Though the news is not overwhelmingly positive for NBC’s “Hannibal,” it is certainly not negative.
Thursday’s episode, which attracted 4.3 million viewers, matched the 1.6 adults 18-49 garnered by last week’s premiere. Considering the tendency for primetime dramas to lose some of their premiere audience, the stable performance is an achievement for NBC’s new show.
Worth noting, however, is the fact that neither ABC nor CBS aired original programming in the 10PM slot last week. Since “Hannibal” did not face the threat of original “Scandal” and “Elementary” episodes this week, its pursuit of a 1.6 adults 18-49 rating was a far easier one.
A true assessment, therefore, should be withheld until “Hannibal” next squares off against originals of those 10PM series.
But for now, NBC has every reason to celebrate a new drama launch holding steady.
