Technically this series could be described as a police procedural, but it might be better described as an unusual take on the psychological thriller genre. Rather than building tension in the form of suspense, however, a combination of precisely chosen, expressive dialogue and carefully composed visuals are contrasted with the macabre, unrealistically elaborate efforts of serial killers to create a thoroughly creepy, disturbing atmosphere.

The effect is suggestive of a series of tableaux presenting classical works of art, alternating between beautiful and grotesque subject matter. The precision and sense of the aesthetic maintained throughout serve to heighten this effect, giving us a glimpse of the worldview of the title character, Hannibal Lecter.

The style might be described as a combination of Hitchcock and Lynch. It's surprisingly explicit for American network TV, though almost tame compared to some cable TV fare. It doesn't have anything close to enough gory imagery or violence to please fans of the Grand Guignol gruesomeness found in many modern horror/suspense films, but it has enough that a warning to the audience is appropriate.

Each of the regular characters are developed and explored with care, and even the minor characters come to life. The dialogue has the quality of a good play rather than the commonplace, realistic vernacular one might expect from subject matter like a series of FBI investigations.