"Apéritif" is the
series premiere
A series premiere is the first aired installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. In the United States, many series premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or ...
of the
psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a Film genre, genre combining the thriller (genre), thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting ...
–
horror series ''
Hannibal
Hannibal (; ; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Punic people, Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Ancient Carthage, Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War.
Hannibal's fat ...
''. The episode was written by
Bryan Fuller
Bryan Fuller (born July 27, 1969) is an American writer and producer, best known for creating the television series ''Pushing Daisies'' (2007–2009) and ''Hannibal (TV series), Hannibal'' (2013–2015). Fuller is also known for his work as a writ ...
, and directed by
David Slade
David Aldrin Slade (born 26 September 1969) is an English film and television director and actor. His works include the films ''Hard Candy (film), Hard Candy'', ''30 Days of Night (film), 30 Days of Night'' and ''The Twilight Saga: Eclipse''. ...
. It was first broadcast on April 4, 2013, on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
. The series is based on characters and elements appearing in
Thomas Harris
William Thomas Harris III (born September 22, 1940) is an American writer. He is the author of a series of suspense novels about Hannibal Lecter. The majority of his works have been adapted into films and television, including '' The Silence o ...
' novels ''
Red Dragon'' and ''
Hannibal
Hannibal (; ; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Punic people, Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Ancient Carthage, Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War.
Hannibal's fat ...
'', with focus on the relationship between
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
special investigator
Will Graham (
Hugh Dancy
Hugh Michael Horace Dancy (born 19 June 1975) is an English actor who rose to prominence for his role as the title character in the television film adaptation of ''David Copperfield'' (2000) as well as for roles in feature films as Kurt Schmid ...
) and
Dr. Hannibal Lecter (
Mads Mikkelsen
Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen (; born 22 November 1965) is a Danish actor. He rose to fame in Denmark as an actor for his roles such as Tonny in the first two films of the Pusher (film series), ''Pusher'' film trilogy (1996, 2004), Detective Sergea ...
), a forensic psychiatrist destined to become Graham's most cunning enemy.
The episode revolves around Will Graham, an FBI profiler who is able to sense and think like any other serial killer during a crime scene and recreate their murders. When college girls are reported to be missing and all are said to be kidnapped by the same person, Graham is recruited by BSU Special Agent Jack Crawford for help. After one of the girls shows up in her house dead, Graham and Crawford receive help from Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a psychiatrist who has been dealing with sociopaths. However, unbeknownst to Graham, Crawford and the FBI, Lecter is a cannibal who has been killing and retrieving victims in order to make them his personal meal.
The pilot received a mostly positive reception from critics, who praised many aspects including the acting and writing in the episode. Some critics also compared the show to other psychological thriller shows that aired at the same time such as ''
The Following
''The Following'' is an American crime thriller television series created by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson, and jointly produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.
The The Following (season 1), first s ...
'' and ''
Bates Motel'', noting that ''Hannibal'' managed to surpass them.
Plot
Will Graham (
Hugh Dancy
Hugh Michael Horace Dancy (born 19 June 1975) is an English actor who rose to prominence for his role as the title character in the television film adaptation of ''David Copperfield'' (2000) as well as for roles in feature films as Kurt Schmid ...
), an
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
profiler, surveys and recreates a crime scene in which two suburban homeowners, Mr. and Mrs. Marlow, have been brutally murdered. Later, after Graham gives a lecture at the
FBI Academy
The FBI Academy is the Federal Bureau of Investigation's law enforcement training and research center near the town of Quantico in Prince William County, Virginia. The academy occupies 547 acres (221 ha) on the US Marine Corps Base Quantico. It ...
, he is approached by
BSU Special Agent
Jack Crawford (
Laurence Fishburne
Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has gained recognition for his roles on stage and screen as militant and authoritative characters. List of awards and nominations received by Laur ...
), who wants his help in investigating a
serial killer
A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone:
*
*
*
*
* (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...
who has recently abducted eight college girls. Graham and Crawford arrive at
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...
, to visit the parents of the most recent victim, Elise Nichols, for questioning. Inspecting her bedroom, they discover Elise's corpse in her bed. As the FBI investigates the scene, Graham tries to reenact the events when he is interrupted by Special Agent Beverly Katz (
Hettienne Park
Hettienne Park is an American actress and writer, having played roles in ''Young Adult'' (2011), '' Bride Wars'' (2009), '' Blindspot'' (2018), and '' The Outsider'' (2020), with her most notable role being Beverly Katz on the psychological horro ...
