‘Hannibal’ has served its last bloody course—at least on NBC

Get ready to raise your glasses of chianti. Hannibal, which has always been a hit with critics and fans, has been canceled three episodes into its third (and now final) season.

The show, which brought psychiatrist and serial killer/cannibal Hannibal Lecter to the small screen, was part horror-thriller, part crime-procedural, part love story, and part foodporn extravaganza. With cinematography and aesthetics, it somehow made murder into art.

News of Hannibal’s cancellation isn’t surprising to many fans. While it had a cult fanbase throughout its run, it was never popular in the ratings and was shunted from a midseason show to a summer show. The fact that it even got to a third season surprised many, which some believe was due to its inexpensive license for international sales and a video-on-demand deal, according to BuzzFeed.

Hannibal creator, Bryan Fuller, will now have his hands full with the Neil Gaiman novel adaptation American Gods. He thanked NBC for giving him the opportunity to create the show he wanted—on broadcast television, no less.

“NBC has allowed us to craft a television series that no other broadcast network would have dared, and kept us on the air for three seasons despite Cancellation Bear Chow ratings and images that would have shredded the eyeballs of lesser Standards & Practices enforcers,” Fuller said in a statement. “Jen Salke and her team have been fantastic partners and creatively supportive beyond measure. Hannibal is finishing his last course at NBC’s table this summer, but a hungry cannibal can always dine again. And personally, I look forward to my next meal with NBC.”

Fans are already calling for another network and streaming services like Netflix and Amazon to save Hannibal, while mourning the not completely unexpected loss.

The De Laurentiis Company, which produces Hannibal, confirmed the cancellation and that the final 10 episodes would still air. While Fuller’s statement seemed to some fans to suggest the cancellation was final, De Laurentiis said it wasn’t completely finished with Hannibal just yet.

H/T BuzzFeed | Screengrab via Hannibal/YouTube