To be fair, it can't be easy to make an ongoing series based on a real-life event like the Manson case without some major stretches.

A comment on the review at The Dissolve said the same thing (albiet in a less self-consciously flamboyant manner).

We get it! "The Slap" is kind of silly as the title of a serious TV drama. You can stop running the joke into the ground now.

CSI / NCIS Spinoffs: the 10/90 sitcom of the crime genre.

It goes to show how well written "Hannibal" is that even though Randall Tier was one of the dreaded "Killers of the week" (BOO! HISS!) I still remember his name and exactly what role he played in the story, as is the case with most of the show's killers.
As far as HACF goes, I lost track after the first couple…

When people praise the writing and perfomances of characters like Sheldon Cooper, I always think about Monk. "Monk" has a light touch and exaggerates OCD for laughs, but also realizes that having severe social difficulties and mental illness are not fun things. It acknowledges the level of emotional pain that comes…

Come on; it was basically the Chewbacca Defense intercut with variations on "You take the information". The guy didn't say anything we didn't already know, and again, never had the chance to make his own case.

With all due respect, I don't think talking over the former director and refusing to let him make his case counts as a "takedown of NSA nonsense". It came across to me like a way for the show to showcase its "edginess", something that came across far better and more legitimate in the show's advertising and NFL…

Doesn't have the rights to the characters… YET.
Assuming the show keeps its fanbase up, it's tough to imagine MGM turning down a chance to profit. And if they do, Fuller & co. can just create another ersatz.

Probably not. Although it DOES work well as a setup for the reveal of Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb.

I think Hannibal did it, in his mind, to benefit both of them. It allowed Randall to die as an animal, and it allowed Will to kill again, and become more used to the idea.