Home / Arts and Entertainment / Hannibal's Fate: Piracy or Politics?
Hannibal's Fate: Piracy or Politics?
21 Jul
Summary
- Hannibal was cancelled by NBC in 2015 due to low viewership.
- Piracy was cited as a potential reason for the show's cancellation.
- Rights fragmentation across studios poses a challenge for continuation.
The critically acclaimed series "Hannibal," starring Mads Mikkelsen as the titular cannibalistic psychiatrist and Hugh Dancy as Will Graham, met an abrupt end on NBC in 2015, concluding with a cliffhanger. Despite garnering a dedicated cult following, the show suffered from low viewership, leading to its cancellation by the network.
Questions surrounding the true reasons for its demise have persisted. One of the show's producers, Martha De Laurentiis, posited in 2016 that illegal downloads played a significant role. She noted that in 2013, "Hannibal" was the fifth-most pirated show, suggesting that if these viewers had accessed it legally, the series might have been renewed.
Adding to the challenges of bringing "Hannibal" back for a fourth season, the ownership of its rights is complexly divided among several studios. This fractured ownership landscape presents a substantial hurdle for any potential revival, making the return of Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham uncertain.
