NBC has agreed not to air Hannibal Season 1, Episode 4,“Coquilles” out of respect to the victims and the current violence following the Boston Marathon bombings.
The show has a hefty dose of violence and in this particular Episode, a new character who brainwashes children to kill other children was going to be introduced.
In order to prevent the “Coquilles” episodes from airing, Hannibal executive producer Bryan Fuller requested that the episode be pulled using the December Newtown Connecticut school shooting and the recent high-profile hunt for the Boston Bomber suspect to support his appeal.
Stuart Levine, an NBC spokesman, announced that Hannibal Season 1, Episode 4,“Coquilles” will be replaced by another Hannibal episodes. And Levine stressed that viewers will not notice any continuity issues with the story.
Hannibal stars Mads Mikkelsen as the title character, a brilliant psychologist and sociopathic serial killer recreated from the big screen movie The Silence of the Lambs. Also starring on the show is Hugh Dancy, Laurence Fishburne and Caroline Dhavernas.
A replacement episode for Hannibal Season 1, Episode 4,“Coquilles” Airs on NBC April 25, 2013.