After rave reviews and decent audience return throughout the first season, NBC have announced that the new series Hannibal has been picked up for another run. The network broke the news in an official statement saying 13 new episode will be aired on the network by the end of the year, although it may come next year depending on filming progress.

The Mads Mikkelsen-staring show is based on the characters from the novel Red Dragon, by author Thomas Harris, and was brought to the screen by executive producer Bryan Fuller, who is expected to retain his responsibilities and influence over the show for the next season. The show did look as though it was a shoe-in for an immediate renewal from NBC, however as audience-figures petered out towards the end of the season, the network put their decision on hold until later this week.

Had NBC decided to let go of the series there would have been a good chance that the show would be brought back anyway, as Amazon had shown interest in acquiring the rights to the show during NBC's decision to renew the show. Amazon currently air the series on their online streaming service after it has been aired on television, a deal that will probably continue between the two for the next season.

The show follows expert criminal profiler and serial killer expert Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), who enlists the help of Mikkelsen's Dr. Hannibal Lecter for a case, failing to recognise that his aide is in fact a serial killer himself. Laurence Fishburne stars as the head of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, Jack Crawford, and Caroline Dhavernas and Hettienne Park also feature.

Lawrence Fishburne The Colony
Larence Fishburne appears in the show

Mads Mikkelsen Oscars 85
Mikkelsen has received rave reviews for his portrayal of Dr Lecter