Let me start by saying that this show has what pretty much every other show and many movies lack; atmosphere, imagination and subtlety.

This is a work of art in every way, from the awe inspiring cinematography, to the fantastic directing, the chilling sound design/soundtrack, actors performance, dialogue, editing, brilliant art direction. Everything works in unison and for the same purpose. I can't state enough how much this team did an amazing job. I've seen all the movies based on the books, Silence Of The Lambs being my favorite. This series is in a totally different level from those movies. Even Mads Mikkelsen is a better suited actor to play Hannibal Lecter than Anthony Hopkins and he does deliver a better performance.

The story is told in a very subtle way, with lots of metaphors and meaningful visuals that help build tension and keep the suspense. While keeping some parts of it subject to interpretation, many pieces of information form a puzzle in which the viewer has to put together by himself. There are a lot of things that are not shown or told directly, the viewer has to be part of it to understand it fully.

All seasons are fantastic, but the last season was a little bit weaker than the previous ones, mainly because they had to wrap the story due to the show being cancelled. And i think this show was cancelled exactly because it is not meant for the average viewer, it demands more and the vast majority of audiences are not prepared for this.

Bottom line, this is one of the best shows ever to air on TV and it should serve as reference for movies as well. Most movies nowadays lack imagination and the world is saturated with money making blockbusters that no one will remember a week later. This one is here to stay as a future cult classic.