Netflix brought back Hannibal, they would have the opportunity to provide the perfect content for its true crime niche.