), who reveals that they have found
antler velvet in Elise's wounds. Taking their case back to the examination labs in
Quantico, Virginia
Quantico (; formerly Potomac) is a town in southeastern Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 578 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., bound ...
, Katz finds a curl of metal in Elise's clothes. Graham deduces that the victim was killed by being mounted on antlers. They also discover that the victim had her liver taken out but was then put back in the body, having liver cancer. The team discovers they are after a
cannibal
Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecology, ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is also well ...
.
Graham begins to suffer nightmares with Elise, haunted by his "ability". Crawford consults Alana Bloom (
Caroline Dhavernas) for help and she recommends him to visit
Dr. Hannibal Lecter (
Mads Mikkelsen
Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen (; born 22 November 1965) is a Danish actor. He rose to fame in Denmark as an actor for his roles such as Tonny in the first two films of the Pusher (film series), ''Pusher'' film trilogy (1996, 2004), Detective Sergea ...
), a psychiatrist. Crawford takes Lecter to Quantico, where he meets Graham and agrees to help him. A new body appears in
Hibbing, Minnesota
Hibbing is a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city was built on mining the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range an ...
, mounted on top of a deer's head in an open field with her lungs removed. The police have nicknamed the murderer the "Minnesota Shrike". Identifying this murder to be the work of a
copycat killer
A copycat crime is a criminal act that is modeled after or inspired by a previous crime. It notably occurs after exposure to media content depicting said crimes, and/or a live criminal model.
According to a study, copycat crime is a social phen ...
, Graham deduces that the Minnesota Shrike has a daughter who is about to leave and the killer can't accept it. Meanwhile, Lecter is shown preparing the lungs and eats them at dinner. In conversation, with Lecter, Graham remarks that the copycat killing felt as though it were "gift-wrapped" as an inverse to the Shrike's killings to allow Graham to figure out how to profile them correctly.
Lecter and Graham meet and investigate a construction site which may be connected to the murder. They find that a man, Garret Jacob Hobbs (Vladimir Jon Cubrt) has resigned from his job and meets Graham's profile. While Graham is distracted, Lecter makes an anonymous call to Hobbs, warning him that "they know". Later, Graham and Lecter arrive at Hobbs' house in
Bloomington, Minnesota
Bloomington is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. It is located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, south of downtown Minneapolis and just south of the Interstate 494/Inter ...
, where they see Hobbs killing his wife and leaving her on the doorstep to die. Graham enters the house as Hobbs throws his wife out the door with her throat cut; after failing to save her, Graham sees Hobbs holding his daughter Abigail (
Kacey Rohl
Kacey Rohl (born August 6, 1991) is a Canadian actress. She is known for playing Sterling Fitch in the television crime drama ''The Killing (U.S. TV series), The Killing'', Prudence in the 2011 dark fantasy film ''Red Riding Hood (2011 film), Red ...
) hostage with a knife before shooting him multiple times in the chest, but not before he cuts part of Abigail's throat. Before dying, Hobbs taunts Graham, saying, "See? See?" Abigail is taken to the hospital. The episode ends as Will sits on Abigail's hospital room along with Lecter, who is sleeping and holding her hand.
Production
Development

NBC began developing a ''Hannibal'' series in 2011 and former head of drama Katie O'Connell brought in her long-time friend
Bryan Fuller
Bryan Fuller (born July 27, 1969) is an American writer and producer, best known for creating the television series ''Pushing Daisies'' (2007–2009) and ''Hannibal (TV series), Hannibal'' (2013–2015). Fuller is also known for his work as a writ ...
(who had previously served as a writer-producer on NBC's ''
Heroes
Heroes or Héroes may refer to:
* Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good
Film
* ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama
* ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film
Gaming
* ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...
'') to write a pilot script in November. NBC gave the series a financial commitment before Fuller had completed his script. On February 14, 2012, NBC bypassed the pilot stage of development by giving the series a 13-episode first season based solely on the strength of Fuller's script. The series went into production quickly thereafter.
David Slade
David Aldrin Slade (born 26 September 1969) is an English film and television director and actor. His works include the films ''Hard Candy (film), Hard Candy'', ''30 Days of Night (film), 30 Days of Night'' and ''The Twilight Saga: Eclipse''. ...
, who had previously directed
the pilot for NBC's ''
Awake
Wakefulness is a daily recurring brain state and state of consciousness in which an individual is conscious and engages in coherent cognitive and behavioral responses to the external world.
Being awake is the opposite of being asleep, in which ...
'', directed the first episode and serves as an executive producer.
