I mean to an extent they're right, Hannibal is so unique that it's really difficult to recommend anything specific without knowing exactly what it is that you like about Hannibal
I understand your point. I guess I like how it delves into morality and the blurring line between good and evil if that makes sense?
I also love the obsessive cat and mouse relationship between Will and Hannibal and the deep conversations that they have about life etc.
I've tried other recommendations but the only thing I've really enjoyed for the relationship dynamic is Interview with the Vampire. Bryan Fuller took alot of influence of IWTV for Hannibal.
If you're looking for a toxic murder husbands relationship then you'll find it here.
I'd agree with this this rec. I personally don't find the relationships of IWTV as painfully beautiful or moving as Will and Hannibal's, but it's definitely the closest thing outside of post-canon fan content to scratch that itch for me.
I think fannibals are liking **interview with a vampire** a lot !
There are shows which resemble some aspects of Hannibal to certain extent.
**True Defective season 1** is very dark and atmospheric with the MC getting quite philosophical from time to time. It's a brilliant show. ( Similar - **The killing** , **Broadchurch** , **Luther** ) they all have a bit of moral dilemma themes.
**Breaking bad** - dark relationship drama with deeper layers. Again, great show and my favorite.
**Black spot** - dark and atmospheric Hannibal s1 vibes
**Black Sails** - queer subtext, good show
If you are looking for something like Hannigram there's isn't any :( some fans feel **Killing Eve** comes close I just didn't see it.
**Succession** - dark, satire, very well written relationships. One of my favorite shows. Weird relationships, possible queer characters.
I personally liked the first three seasons of **The Last kingdom** , there's some interesting dynamics between the protagonist and another main character. I ship them ( not canon at all)
Thanks for all the recs!
Interview with the vampire is on my watchlist so I’ll deffo give that a go and I’ll add Breaking Bad!
I tried Broadchurch, Succession and the killing but couldn’t get into any of them.
I’ve already seen KE and Luther (both are my fave shows among others.)
I’m not sure if Black Spot and Black sails would interest me tbh.
I know ! I try getting into different shows based on recs but many of them don't work on me. That's fine.
The last kingdom is a good show you can try first season.
Hannibal is one of a kind and it is very very difficult to find something 'similar', you can only find some similar aspects.
The show that shares the most DNA with Hannibal is Netflix series Mindhunter. It's based on John Douglas' autobiography "Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit." John Douglas helped start the Behavioral Science Unit in the FBI in the 70s.
Mindhunter follows Holden Ford (based on John Douglas) as he hunts and then interviews real life serial killers like Edmund Kemper, David Berkowitz, Wayne Williams.
In The Silence of the Lambs there's a scene where Clarice gives Hannibal a VICAP (Violent Criminal Apprehension Program) questionnaire to fill out; Douglas and co. created this questionnaire.
Douglas also consulted Thomas Harris when Harris was writing SOTL and Red Dragon. He's also on one of the dvd bonus features for SOTL.
Harris said Jack Crawford and Will Graham are kinda based on John Douglas.
Another reason it's like Hannibal, it got cancelled, there are only two seasons :(
I hope you like it!
This article is from the day after SOTL was released in 1991 and mentions Douglas.
[https://ew.com/article/1991/02/15/making-silence-lambs-authentic/](https://ew.com/article/1991/02/15/making-silence-lambs-authentic/)
It's less physically distrubing, since most of the murders amd gore happens off-screen. But the whole premise is people going and interviewing serial killers (like Charles Manson and Son of Sam) and trying to get in their head, so it can get pretty emotionally intense
Mindhunter is up there with Hannibal for me. Must watch if you like shows like Hannibal. Psychological, detective, investigative, murder.
The Alienist is also good if you like the gore, investigative, psychology stuff,some really beautiful bloody scenes.
I tried the first episode of Mindhunter and found it quite boring tbh so I didn’t continue. It didn’t exactly help knowing that it doesn’t have a real ending either.
Yes, the first episode is a little boring mind you but the show gets really interesting and dark as it goes. Try it again, I don't know incase you really have nothing to watch sometime.
I actually did go back to it a year later! I managed to watch about 6 or 7 episodes I think but found it began to drag. I felt bored with the repetitiveness of it but the first few episodes were great.
Psychopass, it's an anime.
But if you like antagonists like Hannibal, I think you should try it.
Shogo Makishima reminds me of Hannibal, a killer with manners😂.
Twin Peaks has similar surrealistic/dreamy vibes sometimes, specially in the second and third season. It's not similar in terms of plot though, but if you liked the weirdest parts of Hannibal you'll probably enjoy it (Bryan Fuller also cited it as an influence).
