Netflix, Amazon reject Hannibal rescue

Netflix and Amazon are both unwilling to save recently axed NBC drama Hannibal – but the show may still return, according to writer and showrunner Bryan Fuller.

Hannibal: No fourth season on Netflix or Amazon

NBC announced last month that the third season of the drama, about Silence of the Lambs serial killer character Hannibal Lecter, would be its last – resulting in a huge outcry from fans on social media.

There had been speculation that one of the two US subscription VoD companies would step in to revive the show, as they have previously done with cult series such as Arrested Development and Ripper Street respectively.

However, Fuller yesterday tweeted that neither were interested in producing a fourth season of the show, although the writer added that he was “investigating” other possibilities to keep the series going.

Hannibal is produced by Gaumont International Television and stars Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale) as the character created by novelist Thomas Harris and made famous by The Silence of the Lambs, Manhunter and other movies.

Sony Pictures Television Networks is a co-commissioner on Hannibal and airs it via its AXN portfolio. Canal+ in France, Sky Living in the UK, CityTV in Canada and ProSieben in Germany also picked up the show, which is distributed by Gaumont.

Reviving series with an established fan base has become a large part of SVoD services’ original programming strategies, with Yahoo also getting in on the action with its recent Community reboot.

Dan Cryan, senior director of broadband media at research group IHS Technology, told C21 that he expects this trend to continue.

“The ‘show rescue’ strategy has become a fairly standard part of the online subscription channel playbook now. It’s likely that we’ll see more of them picking up shows with well-defined, passionate fan bases,” Cryan said.