Amazon and Netflix won't be saving 'Hannibal' from cancelation
Executive producer Bryan Fuller broke the news on Twitter on Monday night.
"I'M SORRY TO REPORT @amazon AND @netflix HAVE PASSED ON #HANNIBAL S4 BUT WE'RE STILL INVESTIGATING POSSIBILITIES," Fuller wrote.
Fans have been piling the pressure on the streaming companies since NBC announced the "Silence of the Lambs" prequel series would not move forward beyond the current third season in late-June.
Amazon was considered the best possibility for the drama's resurrection, since it already holds streaming rights to the show. Netflix was a less likely candidate, because the agreement with Amazon "precludes a Netflix component," Fuller had said.
While "Hannibal" has never been a ratings barn burner for NBC, it has been a critical favorite. Its airings during the late-spring/summer when ratings needs are lower also allowed the network to give it a break.
The series returned on June 4 for Season 3 and is currently averaging a low .50 in the advertiser-coveted 18-49-year-old demographic and 1.74 million viewers, according to Nielsen.
"Hannibal" was based on characters from the Thomas Harris novel, "Red Dragon."
It starred Hugh Dancy as FBI special agent Will Graham, a crime scene investigator with a special understanding of murderers and psychopaths, and Mad Mikkelsen as Lecter, a forensic psychiatrist with a hunger for human flesh who will become Graham's biggest challenge.