After three seasons of mouthwatering cinematography and delicious storytelling, "Hannibal" has been cancelled by NBC.

The third, and apparently last, season will still serve up the whole thirteen episodes before bidding adieu to its fans.

The cancellation came as a surprise for most viewers as the series has been met with critical acclaim and showed good ratings. But The Hollywood Reporter claims that the decision was prompted by a rights issue. Bryan Fuller wanted to introduce Clarice Starling in the next season, which was only logical, but MGM owns the rights to the character. On top of that, the show saw a significant ratings drop, especially during the recent NBA finals.

Series creator, Fuller, has admittedly seen the handwriting on the wall long before NBC made its decision and knows he is lucky that "Hannibal" even made it as far as it had.

In a statement he released, Fuller acknowledged NBC for allowing him "to craft a television series that no other broadcast network would have dared, and kept us on the air for three seasons, despite Cancellation Bear Chow ratings and images that would have shredded the eyeballs of lesser Standards & Practices enforcers."

However, NBC cancelling the show does not necessarily mean the end of "Hannibal" and Fuller is aware of that too. The showrunner reminded people that while "Hannibal" might be done at NBC, "a hungry cannibal can always dine again."

Fuller and Gaumont International Television assured fans that "all options are being explored" so "Hannibal" might well be dining at another network. Some are saying that Amazon, Hulu or Netflix might be a better platform for its psycho-thriller format and those networks might even give Fuller more freedom to show his ultimate design for "Hannibal."

Fans are not taking the news quietly either. A petition to save the show has been started on Change.org and has already garnered thousands of signatures.