I have been a huge fan of Thomas Harris's work since I was in middle school, and caught the scene of Jodie Foster as Claric Starling investigating Hester Moffat's storage unit and finding a bit more than she bargained for. I will be the first to admit I really never thought that anyone performances could live up to Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins as Clarice and Hannibal in the Silence of the Lambs.

Well, enter one Mads Mikkelsen and my whole perspective changed. Mads plays Hannibal as Thomas Harris wrote Hannibal. Elegant, reserved, absolute nut bar cannibal underneath beautifully tailored suits. I will always love Anthony as Hannibal, the depicition he puts out particularly in the Silence of the Lambs is absolutely iconic. But dare I say, Mads elevated Hannibal as a character.

Why do I bring up Clarice Starling when she does not feature in Hannibal? The very talented Hugh Dancy plays Will Graham in Hannibal, plays former FBI profiler and current instructor at the FBI academy. The series opens up, predictably, with a horrific murder, and Jack Crawford enters Will's classroom to ask Will to come on as an investigator for this new case. (Aha) Through this case we meet Hannibal, and the relationship between Will and Hannibal essentially develops into Clarice and Hannibal's from there, including lines and plot points from the novel as well.

Fantastic choice by the writers given the limitations they had, and the show really is a master class cut short. Lawrence Fishburne and Gillian Anderson really round out the cast alongside Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen and I hope someday we can see Hannibal come back. I think at least one more season is needed to wrap the story properly.