5 Television Shows That Broke Barriers and Took Risks Like “The OA”!

2. “Hannibal”

While other shows like “American Horror Story” and “Channel Zero” have helped bring attention and respect to the TV horror genre, “Hannibal” completely reinvented it. 

“Hannibal” came out on NBC in 2013, running (miraculously) for 3 seasons, and is essentially a prequel to Silence of the Lambs. Long before Hannibal Lector is discovered to be a cannibalistic serial killer, he works as a renowned artist/psychiatrist who the FBI calls in to help a troubled young profiler, Will Graham, who has a unique talent for getting inside the minds of killers. They quickly develop an intense relationship that changes their lives. 

This show was definitely not for the faint of heart. It went in depth into strange, and almost artistic, crime scenes, as Graham dived deeper into the killers’ minds, and it took his own mind to darker and darker places. “Hannibal” starred Mads Mikkelson as the famous cannibal and Hugh Dancy as Graham. The cast also included Laurence Fishburne and Gillian Anderson, so you know it had to be good. 

I’m honestly still surprised that NBC greenlit this show in the first place because it is so brutal and dark, and the horror really pushes the limit of what we can see on cable television. But if you dare, “Hannibal” is a deep, thought-provoking show that isn’t afraid to look at the dark side of what makes us human.