José Andrés
José Ramón Andrés Puerta (; born 13 July 1969) is a Spanish-American chef and restaurateur. Born in Spain, he moved to the United States in the early 1990s and since then, he has opened restaurants in several American cities. He has won a num ...
is the series' "culinary cannibal consultant" and advises the crew on proper procedure for preparing human flesh for consumption.
Writing
Fuller discussed the limited episode order and the continuing story arc he envisions for the series. "Doing a cable model on network television gives us the opportunity not to dally in our storytelling because we have a lot of real estate to cover". Speaking specifically about the Lecter character, Fuller said:
There is a cheery disposition to our Hannibal. He's not being telegraphed as a villain. If the audience didn't know who he was, they wouldn't see him coming. What we have is Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...
's principle of suspense—show the audience the bomb under the table and let them sweat when it's going to go boom.
He went on to call the relationship between Graham and Lecter as "really a love story", saying "As Hannibal has said
o Grahamin a couple of the movies, 'You're a lot more like me than you realize'. We'll get to the bottom of exactly what that means over the course of the first two seasons".
Regarding the series' influences, Fuller stated: "When I sat down to the script, I was very consciously saying, 'What would
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...
do with a Hannibal Lecter character? What sort of strange, unexpected places would he take this world?' I'm a great admirer of his work and his aesthetic and his meticulous sound design. Those were all components that I felt very strongly needed to be part of our Hannibal Lecter story. Between Lynch and
Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...
, there's a lot of inspiration."
As an
easter egg
Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are commonly used during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The ...
, Fuller later confirmed that the couple murdered at the beginning of the episode were victims of
Francis Dolarhyde, the main antagonist of ''
Red Dragon''. Dolarhyde would later make his series debut in the episode "
The Great Red Dragon", portrayed by
Richard Armitage.
Casting
English actor
Hugh Dancy
Hugh Michael Horace Dancy (born 19 June 1975) is an English actor who rose to prominence for his role as the title character in the television film adaptation of ''David Copperfield'' (2000) as well as for roles in feature films as Kurt Schmid ...
was the first actor to be cast, taking on the lead role of FBI criminal profiler Will Graham, who seeks help from Lecter in profiling and capturing serial killers. In June 2012, Danish actor
Mads Mikkelsen
Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen (; born 22 November 1965) is a Danish actor. He rose to fame in Denmark as an actor for his roles such as Tonny in the first two films of the Pusher (film series), ''Pusher'' film trilogy (1996, 2004), Detective Sergea ...
was cast as Lecter. Soon after this, actor
Laurence Fishburne
Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has gained recognition for his roles on stage and screen as militant and authoritative characters. List of awards and nominations received by Laur ...
was cast as FBI Behavioral Sciences Unit commander Jack Crawford.
Caroline Dhavernas was later cast as Dr. Alana Bloom, a former student of Hannibal Lecter, and
Hettienne Park
Hettienne Park is an American actress and writer, having played roles in ''Young Adult'' (2011), '' Bride Wars'' (2009), '' Blindspot'' (2018), and '' The Outsider'' (2020), with her most notable role being Beverly Katz on the psychological horro ...
was cast as
CSI Beverly Katz.
Lara Jean Chorostecki,
Kacey Rohl
Kacey Rohl (born August 6, 1991) is a Canadian actress. She is known for playing Sterling Fitch in the television crime drama ''The Killing (U.S. TV series), The Killing'', Prudence in the 2011 dark fantasy film ''Red Riding Hood (2011 film), Red ...
,
Scott Thompson and
Aaron Abrams
Aaron Abrams is a Canadian actor and writer, who has worked in both film and television.
Aaron Abrams has appeared in several regular and recurring roles for television, including ''Children Ruin Everything'', ''Masters of Sex'', ''Rookie B ...
were cast in recurring roles.
Reception
Viewers
The episode was watched by 4.36 million viewers, earning a 1.6/5 in the 18-49 rating demographics on the
Nielson ratings
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...
scale, ranking third on its timeslot and tenth for the night in the 18-49 demographics. This means that 1.6 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 5 percent of all households watching television at that time watched it. With DVR factored in, the episode was watched by 6.77 million viewers with a 2.7 in the 18-49 demographics.
Critical reviews
The episode received mostly positive response from critics. Eric Goldman of
IGN
''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
gave the episode an "amazing" 9 out of 10 and wrote, "''Hannibal'' is launching on the heels of both ''
The Following
''The Following'' is an American crime thriller television series created by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson, and jointly produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.
The The Following (season 1), first s ...
