‘Hannibal’ season 4: Does the season 3 finale set the table for what’s next?

In just a matter of a few short hours, NBC is going to unveil once and for all the series finale for “Hannibal.” It’s a show that we very much love, but a show that does feel gone for the time being. The ratings were not high enough for the network to renew it, and at the moment it does not seem as though there is enough interest from another suitor. Maybe once Amazon’s streaming rights are over, the show could find another partner in this particular venue.

Does show creator Bryan Fuller have a plan in place for what the fourth season could be? It’s possible, but as he tells Entertainment Weekly in a preview piece for Saturday’s episode, it is hard to discuss before everyone gets a chance to lay their eyes on this episode:

“It’s hard to [talk about the future] … when everybody’s like, ‘oh my God, what about the fourth season, what about the fourth season?’ You’re like, ‘Just watch the finale first.’ Because the finale ends in a way that the show could lie fallow for a couple of years.”

One thing that many TV-only fans of “Hannibal” may not be aware of is the extent of the time jump between “Red Dragon” and “The Silence of the Lambs,” so if the show does choose to dive into that story, it is fine if there is a break in between. Logistically, it also makes some sense for Fuller given that he is set to work next on “American Gods” for Starz, and he could be able to come back to this at some later date.