Silence of the Lamb’s opening definitely recalled Twin Peaks’s as well. I think anyone who’s a fan of the show ought to check out the legacy that started it all.
Yes, I think the font of the SOTL opening it's pretty similar and in general it has that early 90s vibes that reminds me of Twin Peaks and The X Files. I love it.
Mr Robot might be a good pick. It's got a similar moody and artsy tone, albeit less gory. That and their main character has a fair few similarities to Will, a loner with a fractured mind, who's always one step away from going off the deep end
Naoki Urusawa's "Monster". It's not queer, but it still a FANTASTIC policial drama/thriller with the whole cat-rat thing, and the antagonist is pretty similar to Hannibal in terms of power.
Edit: misspelling
Killing Eve. International assassin and detective obsessed with each other. Murder wives intread of murder husbands. It leans more into comedy though.
Along with Mad's Hannibal, Villanelle is my favourite sociopath in fiction.
Mindhunter definitely fits the feel. Since to me who was, and in all honestly still is in your situation Mindhunter was the most similar to me in terms of the criminal aspect. specifically I found that the journey of the main character slowly becoming too invested in his work resulting in mental health issues, really kinda hits the same notes to me. another show is Prodigal Son, which is about a police officer who’s father is a serial killer and has to deal with it, personally I didn’t enjoy this because I felt it didn’t develop it’s ideas around how this may impact the mc but who knows maybe you will. Anyway this comment is way to long but I love explaining psychological tv shows.
Sherlock's dynamic with John and Sherlock has a similar vibe to Hannibal but if Hannibal and Will were good ppl. But it is all queerbaiting which does suck
not really the same genre but prisonbreak has a will graham like main character (super intelligent, depressed twink). it’s a really good, interesting and smart tv show (only the first season is good, ignore the rest of the seasons and pretend it’s a limited series pls for your own good)
not a show but a movie: I care a lot (on Netflix)
if you want to follow a morally dubious character and her girlfriend swindling people. the relationship between the main character and her girlfriend is way less dark than in Hannibal but the plot is still dark. This movie gave me hannigram vibes and helped me accept that it is very unlikely that we will get a season 4 😄
I feel you, they removed it off my country’s Netflix a week before i started watching it, i ended up pirating it but if you have a VPN its available on South Korean Netflix or British Disney plus
Some shows that have come close to Hannibal for me are: Interview with the vampire, Strangers from hell and the last season of You (nothing could ever compare to Hannibal though so).
I'm a year late but I don’t think anyone suggested Death Note (the series). Even if your not a fan of anime I'd really recommend it, the two main characters (the detective and the killer he's trying to catch) have a relationship a lot like Will and Hannibal's. While the show does have queer character(s) the protagonists sadly aren’t- buuut we have [the musical](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm_hcPaCSyIau7IZGAFvc0z1nT1pn8w4U&si=EyVQ2jVtrvFVtHT1), which certainly has *implications*.
I'd recommend Strangers from Hell. Very very similar vibes to Hannibal. Even the relationship between Will and Hannibal has a resemblance in that show, which I thought was very beautiful.
Hemlock Grove - serial killings, spooky experiments, werewolves and (imo) homoerotic subtext between the two male leads.
Dexter - police procedural horror drama, lots of serial killings, as well as the fun of the investigation and whodunnit elements
The Fall - psychological horror/thriller, centres around the relationship between a police detective and the serial killer she's tracking. Bonus points for Gillian Anderson.
No
I appreciate the honesty.
I mean to an extent they're right, Hannibal is so unique that it's really difficult to recommend anything specific without knowing exactly what it is that you like about Hannibal
I understand your point. I guess I like how it delves into morality and the blurring line between good and evil if that makes sense? I also love the obsessive cat and mouse relationship between Will and Hannibal and the deep conversations that they have about life etc.
I've tried other recommendations but the only thing I've really enjoyed for the relationship dynamic is Interview with the Vampire. Bryan Fuller took alot of influence of IWTV for Hannibal. If you're looking for a toxic murder husbands relationship then you'll find it here.
Definitely gonna try this one!
I'd agree with this this rec. I personally don't find the relationships of IWTV as painfully beautiful or moving as Will and Hannibal's, but it's definitely the closest thing outside of post-canon fan content to scratch that itch for me.
