It started out as a promising season for serious horror/suspense on TV, but for the most part it’s fizzled out. Now the long-awaited return of Hannibal may give us some small hope for the remainder of 2014.
Ah, remember the good old days? There was Sleepy Hollow and American Horror Story and The Walking Dead and Helix – good, solid shows to cushion the blow of Breaking Bad’s departure and Dexter’s betrayal. Sadly, Hollow’s done for the moment and nothing else really lived up to expectations. Walking Dead, in its first half of the season and now in its return, is staggering around (appropriately, perhaps), uneven and unsatisfying; American Horror Story started with great promise and lost its way mid-season, ending in a mishmash of slapdash tie-ups and a wonky new open-ended ending (do I smell spin-off? God, I hope not.) And after a stunningly promising pilot, Helix has descended into vague, ominous Lost-like subplots, false starts, and red herrings, leaving us with very little this side of King of the Nerds to really strike horror into our hearts.
But now? A new day is dawning. Darkly. Gone, thankfully, is the clockwork insincerity of its temporary replacement Dracula. Totally in-control Hannibal Lecter and badly out-of-his-mind Will Graham return, and if this surprising (in so many ways) fight seen between Hannibal and Jack is any indication, we are in for a wonderfully bump ride.
And there’s more to come. Alfonso Cuaron’s Believe, which could be everything Kiefer Sutherland’s Touch wasn’t, is starting soon. Orphan Black and Penny Dreadful are just a short wait away. (Orphan on April 19, Dreadful on May 11). Guillrmo del Toro’s The Strain, FX’s Salem, and the series version of Robert Rodriguez’ From Dusk Til Dawn on his new El Rey channel are just over the horizon as well. Maybe it’s not all over for 2014…and no matter what one thing is for sure:
At least we have Hannibal.
Any other new or returning horror/suspense TV series you’re looking forward to? Mention ‘em below. Points off for Under the Dome II, by the way.
