Hannibal is an NBC series created by Bryan Fuller, based on Thomas Harris’s novel, Red Dragon. While several successful movies, most notably Manhunter (1986) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991), were adaptations of the same novel, Hannibal turned out to posses the merits of uniqueness and originality.

Hannibal was produced between 20013-2015. It is comprised of 39 episodes incorporated in three seasons. Every episode is roughly 45 minutes. While the show was cancelled after the third season, it does not end in a cliffhanger. Rather, it ends with an appropriate finale.

Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) is a criminal profiler who is recruited by the FBI as a special agent due to his exceptional ability to empathize with serial killers. At observing a crime scene, he finds himself in a trance-like state, in which he identifies himself with the murderer and reconstructs the crime scenario from their point of view. In this way, he manages to discover the underlying motivations and background of the murderer. “This is my design,” he says at the revelation.

However, this capacity does not come without hassles. He finds himself entrapped in the imagination of the criminals and their shadows follow him everywhere and anytime. Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne), his boss and recruiter, decides to leave him in the safe hands of the most reputable psychologist who happens to be Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

Due to the fame and success of the previous adaptations of Red Dragon, almost every moviegoer knows that this Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) is the good old “Hannibal the Cannibal”; the serial killer who once in a while indulges in nibbling at the trophies he collects from his victims: their organs. The same guy who believes in the altruistic practice of sharing food and shares his delicately-cooked meals with those around him.

The creators, therefore justifiably, made no attempt to withhold this information from the audience. Even the trailer makes it clear who Dr. Lecter is and who plays his role. The knowledge that Dr. Lecter is the master puppeteer behind the slaughters does not steer the audience away from watching episode after episode. Here, Hitchcock’s suspense is in play, rather than surprise. We are interested in the question of how the story develops, rather than what it leads to.

One of the ways in which Hannibal, the series, is different from former adaptations is its in-depth characterization. It is thanks to the form in which it is presented. Compared to movies, a series has more room for developing and portraying characters. Therefore, we have the opportunity to live with the characters and sympathize with them.

While in the cinematic adaptations of the novel, there are, at the most, two protagonists, the series has three protagonists: Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Will Graham, and Jack Crawford. As for Jack Crawford, while he has a minimal role in the cinematic adaptations, in the series, his role is a remarkable and decisive one.

Other less significant characters are also well introduced; so much so that their actions do not contradict our knowledge of their background. We relate to their decisions and behaviors by referring to the history we have of them.

In the series, characters’ manner of speaking is not similar to that of our everyday life. Their dialogues are philosophically and literary loaded. One of the prime examples is Hannibal himself whose speaking style is closer to the Victorian era, rather than the contemporary era.

Dr. Lecter is portrayed as a sophisticated connoisseur of literature and art. He listens to classical music while preparing his meals based on his neatly-organized recipes (with the secret ingredient mentioned earlier). He plays harpsichord and composes his own pieces. He recites Dante by heart and analyzes its verses. He appreciates classical paintings and indulges in drawing in his free time. He is also a judge of good wine.

Anthony Hopkins, in The Silence of the Lambs, sets the standard for the role of Dr. Hannibal Lecter. However, what makes Mikkelsen’s work more worthy of praise is being able to shine after a legend like Anthony Hopkins.

Being the genius that he is, Mads Mikkelsen gives such a powerful presentation of Dr. Hannibal Lecter that one falls madly in love with this one-of-a-kind character. He makes the anti-hero of the story more favorable than the heroes.

The series has been positively received by the viewers. It has scored 8.6/10 on IMDb and gained a 94% Average Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. More importantly, it has been well-received by critics, an example of which is Emily Nussbaum’s review on The New Yorker.

From my point of view, apart from the characterization and highly competent cast, one of the other unique aspects of Hannibal among most of the series is its cinematography, which is closer to that of movies, rather than series.

Every color, every word, or every note is there for a reason in Hannibal. At one point or another, they connect to each other, the pieces fall into the place, and the combination makes sense. The overall structure of the series is consistent. In other words, the series has a good memory.

Its wealth of references to classical works of art, rather than pop culture, makes it more sophisticated and an example of high-level art.

The symbolism and foreshadowing used in the series are not only unequalled by other series, but also unparalleled compared to previous adaptations.

The show has realized novelty in every aspect possible. I could imagine the creators of the show having looked at the result of their work and said: “This is my design.”