NBC has pulled next Thursday’s grislier-than-usual episode of Hannibal in the wake of this week’s Boston Marathon bombings, Variety reports.
The decision came after exec producer Bryan Fuller phoned the network to express his concern about the content of the episode, this season’s fourth, which involves children-on-children murder.
NBC will instead jump ahead to Episode 5. Viewers shouldn’t expect any continuity issues, per Variety.
As a result of the move, Hannibal‘s season finale will now air one week earlier on June 20
Source: TV Line
The decision came after exec producer Bryan Fuller phoned the network to express his concern about the content of the episode, this season’s fourth, which involves children-on-children murder.
NBC will instead jump ahead to Episode 5. Viewers shouldn’t expect any continuity issues, per Variety.
As a result of the move, Hannibal‘s season finale will now air one week earlier on June 20
Source: TV Line
I don't get it, what has child on child murder got to do with the Boston Marathan/attack. I think what happened is Boston is truly awful but I don't see how pulling a Hannibal episode which doesn't seem related in storyline at all does anything to help.
ReplyDeleteMe neither but it seems like Bryan made the call so I am fine if it was his choice.
ReplyDeleteWell as I understand it, an 8 year-old boy died in the bombings so perhaps Fuller felt it would be an overly sensitive moment with many still feeling deeply affected by it all - so I say fair play to them.
ReplyDeleteUgh. I don't to sound insensitive but this is just complete crap. Yeah, what happen in Boston was horrible but as far as I know this "upcoming' episode had nothing to do with Boston. And as the saying goes, if you don't like it, don't watch it. Yeah, what happened in Boston is bad, but why is every network either pulling or per-empting something?
ReplyDeleteSo we are never going to see next weeks episode ever? This is bullshit.
ReplyDeleteAlso, they are most likely going to air some sort of special news report instead and that is wrong because it''s just giving these psychos more air time.
ReplyDeleteI understand wanting to pull it, and because it seems to be Fuller's idea, I'm more supportive of the decision than I might otherwise be. But what I don't understand is why they won't be airing it at all during the run ?
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, there is absolutely no reason to hold it forever, so it will be on the DVD? And likely air as a special over the summer, or with the next season?
FWIW, I wonder if it the concern was less about the death of children and more about the makeup and design of the episode. There were some horrific photos of the victims.
No, like it says in the post, they'll just skip to the fifth episode.
ReplyDeleteAXN, who co-produces the show airs it here in India on Fridays. Episode 3 aired today. I wonder if they'll pull the 4th episode too or air it.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping it will pop up online in the near future. The episode looks so awesome! Ugh.
ReplyDeleteThat's bullshit, its going to get to the point where there wont be anything left to see.
ReplyDeleteEither we say as a society that violence on TV has a relationship to violence in real life and we don't show it at all/restrict the images and ideas OR we continue with the notion that most people understand that TV is fictional and show fake violence as entertainment.
ReplyDeleteI can understand pulling/rescheduling episodes that involve bombs, but a week later with an unrelated concept is disingenuous on some level. Fuller created a show about smart crazy people killing people, if that isn't appropriate, it isn't appropriate, and not just now,
I just wish NBC could pull off Ready for Love and not air it. I would rather have the network air repeats of better shows like Chicago Fire and Revolution on Tuesday nights after The Voice. It's a disgrace that NBC wants to keep stupid Ready for Love. A new episode of Community from last night beat RFL and that didn't even have a lead-in to rely on.
ReplyDeleteI hope they'll put the epsidoe online anyway :( But I understand their desition.
ReplyDeleteAlan Sepinwall had this useful info "The good news is that the network plans on posting a number of relevant arc scenes from episode 4 online, with Fuller introducing them, to fill in the gaps" http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/nbc-to-skip-hannibal-episode-in-wake-of-boston-tragedy#LVEjQDpgPtoPLbir.99 So any important plot points won't be lost
ReplyDeleteSo what episode will air next week? There was a lot of changes :/ Will we see the episode with "angels", but we won't see the episode with killer kids? Right?
ReplyDeleteITA, it's a complete waste of a good lead in for better shows on the network.
ReplyDeleteMe too. This or they could air it after the season finale.
ReplyDeleteI was really looking forward to this episode, but I hope I can find it online somewhere.
ReplyDeleteThis is such BS!
