It's damn near the perfect companion piece to a quadrilogy of outstanding psychodrama/thriller films. Those being Manhunter , Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal the film & the underrated Hannibal Rising . I don't count the film Red Dragon as I see that as a complete waste of time & money because the Michael Mann version is superior in every way. Completely unnecessary. Anthony Hopkins will always be Hannibal Lecter . His take on the character for Silence of the Lambs was brilliant . Outstanding in every way & considering he only had just under 17 minutes of screen time to accomplish this is .. remarkable. That being said , Mads Mickelson is f'ng brilliant too . If you're a fan & you know who you are, this is absolutely must see. It's 39 episodes &it flew by at the speed of light . I hated seeing it come to an end .