NBC's "Hannibal," likely to premiere in the summer, is based on the original charismatic psycho, "Silence of the Lambs'" Hannibal Lecter.

Unlike Dexter Morgan, neither Hannibal nor Carroll mean well by any stretch of the imagination. But Carroll is very much the star of this show, in some ways more so than Hardy.

So the question is, will audiences tune in to a show with material this dark and violent week after week on Fox?

On the one hand, dead bodies are paraded constantly on programs like "CSI," "NCIS," "Bones" and "Criminal Minds." The real question may be if the cat-and-mouse game between Hardy and Carroll is enough to sustain a series long term.