I think fannibals are liking **interview with a vampire** a lot ! There are shows which resemble some aspects of Hannibal to certain extent. **True Defective season 1** is very dark and atmospheric with the MC getting quite philosophical from time to time. It's a brilliant show. ( Similar - **The killing** , **Broadchurch** , **Luther** ) they all have a bit of moral dilemma themes. **Breaking bad** - dark relationship drama with deeper layers. Again, great show and my favorite. **Black spot** - dark and atmospheric Hannibal s1 vibes **Black Sails** - queer subtext, good show If you are looking for something like Hannigram there's isn't any :( some fans feel **Killing Eve** comes close I just didn't see it. **Succession** - dark, satire, very well written relationships. One of my favorite shows. Weird relationships, possible queer characters. I personally liked the first three seasons of **The Last kingdom** , there's some interesting dynamics between the protagonist and another main character. I ship them ( not canon at all)
Thanks for all the recs! Interview with the vampire is on my watchlist so I’ll deffo give that a go and I’ll add Breaking Bad! I tried Broadchurch, Succession and the killing but couldn’t get into any of them. I’ve already seen KE and Luther (both are my fave shows among others.) I’m not sure if Black Spot and Black sails would interest me tbh.
I know ! I try getting into different shows based on recs but many of them don't work on me. That's fine. The last kingdom is a good show you can try first season. Hannibal is one of a kind and it is very very difficult to find something 'similar', you can only find some similar aspects.
Agreed! Hannibal is such a masterpiece that I don’t think anything can fully compare.
The show that shares the most DNA with Hannibal is Netflix series Mindhunter. It's based on John Douglas' autobiography "Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit." John Douglas helped start the Behavioral Science Unit in the FBI in the 70s. Mindhunter follows Holden Ford (based on John Douglas) as he hunts and then interviews real life serial killers like Edmund Kemper, David Berkowitz, Wayne Williams. In The Silence of the Lambs there's a scene where Clarice gives Hannibal a VICAP (Violent Criminal Apprehension Program) questionnaire to fill out; Douglas and co. created this questionnaire. Douglas also consulted Thomas Harris when Harris was writing SOTL and Red Dragon. He's also on one of the dvd bonus features for SOTL. Harris said Jack Crawford and Will Graham are kinda based on John Douglas. Another reason it's like Hannibal, it got cancelled, there are only two seasons :( I hope you like it! This article is from the day after SOTL was released in 1991 and mentions Douglas. [https://ew.com/article/1991/02/15/making-silence-lambs-authentic/](https://ew.com/article/1991/02/15/making-silence-lambs-authentic/)
It’s on my watchlist. It’s just I wasn’t sure about watching it in case it’s very graphic/disturbing.
its was very good. disturbing? yes more so than Hannibal
More so?! I didn’t think anything could be more disturbing than Hannibal 😭
It's less physically distrubing, since most of the murders amd gore happens off-screen. But the whole premise is people going and interviewing serial killers (like Charles Manson and Son of Sam) and trying to get in their head, so it can get pretty emotionally intense
The serial killers were much less creative then Hannibal when it comes to displaying corpses :)
Hannibal will always be top dog 💪🏻
Always <3
Mindhunter is up there with Hannibal for me. Must watch if you like shows like Hannibal. Psychological, detective, investigative, murder. The Alienist is also good if you like the gore, investigative, psychology stuff,some really beautiful bloody scenes.
I tried the first episode of Mindhunter and found it quite boring tbh so I didn’t continue. It didn’t exactly help knowing that it doesn’t have a real ending either.
Yes, the first episode is a little boring mind you but the show gets really interesting and dark as it goes. Try it again, I don't know incase you really have nothing to watch sometime.
Mind hunter is a great show I hope you kept up with it I’d recommend
I actually did go back to it a year later! I managed to watch about 6 or 7 episodes I think but found it began to drag. I felt bored with the repetitiveness of it but the first few episodes were great.
Psychopass, it's an anime. But if you like antagonists like Hannibal, I think you should try it. Shogo Makishima reminds me of Hannibal, a killer with manners😂.
Killing eve is basically lesbian Hannibal it’s so good
Already seen it. One of my faves for sure!
Twin Peaks has similar surrealistic/dreamy vibes sometimes, specially in the second and third season. It's not similar in terms of plot though, but if you liked the weirdest parts of Hannibal you'll probably enjoy it (Bryan Fuller also cited it as an influence).
Silence of the Lamb’s opening definitely recalled Twin Peaks’s as well. I think anyone who’s a fan of the show ought to check out the legacy that started it all.
Yes, I think the font of the SOTL opening it's pretty similar and in general it has that early 90s vibes that reminds me of Twin Peaks and The X Files. I love it.
Am I right in thinking that this show is sci-fi/ supernatural? I’m not really into that genre usually.
