Could it be that NBC has produced a keeper in the deliciously creepy Hannibal? We shouldn't break out the proverbial Chianti just yet; the early returns have been modest, to put it mildly, but in this tough-for-NBC time period (Thursday, 10/9c) that the network once owned, it's looking better than it has lately (with an insta-dud like Do No Harm or the below-the-radar Rock Center). And the media buzz, while understandably mixed, is stronger than for most of the networks' midseason yawns. With repeats on the other networks this week, and featuring one of the show's most relentlessly unnerving chapters to date, this is as good a time as any to sample Hannibal's unsavory wares.
read more
There's more tearful soul-searching than singing in Fox's Glee (Thursday, 8/7c) as the show tackles an issue that couldn't be more timely and topical, on Capitol Hill and in any community that worries about its children's safety in the wake of recent (and not-so-recent) tragedies. The episode is titled "Shooting Star," which should give you an indication of just what triggers such intense emotional anxiety in the halls of McKinley High. Some would argue that the way the story ultimately plays out trivializes the issue, and maybe they're right, but as unpleasant realities seep into what is usually a musical-comedy fantasy, the glee club won't be the only ones left shaken and perhaps even a little more awakened.
read more
In a year that's already given us Fox's The Following and A&E's Bates Motel, some might argue that we don't need another serial killer TV show. And they'd probably be right.
But NBC's Hannibal isn't just another serial killer show.
Spring Preview: Gets scoop on all the must-see new shows
Taking characters from the Thomas Harris novels that inspired a film series that includes Manhunter, The Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon, executive producer Bryan Fuller (Wonderfalls, Pushing Daisies) has created a sophisticated drama that doesn't glorify the violence of mass murder but rather examines the toll that hunting serial killers takes on the minds and souls of those who hunt. In fact, even though the show is named after Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who was immortalized as one of the greatest pop culture villains of all time thanks to Anthony Hopkins' Oscar-winning portrayal, the series — at least initially — isn't entirely focused on the cannibal in the three-piece suit...
read more
You can't help but get a deliciously squirmy tingle when the infamous (to the viewer, anyway) Hannibal Lecter quips, "It's nice to have an old friend for dinner" while serving tongue to his guests, including an unctuous and chatty shrink whom Lecter sizes up by coolly noting, "Your tongue is very feisty."
This scenario takes place several episodes into the midseason run of NBC's feverishly twisted, fascinatingly macabre and visually remarkable procedural-with-a-twist Hannibal (Thursday, 10:01/9:01c), by which time I was completely creeped out and thoroughly hooked. In much the same way A&E's Bates Motel introduces a younger version of Norman Bates before he had his crazy mama mummified in the cellar, Bryan Fuller's Hannibal presents the mad Dr. Lecter before his secret identity as a cannibalistic serial killer is known to anyone but his victims. He is caginess personified, taking on the role of advisor and therapist to tormented FBI profiler/consultant Will Graham (from Thomas Harris' Red Dragon). Will has an ability to project "pure empathy" and see grisly crimes from the killer's POV, which Lecter describes quite accurately as "an uncomfortable gift."
read more
Hannibal Lecter is coming to NBC, and TVGuide.com has the exclusive first look.
Hannibal, a contemporary take on Thomas Harris' Red Dragon novel, stars Hugh Dancy as FBI agent Will Graham and Mads Mikkelsen as the cannibalistic yet refined Dr. Lecter. In the sneak peek below, the cast and executive producer Bryan Fuller dish on the new series, which will show the origins of the infamous killer and his relationship with...
read more