Hannibal: 5 Ways The Show Was Perfect (& Ways 5 It Could Have Been Improved)
The show Hannibal might have been canceled and off the air for over five years, but it’s still being talked about by both friends and critics alike. While it wasn’t a huge success numbers-wise, at least, not on network television, it was well-loved by critics and by a core group of devoted fans. In many ways, it felt like a show that was ahead of its time. And, if it had been canceled in more recent years, it likely would have been picked up by a streaming service.
There’s no denying the show was a success on many creative and artistic levels, and it received nearly universal acclaim. However, while there are some things that the show does nearly perfectly, there were also some areas it could have been better.
10 Improved: A longer third season
This point is a little bit tricky because the reason the third season felt a bit rushed and disjointed is that the show was canceled. Instead of being able to stretch the narrative out into the two seasons, it deserved, the last season was added together.
So, the first half of the season has Hannibal and Will in Florence while the second half is the Red Dragon storyline which likely could have used more episodes.
9 Perfect: The magical realism in the series
Hannibal works so well because it feels like it exists in our world and also like it doesn’t. While there are many familiar and similar things to our own, there is also a level of poetry and even magical realism that doesn’t always make sense on a practical level. However, this totally works within the show.
It often feels more like a poem or a dream/nightmare, and this is just right for the story and characters.
8 Improved: Turn up the brightness settings
While this is more of a joke, on the one hand, it’s also something that many fans have lovingly complained about. Hannibal is a dark show both metaphorically and in reality.
So, while it makes sense to have everything be a bit muted and lacking in light, it does make it difficult to see what’s actually going on. Viewers really have to turn the brightness settings up on their television to see the details.
7 Perfect: The beautiful cinematography
Fans and critics alike were drawn to the series because of its inherent beauty. There was always a dichotomy in the beauty of the show. In fact, even the murders were often so stunning visually that it was like a feast for the eyes.
So, as long as you could turn the brightness up on the television to see the cinematography, it was beautiful. And, it wasn’t just the cinematography. The set design and even the soundtrack was perfectly well-executed.
6 Improved: Make the motivations of many side characters clear
While Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham were compelling characters that fans loved, the series was made even better by having so many interesting and mysterious supporting characters.
However, sometimes the motivations and backstories of these characters were a little confusing. This is partially because the series would slowly reveal things, and it got cut short. However, characters like Bedelia and Chiyoh, for example, could have used more fleshing out.
5 Perfect: Including much more diversity than the source material
One of the things that Hannibal did right was to update the source material with more diverse casting in many ways. Most of the characters in the Thomas Harris novels were white men, and the few examples of LGBTQ+ characters were often problematic.
Hannibal on NBC instead cast many women, and people of color in important roles, such as Alana Bloom and Jack Crawford, and had much better LGBTQ+ representation.
4 Improved: Handling its minority characters better
While Hannibal did many things right when it came to including a lot more diversity of race, gender, and sexuality, it wasn’t always perfect when it came to these things. One of the most problematic examples was killing off Beverly Katz, one of the main women of color on the show.
While the series did a good job of not brutalizing female characters in a sexual manner, her death was one of the worst deaths in many ways because it was very graphic. Along with that, other characters of color, like Chiyoh, needed to be given more screen time.
3 Perfect: All that metaphorical dialogue
Hannibal is a show that draws an audience who enjoys analyzing media. It’s an artistic show that references literature, history, mythology, and real pieces of art. So, it’s not surprising that the dialogue could be rather metaphorical and deep.
While at times it could border on pretentious, this fits the entire aesthetic of the series and also made a lot of sense given Hannibal as a character.
2 Improved: Clearer LGBTQ+ representation
In many ways, Hannibal felt groundbreaking. It was a very queer story that didn’t center around coming out narratives or any other tropes. It included a drawn-out romance between Hannibal and Will that was hard to define and also a much clearer romantic relationship between Alana bloom and Margot Verger.
However, there were still instances where the show had to hold back. This seems like it was likely because of the network it was on at the time, but it would also have been good to given the queer women a lot more scenes.
1 Perfect: The slow build relationship between Will and Hannibal
While more seasons of the series would call for some physicality between these two, the slow build-up of their relationship did work very well. It made sense given the complicated and twisted nature of their dynamic and of who Hannibal is as a person.
This relationship is a big reason why so many people couldn’t get enough of the series.
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