Just finished watching all three seasons in a couple of weeks and I was feeling glum about leaving the characters even before watching the finale. I haven't watched many TV series. Normally I just devour movies as I don't have to commit too much time before finding out if it's dull. I'm glad I gave this show my time. The first few episodes had me expecting another generic crime show, just more gory, but that was a forgotten thought toward the end of season one when the storyline focuses more on Hannibal. It was smart, surprising, disturbing and darkly amusing. I was surprised with just how far they did and were allowed to go for something shown on TV. This is certainly not safe or dumbed-down viewing. It often felt a bit too macabre to binge on.. a world one shouldn't stay in for too long, but at the same time how delightful it is. The casting of Mads Mikkelsen as Hannibal was superb. His acting is very subtle and his face and presence intriguing and it was perfect Dr Lecter. The homoerotic undertones between the two leads put a whole other dimension into the storyline and in season three it felt like the writers played along with what they knew the viewers wanted more of, teasing, which was a fun element. The only issues I had with the show is that it felt uneven at times. A few episodes (namely the first few of the third season involving the Lady Murasaki's character) were lower par than others. I found some aspects of these episodes a bit silly and pretentious, although still enjoyable. Apart from those other episodes were often quite brilliant. It's incredible what they did with just 40 minute episodes as some felt like watching a feature film. All in all I loved it. It's deliciously dark, visually beautiful, the dialogue is thoughtful and it's packed with interesting and often horrifying storylines and characters. It's for those of us who like to be struck by what we're watching, ponder over dialogue, enjoy dark and atmospheric worlds and find sinister characters and psychology interesting. I can certainly see why this show is a required taste; but if it is to your taste then you will adore it. 8.5/10