Tuesday, June 23, 2015

HANNIBAL Cancelled by NBC, Producer Exploring Options


First Constantine and now Hannibal.  NBC, you're officially dead to us.

TVLine reported yesterday that NBC series has cancelled their critically acclaimed series Hannibal and that the show's current third season will be its last.

"NBC has allowed us to craft a television series that no other broadcast network would have dared," said showrunner Bryan Fuller in a statement, "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.  [NBC president] Jen Salke and her team have been fantastic partners and creatively supportive beyond measure."

Added Fuller, "Hannibal is finishing his last course at NBC’s table this summer, but a hungry cannibal can always dine again.  And personally, I look forward to my next meal with NBC."

The decision was probably an easy one for NBC, after the June 11th episode earned a series-low 1.7 million viewers and a 0.5 in the demo.

NBC issued their own statement, remarking, "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.  We thank Gaumont and everyone involved in the show for their tireless efforts that have made Hannibal an incredible experience for audiences around the world."

So, Fannibals...What now?

According to DeadlineHannibal executive producer Martha De Laurentiis said that "we are exploring options with other potential partners" and invited viewers to "join us in sending a message to other potential partners."

The article also mentions that there's significant interest in Hannibal from other outlets, suggesting that the one that would make most sense is Amazon, which already has exclusive rights to the existing three seasons of the show as part of a four-year, five-show deal with NBCUniversal.  The deal is in the middle of its term, which would complicate potential negotiations with Amazon competitors like Netflix.

The remaining ten episodes of Hannibal will air on NBC Thursday nights at 10 p.m. EST, ending sometime in August.


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