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Shows like Hannibal

BSN Staff

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Hannibal is a series that ran on NBC from 2013 until 2015. It’s loosely based on the wildly popular film “The Silence Of The Lambs”, which, in turn, is based on Thomas Harris’ novels, mostly focusing on the relationship between an FBI agent and his arch-nemesis, the cunning and Machiavellian Dr Lecter. The series didn’t rate super well but has managed to attract a worldwide cult following. For those who loved this series, here are three other options.

Criminal Minds

This show had a pretty spectacular fifteen season run, from 2005 right up until this last February, when it finally concluded. Criminal Minds is considered by critics to distinguish itself greatly in the quality of its writing, directing, acting and filming. It also did extremely well in the ratings. It was so successful commercially, it gave rise to many spinoffs. These include two official TV spinoffs, an adaptation for the Korean market, and a video game, among others.

The show itself follows a little team of profilers working for the FBI. These people all form part of what is called the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), and their job is to use scientific profiling techniques to help crack hard cases open. Throughout the show, we follow the team as they tackle challenge after challenge, in their professional lives as well as their personal lives. The show also deals with how the one often affects the other.

The Blacklist

The Blacklist is another crime thriller series, and also comes from NBC. It had its premiere in 2013 and is still in production as of the date of this writing. This is another show that is well-loved by critics and the general public alike. Its psychological thriller elements are among the main things that attract people to this spectacular show. The show has also received lots of acclaim for its top-notch acting and directing.

The show deals with the adventures of “Red” Reddington (played by James Spader), a criminal who used to be in the US Navy. In the pilot, he gets tired of being on the run and voluntarily surrenders to the FBI. He tells them he has a list (the “blacklist”) of some of the world’s biggest criminals and is willing to help the FBI bring the people on the list to justice. But he has some interesting terms and conditions.

The Mentalist

The Mentalist is another excellent television series in the heavy drama and psychological thriller category. It’s from CBS, and ran for seven seasons, from 2008-2015. It deals with very similar themes to Hannibal, such as being able to trick and manipulate people on a psychological level. The protagonist is a former (fake, but convincing) professional psychic, who has become an independent consultant working for California law enforcement helping to solve crimes.

But he has ulterior motives. He is gunning for the man who murdered his wife and daughter, a serial killer who is still at large. Five years in the timeline before the pilot, the protagonist claimed to have helped the police profile the killer, and the killer took revenge by killing his wife and daughter. He now finds himself sorting through a mass of copycats, trying to find his actual target.