Low-rated but critically acclaimed shows living healthy lives beyond major networks

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This article was published 02/07/2015 (3722 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Last month, NBC announced that after Hannibal airs its final 10 episodes in the summer, the grisly, absorbing drama will be cancelled.

Who cares? Let’s be real: It no longer makes any sense to get upset when something is “cancelled.”

After all, The Mindy Project was cancelled. So was Community. Same with The Killing and even Degrassi. Then, just as swiftly as they were pulled from the TV schedule, online streaming providers — Hulu, Yahoo!, Netflix — swooped in, renewing the shows to live another day. So why shouldn’t Hannibal, another ratings-challenged but niche-favourite show, expect the same treatment?

It played out predictably: Within hours of NBC’s announcement, Hannibal executive producer Martha DeLaurentiis said the show is “exploring other distribution options.” Creator Bryan Fuller confirmed the show will still have a panel at San Diego Comic Con in July and urged fans to watch the remaining episodes. BuzzFeed TV reporter Kate Aurthur pointed out that the show has an exclusive streaming deal with Amazon, now in the market for its own original programming.

Draw your own conclusions about what could happen.

Unlike days past, when fans fruitlessly bombarded networks with angry letters, calls and random objects in hopes that a miracle would happen and executives would listen, a show being pulled now just isn’t as dire for a low-rated yet beloved series.

If a program has a loyal fan base, cancellation truly means nothing. It’s more just waiting to see where it will end up next.

However, is that a good thing? (Except for the people getting paid to create it, of course.)

For an increasingly entitled TV culture, maybe not so much. Just look at the upcoming year of TV: Coach, The X-Files and Full House will all be resurrected. Audiences may soon have “rescued show” fatigue, thanks to the reboots that only reinforce the fact that nothing stays gone anymore.

Plus, after a show is rescued, the excitement is all used up during the initial announcement. There might be a bit of frenzy in the days leading up to the première, but by the time the show launches in its new home, the enthusiasm level inevitably plummets. Arrested Development, Season 4, lost all steam pretty much immediately. Longmire didn’t make much of a splash. And do you know anyone who watched the most recent season of Community?

So really, for everyone tweeting #SaveHannibal: No reason to panic. There’s a pretty good chance that something will work out.

But seeing how these things have worked out in the past, this is just a warning to be careful what you wish for.

(Disclosure: Amazon chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos owns the Washington Post)

— The Washington Post