Netflix Will Stream Hannibal and We’re Here to #SaveHannibal Again

Netflix is going to be streaming Hannibal seasons 1-3 on June 5th and suddenly the #SaveHannibal movement has risen from the dead.

First let’s be clear upfront: Netflix acquiring the first three seasons of Hannibal for streaming does not mean that they are going to renew it for a fourth season.  A Netflix fan account put that idea out there and has gotten some people excited, but Netflix Life is “Not affiliated or owned by Netflix.”  

Hannibal is coming to Netflix! Do you still want Netflix to save the series? https://t.co/XsI53rLN7m

— Netflix Life (@NetflixLifee) May 18, 2020

But that doesn’t mean we can’t be excited about this, of course.  Netflix is a huge streaming platform and this can get a lot of eyes on our show.  Whether or not that ultimately leads to a season four or not remains to be seen, but at the very least this will cause a new influx of Hannibal fans, injecting some fresh energy into a fandom that has somehow remained strong almost five years after it went off the air.  As I stated in my “Favorite Fandoms of the Decade” piece, the Fannibals are by far my favorite fandom, and I’m excited to welcome more people to it with or without a new season.

Now while I’m setting you guys all up for reasonable expectations for a new season, I don’t want to squash your hope completely.  I never like to be a complete party pooper in that regard, so let’s just entertain the thought for a moment that it could finally be saved. 

The #SaveHannibal movement is delightfully positive and determined to show those who make these kinds of decisions that this show is beloved.  You can do your part by watching it on Netflix when it drops on June 5th and recommending it to your friends and family to do the same.  The better numbers the show has, the better chance that the show could be raised from the dead five years on.  Every view counts. 

And don’t forget that the creators and the cast of Hannibal have almost always spoken positively about coming back for a new season, even years later.  That’s pretty unique for something that’s been gone so long.  They love it just as much as we do, so we have that going for us.

And lastly, Netflix, while it does have a reputation for cancelling shows rather quickly, it is also known for saving shows that were axed by other networks.  Netflix saved Lucifer, for example.  It also brought back Gilmore Girls after almost a decade for one final season.  There was also the whole Fuller House situation. 

So this wouldn’t exactly be wildly out of character for them at all.  There’s hope.  And it’s that very hope that’s brought the Fannibals back out like they never left (and honestly, for a lot of us, we didn’t leave.  #FannibalForever).

So basically, set reasonable expectations but don’t give up. Watch the show. Share the show with friends. Welcome the newbies with open arms.  And maybe, just maybe, we’ll actually #SaveHannibal.  But if we don’t, at least we tried, and we shared the show we love so dearly with a whole new group of people.

Author: Angel Wilson

Angel is the admin of The Geekiary and a geek culture commentator. They earned a BA in Film & Digital Media from UC Santa Cruz. They have contributed to various podcasts and webcasts including An Englishman in San Diego, Free to Be Radio, and Genre TV for All. They identify as queer.

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