By Kyra-lin Hom

Please excuse me for a moment, while I interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you a little #SaveHannibal and a reflection on the changing nature of television entertainment.

In the beginning, television shows were mostly judged by how many people were watching when they aired. Determining a show's popularity and general profitability was pretty easy. Even in the early days of online streaming (watching media content online without having to download it), there was no such thing as competition between television networks and online streaming sites (excepting the free ones with pirated content that all companies united against). One produced the content, while the other distributed the product.

But then the two started trespassing into each other's territory. Networks began to realize that they were losing more and more viewers to online content. I, for example, can no longer name a single person under 35 that regularly watches anything on television anymore. The networks responded by posting their latest episodes on their own official websites. In turn, distribution sites like Netflix began to realize that they could produce their own original content too. And do it well.

The interesting thing about this kind of mission bleed is that it is creating two very different types of 'television.' What is produced by the networks is generic, generally speaking. It has to be. They only have so much air time, and they have to appeal to the largest number of people possible in that time. Online distributors, however, are not so constrained and so are instead targeting a variety of niche markets, developing intensely stylized stories. It's like trying to catch butterflies with one giant net versus a hundred smaller ones. This niche-market-targeting gives audiences a lot more power.

Now I mentioned Hannibal because this is an unusual case of a network (in this instance, NBC) trying their hand at the avant-garde. That and because I'm a massive fan. We call ourselves 'fannibals,' thank you very much.

Hannibal, in this context, refers to the current television adaptation of the Thomas Harris novels – the same source material from which the films Manhunter (1986), Silence of the Lambs (1991), Hannibal (2001), Red Dragon (2002) and Hannibal Rising (2007) are derived. The show has garnered widespread critical acclaim for its sensual artistry and gutsy storytelling (for public television anyway). Show creator Bryan Fuller's adaptation manages to pay homage to the originals while still being something entirely new.

And yet – all awards and commendations aside – NBC has sentenced the show to die at the conclusion of this year's season 3. Let's face it, most people are surprised it's survived this long. Unfortunately, brilliantly disturbing and surreal just can't sustain a show on network television. It's simply not popular enough. But with its avidly loyal fan base, it is perfect for online distribution. The question is whether or not a dedicated wedge of the internet can carry the show all the way to another venue. It's rare but has happened before. Most notably, I'm thinking of when Fox cancelled Firefly in 2003 and the rabid fan response was rewarded with the feature film Serenity two years later.

If you're not big into your shows, this industry evolution might not mean anything to you. But to those of us that do get swept away by silver screens, it's incredibly stimulating to know that the line between show maker and show consumer is beginning to blur. And for me as an artist, it's further invigorating that boundary pushing creativity is finally being given some mainstream support. It's proof that anyone who thinks culture is dead simply hasn't been looking in the right places.