Though the cast, as well as creatorBryan Fuller, have made it clear that they would all be happy to carry on with moreHannibal, it sadly seems like it will never be. After NBC cancelled the series following its third season finale, there were rumors of a streaming service picking the show up (particularly Amazon, who owns the streaming rights to the first two seasons), but nothing came to pass. After months of agony (and despite a petition signed by 50,000 fans), it seems like we might have to give up (though I say never say die!).
Recently, the show’s executive producerMartha De LaurentiistoldYahoothat she believes online pirates are responsible for the show’s low ratings. As reported in that story,Hannibalwas the 5th most illegally downloaded show in 2013. De Laurentiis said,
“When nearly one-third of your audience forHannibalis coming from pirated sites… You don’t have to know calculus to do the math. If a show is stolen, it makes it difficult, if not impossible, to fairly compensate a crew and keep a series in production.”
It’s a tough argument, though, when so many popular shows are affected by piracy, but remain on the air. In the case of shows likeGame of ThronesandThe Walking Dead, live numbers are strong enough to combat the siphoning off of illegal downloads. For others, likeMr. Robot, USA might make the argument that growing the fanbase in any way, at least to start, outweighs the negatives. HBO had that stance for awhile regardingGame of Thrones, but since they launched HBO Now and have allowed for a world-wise simulcast, they’re hoping that will cut down on some of the piracy.
Still, what aboutHannibal? An increasingly global audience for these series makes it tricky, as far as licensing goes, for networks to currently make their series available quickly all over the world. Though NBC putHannibalup on their native U.S. player the day after episodes aired, it wasn’t available on a platform like Hulu for at least a week after (as I recall, though let me know if this is false). Native players for most sites aren’t usually ideal ways to watch series, but the other part of it is, neither is airing a series at 10 p.m. on a Thursday night against one of the strongest blocks on television (meaning ABC).
So was it pirates, or the combination of it being a niche series that had a large international fanbase? Or to De Laurentiis' point, was it because the viewership was already small, and therefore it mattered all the more that so many viewers weren’t tuning in via countable means? It’s hard to know, and of course,Hannibalwas a series that somehow survived for three seasons on broadcast when it could have probably flourished more elsewhere, although we can never know for sure.
For now, it remains in our hearts (even thoughHugh Dancy’s tease about the potentialSeason 4 storylinemakes me want this to happen more than ever). Also, let us know your theories on the show’s demise. Was it just too beautiful to live?
