TV Revivals: The annual Hannibal season 4 discussion
For what is the third straight year running, we come bearing a feature article about the future of Hannibal within our TV Revivals series. It goes without saying why the series should come back — this is a visual marvel and a spectacle unlike almost any other. It’s well-written, well-produced, and it manages to make even the most garish into a thing of beauty.
Alas, NBC’s cancellation is now firmly within the rear-view mirror and we are left to wonder exactly what the future is going to hold for the franchise even still.
Is the enthusiasm there for more Hannibal? – Sure. Both creator Bryan Fuller as well as stars Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen have made that clear. While there would need to be scheduling issues to consider in the event the series comes back on the air, there is no apparent concern that any major player would balk at the opportunity to come back and dive into this world once more.
Will it actually happen? – That’s long been the issue more than anything else. What is somewhat interesting here at present is that streaming services like Netflix have become increasingly resistant to saving shows that were previously canceled — Longmire is one of the last major examples you can give. (We don’t necessarily consider shows like Gilmore Girls and Fuller House part of that since they were so many years removed.)
Yet, at this point it feels almost as though Hannibal season 4 would be best served on basic cable. TNT has been steadily navigating over to more serialized fare over the past year or two and could be a home in a way that it wasn’t previously. Meanwhile, we wonder if FX could use Hannibal to help supplant the impending departure of Ryan Murphy to Netflix. AMC has long been a possible contender in our mind, as is Showtime to a certain extent. Given that they brought on board another atmospheric, haunting series in Twin Peaks, wouldn’t bringing on board Hannibal also give them a massive subscriber lift?
With us living within an era right now where there are so many different properties being revived, there could still be a future for Hannibal — it’s a somewhat-different future than first envisioned back when the cancellation happened, but both broadcast and cable networks should strongly consider taking a look at the show moving forward.
What do you think: Should we get a chance to see a Hannibal season 4 revival? Be sure to share now in the comments!