'' and ''
Bates Motel'', giving it a disadvantage in this odd timing of series about serial killers (or, in ''Bates'' case, a serial killer to be). But even if you're already watching one or both of those other shows, ''Hannibal'' is well worth your time as well. It quickly has become one of my absolute favorite new shows so far this year (''The Americans'' being the other), and I'm very excited to see what's to come as the story continues."
Emily VanDerWerff of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
'' gave the episode an "A−" and wrote, "Watching ''Hannibal'' almost seems an entry-level course in what this show gets right that ''The Following'' and ''Bates Motel'' get wrong. Where ''The Following'' is possessed of glib, nihilistic violence that means nothing beyond pushing the plot forward, ''Hannibal'' understands that for every moment of gore, there must be just as much consideration of the effect that gore has on those who must suffer on without the deceased (and those tasked to find the killer). Where ''Bates Motel'' seems borderline obsessed at times with painting a portrayal of a budding serial killer and using the audience’s knowledge of what said killer will get up to in the near future, ''Hannibal'' makes Hannibal Lecter a supporting player in the show named after him, the ultimate bogeyman in a world that doesn't lack for them. The title doesn't refer to the show's main character; it refers to the show's mission statement: This is a fallen world, a world full of evil. The best we can do is root out the darkness."
Tim Goodman from ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' gave a positive review for the pilot, writing, "Going well beyond expectations, ''Hannibal'' is a series that at one point seemed forgotten in NBC's schedule (it's starting late and ending in the summer) but could end up quickly becoming one of its most important dramas." Maureen Ryan from ''
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...
'' wrote, "As it stands, NBC can't afford that kind of one-off success — if the show is successful at all, that is. Strange as it feels to voice the sentiment, I hope this serial-killer drama works for the network. ''Hannibal'' isn't a dumb or cynical attempt to mine dark material; the cast, the direction and the adaptation of Thomas Harris’ novels are all quite solid, and if Mikkelsen isn't nominated for an Emmy, that will be a crime right there."
Donal Lynch from ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' wrote, "Will Graham does justice to his role as a male version of the Jodie Foster character and Mads Mikkelsen is brilliantly icy and creepy as Lecter." Jeff Jensen of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' gave the show an A− and called it "... finely acted, visually scrumptious, and deliciously subversive." Brian Lowry of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' said ''Hannibal'' is "... the tastiest drama the network has introduced in awhile," and had particular praise for the central trio of Dancy, Mikkelsen and Fishburne.
The ''
Chicago Sun Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'' TV critic Lori Rackl said, "''Hannibal'' is a haunting, riveting... drama that has the look and feel of a show audiences have become more accustomed to seeing on cable than broadcast," and concluded that "It's also extremely well executed... bound to leave viewers hungry for more."
Alan Sepinwall of
HitFix
HitFix, or HitFix.com, was an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information, and reviews and critiques of film, music, and television. In mid-2010 HitFix crossed the 1,00 ...
called ''Hannibal'' "creepy, haunting, smart, utterly gorgeous..." and the best of this season's serial killer shows.
Not all reviews were positive, Mary McNamara from ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' wrote, "No, the problem with ''Hannibal'' is Hannibal. As written by Bryan Fuller and played by Mads Mikkelsen, Hannibal Lecter, therapist-turned-cannibalistic-serial-killer-turned-crime consultant and possibly one of the greatest characters of 20th century popular literature, is just a big drag." Verne Gay from ''
Newsday
''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...
'' gave the pilot a "C+" rating and wrote, "And if Will is such a genius at reconstructing crime scenes, why can't he look into that sinister Lecter soul to see the crime scene going on in there? Everyone else in the audience can. ''Hannibal'' just feels like a waste of a big talent - Fuller's."
Vicki Hyman from ''
The Star-Ledger
''The Star-Ledger'' was the largest circulation newspaper in New Jersey. It is based in Newark, New Jersey. The newspaper ceased print publication on February 2, 2025, but continues to publish a digital edition.
In 2007, ''The Star-Ledger''s ...
'' gave the pilot a "C" rating and wrote, "That's a problem with the show: It takes itself so seriously, yet is so far-fetched, from Lounds' gonzo journalism to Graham's intuitive leaps to the cavalcade of Grand Guignol crime scenes to the pretentious dialogue. (When asked what it's like to put himself in the place of a killer, Graham answers: "It's like I'm talking to a shadow suspended on dust.") Ultimately, the artfully staged but repellent murders is what did me in. I just don't have a taste for ''Hannibal''."
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Apéritif (Hannibal)
2010s American television series premieres
2013 American television episodes
Hannibal (TV series) episodes
Television episodes directed by David Slade
Television episodes written by Bryan Fuller