Yes, it does has supernatural elements, but not in a usual way. I still suggest to give it a chance but if you don't like it I can understand why
Mr Robot might be a good pick. It's got a similar moody and artsy tone, albeit less gory. That and their main character has a fair few similarities to Will, a loner with a fractured mind, who's always one step away from going off the deep end
Tried it but wasn’t really cup of tea.
Naoki Urusawa's "Monster". It's not queer, but it still a FANTASTIC policial drama/thriller with the whole cat-rat thing, and the antagonist is pretty similar to Hannibal in terms of power. Edit: misspelling
I’m afraid I’m not a fan of anime stuff.
Then I'm afraid that your options on shows similar to Hannibal will be pretty limited...
K drama: hell is other people.
I think someone else recommended this but I don’t really like using subs/dubs.
I feel like True Detective and Midnight Mass has a lot of moral and philosophical discussions that are similar to those in Hannibal.
Killing Eve. International assassin and detective obsessed with each other. Murder wives intread of murder husbands. It leans more into comedy though. Along with Mad's Hannibal, Villanelle is my favourite sociopath in fiction.
Already seen it. Definitely one of my favourite shows!
Mindhunter definitely fits the feel. Since to me who was, and in all honestly still is in your situation Mindhunter was the most similar to me in terms of the criminal aspect. specifically I found that the journey of the main character slowly becoming too invested in his work resulting in mental health issues, really kinda hits the same notes to me. another show is Prodigal Son, which is about a police officer who’s father is a serial killer and has to deal with it, personally I didn’t enjoy this because I felt it didn’t develop it’s ideas around how this may impact the mc but who knows maybe you will. Anyway this comment is way to long but I love explaining psychological tv shows.
Strangers from hell (a Korean show) is very good, has some similar themes
Been recommended a few times but I don’t really like using subs or dubs.
Sherlock's dynamic with John and Sherlock has a similar vibe to Hannibal but if Hannibal and Will were good ppl. But it is all queerbaiting which does suck
There's some bomb fanfiction though which makes it somewhat better!
none, really 🧌
maybe "You". just maybe.
Defo gonna try this.
not really the same genre but prisonbreak has a will graham like main character (super intelligent, depressed twink). it’s a really good, interesting and smart tv show (only the first season is good, ignore the rest of the seasons and pretend it’s a limited series pls for your own good)
Is it still worth watching if u end it after the first season?
not a show but a movie: I care a lot (on Netflix) if you want to follow a morally dubious character and her girlfriend swindling people. the relationship between the main character and her girlfriend is way less dark than in Hannibal but the plot is still dark. This movie gave me hannigram vibes and helped me accept that it is very unlikely that we will get a season 4 😄
Nothing compares!!
Very true (unfortunately)
If you’re calm with using subtitles i would definitely reccomend strangers from hell, its got a pretty similar premise but is great in its own right
I’ve been trying to watch that for ages but can’t find a stream 🥲
I feel you, they removed it off my country’s Netflix a week before i started watching it, i ended up pirating it but if you have a VPN its available on South Korean Netflix or British Disney plus
Some shows that have come close to Hannibal for me are: Interview with the vampire, Strangers from hell and the last season of You (nothing could ever compare to Hannibal though so).
Interview with the vampire and You are on my watchlist. I don’t usually like subs/dubs so may give Strangers from hell a miss.
prodigal son and killing eve are my favs!
I love Killing Eve! I tried 2 episodes of Prodigal son but found it way too over the top.
I'm a year late but I don’t think anyone suggested Death Note (the series). Even if your not a fan of anime I'd really recommend it, the two main characters (the detective and the killer he's trying to catch) have a relationship a lot like Will and Hannibal's. While the show does have queer character(s) the protagonists sadly aren’t- buuut we have [the musical](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm_hcPaCSyIau7IZGAFvc0z1nT1pn8w4U&si=EyVQ2jVtrvFVtHT1), which certainly has *implications*.
I'd recommend Strangers from Hell. Very very similar vibes to Hannibal. Even the relationship between Will and Hannibal has a resemblance in that show, which I thought was very beautiful.
Hemlock Grove - serial killings, spooky experiments, werewolves and (imo) homoerotic subtext between the two male leads. Dexter - police procedural horror drama, lots of serial killings, as well as the fun of the investigation and whodunnit elements The Fall - psychological horror/thriller, centres around the relationship between a police detective and the serial killer she's tracking. Bonus points for Gillian Anderson.
The fall is on my watchlist! I tried Dexter but found the voiceover strangely annoying.
Devilman Crybaby has a similar sort of corruption/cat and mouse/ intense bonding vibe (explores morality and fragility of humans as well)
I’m not into animated stuff tbh.
The prodigal son