Bryan Fuller’s cancelation before Hannibal season 4.

In addition to great murder mysteries, Hannibal offered a colorful selection of quirky characters: Hugh Dancy’s reserved but consistently sassy portrayal of criminal profiler Will Graham, Mads Mikkelsen’s witty and subtle interpretation of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Raúl Esparza’s extra flamboyant Dr. Frederick Chilton, and more. Each character brings some element of weirdly unexpected humor to Hannibal, and these hysterical moments greatly made the series.

12 Every Time Hannibal Is Visibly Annoyed By Rudeness

His Reactions To Freddy Lounds Are All Of Us

One of the longest-running jokes of the series is how easily perturbed Hannibal is by rude behavior. This goes back to one of the most infamous Dr. Lecter quotes: “Whenever feasible, one should always try to eat the rude.” In the NBC spinoff series pilot, Dr. Lecter’s neurotic patient Franklyn drops a balled-up snotty tissue on the psychiatrist’s side table, much to his chagrin. Hannibal’s gaze is seen flicking back and forth between the tissue and Franklyn in pure disdain.

The character of Freddy Lounds (Lara Jean Chorostecki) was gender swapped from the portrayal in the 1981 Thomas Harris novel and 2001 film Red Dragon. The tabloid journalist Frederick Lounds was originally played by Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Hannibal’s facial expressions while interacting with Mason Verger – particularly in scenes in which Verger puts his feet up on Hannibal’s desk, or worse, stabs a knife into his armchair – are nothing short of priceless. The biggest source of annoyance for Hannibal, however, is discourteous tabloid journalist Freddy Lounds. In “Amuse-Bouche,” Lounds recorded Will Graham’s therapy session and lied to worm her way into Hannibal’s office, which irritates him greatly. Later, Lounds snaps a candid photo of Hannibal as he is leaving the Baltimore Hospital for the Criminally Insane, to which he grumpily responds, “That was very rude, Ms. Lounds.”

11 When Will References The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Hannibal Gets Meta With A Silly Nod To Edward Norton in Red Dragon (2002)

In the Hannibal pilot, antisocial criminal profiler Will Graham is introduced to Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who has been brought on as a consultant to assist the FBI (and Graham) in their pursuit of the Chesapeake Ripper. When Behavioral Science Unit director Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) introduces Dr. Lecter to Graham after questioning Will’s ability to re-enter the field, Will begins to wonder if Hannibal is analyzing him or the Ripper. This only intensifies Will's sassy, petulant behavior throughout the pilot.

Defensive and avoidant, Will Graham explodes on both Hannibal and Jack during a consult in Crawford’s office. He demands to know whose profile Hannibal is working on, and tells Dr. Lecter not to psychoanalyze him.

Bryan Fuller is known for his meta sense of humor and expert intersections of his own character universes. Wonderfalls character Gretchen Speck appears briefly in Hannibal season 1 episode 2. The same episode ironically also features a character named Dr. Eldon Stammets, a clear reference to Dr. Paul Stammets (so named after the American mycologist Paul Stamets) from Fuller's Star Trek: Discovery. The theme of this episode, "Amuse-Bouche," further parallels Discovery's exploration of mycelium networks.

Will’s line, “You wouldn’t like me when I’m psychoanalyzed,” is one of Bryan Fuller’s characteristic tongue-in-cheek references. The role of Will Graham was originally played by Edward Norton in the 2002 film Red Dragon, and Norton also famously acted as Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk (2008). This scene was a cute nod to the Hulk’s famous line, “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”

10 When Hannibal Smells Will

Smells Like Cannibal Spirit

During a therapy session in “Coquilles,” Hannibal conspicuously leans over and sniffs at Will’s shoulder, causing Graham to ask incredulously, “Did you just *smell* me?” Hannibal replies that this was difficult to avoid, insulting Will’s aftershave lotion, and suggests that he introduce him to a finer product. Hannibal’s sensitive nose is referenced throughout the series, with actor Mads Mikkelsen intentionally playing into this via subtle mannerisms, such as tilting wine glasses away from himself.

Hannibal’s extremely insulting but comical commentary aside, this scene is an artful adaptation of an earlier scene between Edward Norton and Anthony Hopkins. The moment in which Hannibal smells Will is a direct reference to the 1981 novel and 2002 film Red Dragon, in which Dr. Lecter attempts to manipulate Graham into revealing details about his family, suggesting the aftershave Graham is wearing is “...something that a child would select. Has a little ship on the bottle, does it not?"

9 When Hannibal Downplays Will's Seizure

Just A Mild Seizure, Nothing To See Here

Knowing Will Graham was suffering a raging case of encephalitis, or fever of the brain, Hannibal used psychic driving techniques to gaslight Graham throughout the first season. These techniques often involved the usage of light therapy to induce hypnotic trance states and - apparently - minor seizures.

