If ever there was proof that NBC cannot handle television that falls outside the box Hannibal being moved by the network shows that they struggle with “abnormal” plots and storyline. That they even decided to run with a series about an iconic serial killer is pretty amazing and, had they kept the strength of their initial convictions, would have continued to be impressive.
The network also dropped the ball with Constantine, the supernatural thriller based upon the graphic novel Hellblazer, when they announced that the show would not be coming back for a second season before the fist season was even a few episodes old.
This same lack of imagination is what has prompted them to move Hannibal from its previous Thursday night slot to Saturday. A night normally referred to as a “rating’s wasteland.” The only real competition for audience members will be from the AMC Hell on Wheels western, with Colm Meaney and Anson Mount, their last season actually premieres on July 18. This final insult to the Mads Mikkelsen crime/horror series also appears to be the final nail in the show’s network coffin.
At SDCC the news for Hannibal fans was that neither Hulu nor Netflix are interested into taking the series into another season and the show’s creator is holding out hope for a feature length film for some fan closure. Ironically, despite a pretty loyal fanbase, the viewing figures for Hannibal are not high enough to elicit much excitement from any other networks.
More puzzling is the news that the David Duchovny vehicle Aquarius, which has been airing weekly even though the entire season could be viewed in one go over at Hulu at the start of its run, has also been moved by NBC. This “search for Manson” has been shoved over to Saturday as well.
Unlike Hannibal, however, Aquarius has been approved for another season making this shuffle even more questionable. Since viewer numbers are obviously more promising for this quasi “based upon real events” tale the move to a veritable desert is inexplicable and confusing. Again showing just how little NBC are able to deal with shows that are less “mainstream.”
While Hannibal seems to be left out in the cold in terms of TV land, Constantine is still casting about for another network. In May there was talk of the character showing up on one of the CW shows, Green Arrow and/or The Flash since all three are part of the DC comic verse.
This would be exciting news for fans of Hellblazer and Constantine but it does raise questions as to why CW are not rushing to put the NBC cancelled program on their line up. Brit star Matt Ryan, who fills his part as perfectly as Mikkelsen fills the shoes of Hannibal Lector, must be grinding his teeth in frustration at the delay in finding a new home.
In the meantime, fans of Mads Mikkelsen can see his continued portrayal of Lector on NBC but on Saturday vs its old time slot.
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