Hannibal is a TV series on NBC that first aired on April 4th. It's three episodes in so far, and I have to say that I've particularly enjoyed them. Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale, The Hunt) plays the titular character, Hannibal Lecter, a psychiatrist who assists Special Investigator Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) with a particularly intriguing case. Elements of the show are adapted from the novel Red Dragon, which takes place immediately before the events of The Silence of the Lambs. Although it is not a strict prequel to the novel, in terms of continuity, it chronologically occurs before Red Dragon, and focuses more on the budding relationship between Hannibal and Will.
I find the show to be brilliant in its pacing, character development, and performances from the main cast. Lawrence Fishburne (from the Matrix triology) plays Jack Crawford while Lara Jean Chorostecki portrays and excellent Freddie Lounds, who is female in this adaptation and is as off-puttingly parasitic as ever. Mikkelsen in particular does an amazing job of playing Hannibal, and exudes the same atmosphere as Anthony Hopkins did with the character.
A warning to the squeamish - this show can get incredibly graphic, and has quite a few disturbing dream sequences as well as gore and several disgustingly demented crimes.
So, how about it? Does anybody keep up with the show, or plan to start watching it? The next episode airs on Thursday, at 9:00 EST on NBC.
Oh, and happy 2k to me, I guess.
