Television Spotlight: "Hannibal" - Starring Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen

NBC's Hannibal recently concluded its first season and will be back for a second. That is quite an accomplishment, considering the series is drawing less than five million viewers per episode. When I heard about the renewal, I was shocked, but also pleasantly surprised. While the subject matter is dark and violent, I just cannot stop watching, no matter how uncomfortable I become. Part of the appeal of the series is the strong performances from the lead actors; Hugh Dancy as FBI Special Investigator Will Graham and Mads Mikkelsen as Hannibal Lecter, who was immortalized in film more than two decades ago by Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs. The supporting cast is also impressive and includes Laurence Fishburne, as FBI agent in charge Jack Crawford, and Gillian Anderson as Dr. Du Maurier, Hannibal's psychiatrist.

I would not be surprised to see Dancy and/or Mikkelsen receive Emmy attention for their strong work, which, like the series, became better as the season went along. Despite the dark themes, Hannibal demonstrates a sense of humor, courtesy of CSI agent Jimmy Price (Scott Thompson), whose passive aggressive behavior and sarcasm are needed to offset the grisly crime scenes and numerous corpses. In addition, when Hannibal, who appears to be a gourmet chef, prepares meals for his guests. viewers wonder if human remains may be part of the cuisine. While I am looking forward to season two, which will air in 2014,  I hope Gillian Anderson returns as Dr. Du Maurier. There was a hint in the finale that she may have asked Hannibal a question that could have resulted in her demise, but I am hoping that she, like Clarice Starling, is too interesting to kill off.