ReplyDeleteDo we know if it'll air on citytv?
ReplyDeleteGood news! Ready for Love has been pulled off the schedule, in favor of new episodes of Grimm!
ReplyDeleteI agree that would be a fair solution.
ReplyDeleteThis sucks! But I'm hoping AXN Asia doesn't follow suit and follow the US schedule...
ReplyDeleteNo, I understand that Fuller is recreating Red Dragon, but he had a vision for a television show based on that content including an episode of violence against children. But over 3000 children die in homicides in the US every year (2007 stat, but I'm rounding anyway) not just the one who died last week in Boston. So if there is a reason to say that we shouldn't be watching this sort of thing for entertainment value, it is true year round not just this week. Otherwise, IMO he has to stand by an artistic point that he is saying something about the human condition and he is doing it by pushing us to the edge of violence and psychosis. If he doesn't believe that, if he doesn't feel that on the primary level, that the violence and abuse and murder he is portraying isn't just gratuitous and that his audience understands that it is fictitious metaphor, then really when is it appropriate as a culture to watch these things? Some community somewhere is reeling from violence or death every day. The fact that TV networks have to review their programming when another horrible tragedy happens to ensure that they don't have a program depicting that same thing may be a sign that the party line of entertainment not affecting us as human beings is a falsehood and that isn't a temporary scheduling adjustment out of respect.
ReplyDeleteThat's why it's better to watch cable shows only. They don't pull such bullshit.
ReplyDeleteIt might be true that people/children die every day in the US in tragic ways, but not in this specific way, as homicides are not considered acts of terror, as acts of terror are meant to be bigger statements to specific groups of people and/or as many people as possible, rather than individualized and/or more personalized events. IMO it's a different animal, since the philosophy behind it is different and because in the U.S. it has yet to become an 'everyday' way of life.
ReplyDeleteClearly Fuller sees a difference (since the network is not the one in this case to pull Hannibal). I'm not saying that we all do carelessly go on while horrors happen everyday, or that most viewers don't recognized the difference between fiction and reality and can appreciate that entertainment and/or philosophical questions a show might pose about humanity, but again I stress, if we do not ever "show" respect by being somber or taking a pause, then what good are any of us, as this is an indication that nothing ever matters (IMO with that atitude, we will speed up existentialism), except for what any of us individually want (which seems to be: not to be bothered or feel pain, only to be happy).
I agree we can't do this for every event, and one day maybe we will be used to terror acts on a daily basis, but for now the prospect should still concern us, as we should want to avoid that kind of a future and if it takes not airing a TV show to wake people up and put this into perspective by having these kinds of conversations, so be it, because the mentality seems to be everything is a-ok, until of course it's happening to you (not to you personally, to others who behave that way), otherwise we wouldn't get so upset about a lack of an episode of a TV show in a time of crisis.Grown ups should be able to understand why someone would feel compelled to change the schedule. And if we as viewers truly like the show, we should try honor the choices of it's creators. (other wise IMO this is about something else)
Personally I have been very disturbed by some of the public's reaction to some of these more recant events,
But you bring up very important questions, Isbloom. Thanks you for taking the time to respond and bring up very valid points about our culture.
You do make a good point about terrorism being a different breed of horror. And I certainly don't hope that as a society we ever adjust to such awful things. I have no problem with the pushing of bomb-related plots (that there are so many of them maybe should be concerning). But for some reason the removal of an entire episode (after they aired this week's grisly installment no problem) with the rational of Newtown and Boston, seemed like a reversal of his original vision, especially the delay, and didn't feel genuine to me. Either he has a problem with what his show is depicting today and tomorrow and next December, or he doesn't. This isn't a one episode out of respect, not after showing this week's and the length of time since Newtown occurred, it's a question of overall appropriateness. Mandy Patinkin walked away from Criminal Minds because it was too much for him. I guess deciding not to air it all is better than pushing a week. Maybe he is saying that he feels he crossed a line and wants to pull back.
ReplyDeletePS. I do agree with you that the divisive response to Newtown was very disturbing.
That's great.
ReplyDeleteWill we ever get to see that episode?
ReplyDeletePeople got killed in a school in that episode. That's why they pushed it. It wasn't just guns.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the info! :)
ReplyDeleteI thought there might be things in episode 4 that would relate to upcoming episode, since it seems reasonably serialized so far!