NBC’s ‘Hannibal’ season 3: Laurence Fishburne on balancing this show, ‘Black-ish’

There are going to be few people in the TV business over the next year than Laurence Fishburne. Not only is the actor a part of ABC’s new comedy “Black-ish,” but he is also continuing work on “Hannibal,” where he has starred as Jack Crawford for the past two years.

We chatted with some familiar faces associated with the show recently, and one of the things they were very keen on mentioning here was that they would find a way to work around Laurence’s schedule. Part of this may be helped by the fact that presumably, Jack and most of the BAU will not have a huge role in the first part of the season, which is more about will chasing Hannibal down after he and Bedelia go on the run.

While Jack is very coy about the specific stories we could see from his character, he did tell Deadline recently about how he likes this new feeling that comes with balancing a comedy and a very heavy drama:

“It’s exactly what I love about what I do as an actor. I love the opportunity to use my full range, and so playing in the comedy Black-ish gives me the opportunity to show my lighter side, and playing in this beautiful, elegant horror story of Hannibal, I get to use my darker and more cerebral side. It’s really wonderful.”

We hope that this continues to work out for him, and we imagine that “Black-ish” is especially going to get a great chance to succeed. The show has the post-“Modern Family” timeslot, and while that hasn’t necessarily produced giant hits yet, there is a lead-in there that can lead to good ratings if the right show comes along.

We’ll have some further “Hannibal” news soon, but for now be sure to check out the latest on Gillian Anderson’s promotion. Also, sign up now to get some further updates on everything via our CarterMatt Newsletter.

Photo: NBC