When a disoriented Will Graham shows up unexpectedly at Hannibal’s home late one evening, he interrupts a murderous rendezvous with Dr. Abel Gideon (Suzy Eddie Izzard). Rather than it to Will that there is a man seated at the dinner table, Hannibal once again uses the encephalitis and hallucinations to his advantage, simply telling Will no one is there. Will becomes so distressed by this gaslighting that he begins seizing.

After examining Will, Hannibal announces to Dr. Gideon that he has suffered a mild seizure. Gideon quips, “That doesn’t seem to concern you.” Hannibal flippantly responds, “I said it was mild,” seemingly confused as to why this was a big deal.

8 When Hannibal Is A Fanboy

Hannibal Geeks Out Over Another Serial Killer's Work

The FBI pursues the mosaic killer for several early episodes of season 2. In spite of the fact this arc contains one of the most gruesome murder tableaus, the scene in which Hannibal discovers the killer is perhaps the most unintentionally funny moment of the series.

Hannibal, dressed in his laughably ineffective murder suit, sees a grotesque ring of corpses that the most recent up-and-coming Baltimore serial killer has been sewing together into the form of a human skin tone mural. Hannibal is only able to take in the sight for a brief moment before the killer coincidentally opens the door of the observatory and enters with a pressure sprayer, presumably to moisten – or perhaps resin-coat – the skin of his victims. Hannibal expresses his iration of the serial killer with, “Hello. I love your work.”

7 When Hannibal Gets Sassy

Hannibal Quips To The Muralist, "Certainly Not With That Attitude"

In the following scenes, Hannibal’s plan to catch and kill the Muralist (Patrick Garrow) comes to fruition. It is unknown what Dr. Lecter’s motivations were in doing so, beyond entertainment. He was led to the killer by his highly sensitive nose, which picked up on the trace scent of a cornfield on the escaped victim’s corpse. After iring the art James Gray had created with his victims’ bodies, Hannibal climbs down into the observatory and practically interviews his fellow serial killer.

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Dr. Lecter compliments the human mural profusely as he sews the killer into the very center of his own creation, the spot from which his previous victim had escaped. Hannibal assures him that they will finish his work together. As he sedates him, he questions the Muralist, “When your great eye looked to the sky, what did it see?” Gray responds that the eye saw nothing, and tells Hannibal, “There is no God.” Hannibal sassily quips back, “Certainly not with that attitude.”

5 When Hannibal Witnessed A Man Climbing Out Of A Dead Horse

He Was Just Minding His Own Business Petting A Sheep

In what is without question the most shockingly brutal and gory Hannibal death, “Su-Zakana” explores the murder of a woman who has been sewn inside the belly of a horse. After committing a horrific number of similar killings and pinning them on his psychologically vulnerable client Peter Bernardone (Jeremy Davies), social worker Clark Ingram (Chris Diamantopoulos) finally gets justice – but not in the way one might expect.

Peter had suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was kicked by a horse, and Ingram later killed this horse to complete his frame job. In his grief over this traumatic discovery, Peter lashes out, sewing Ingram into the horse’s corpse in parallel to Ingram’s own crimes. Later, Hannibal watches casually, petting a sheep in a nearby stall as a bloodied Ingram claws his way out of the horse's remains.

4 When Mason Verger Was Basically The Joker

Que Deranged Laughter While Threatening Your Life

After the events of Margot Verger’s (Katharine Isabelle) forced sterilization in season 2 episode 11, “Ko No Mono,” Will Graham confronts her brother, Mason Verger (Michael Pitt). Mason makes several repulsive quips with regard to his abuse of his sister, and eventually Will cannot contain himself: he punches Mason square in the nose. Mason dabs at the blood experimentally for a moment before bursting into maniacal laughter and casually telling Will, “Ha! I’m going to feed you to my pigs.” The most hysterical moment of this scene occurs when Will tackles Mason just as he’s making a gleefully sing-song call for backup from his favorite henchman: “Carloooo!"

3 When Bedelia Gets Sassy

Will and Bedelia Sassing Each Other Is Basically The Entirety Of Season 3

Will Graham and Hannibal’s former psychiatrist (and later, lover), Dr. Bedelia du Maurier (Gillian Anderson), have a contentious relationship at best. In season 3, when Hannibal flees to Italy with Dr. du Maurier in tow, the surge in catty interactions between his former psychiatrist and his old flame seem to indicate some level of jealousy, perhaps because Bedelia is acting in the role of Hannibal’s wife to preserve his cover as Dr. Fell. Throughout the events of the third season, Will Graham and Bedelia simply cannot stop sassing one another.

Though the role had previously been reversed when Bedelia warned Will of Hannibal’s true nature, it later becomes Will’s turn to warn her once it comes to light that Hannibal may have designs to kill and eat Dr. du Maurier. Graham tells Bedelia, "I would pack my bags, if I were you, Bedelia. Meat's back on the menu." To which Bedelia gives the hysterical and infuriated response, "You righteous, reckless...twitchy little man!"