“If you’ve seen the show, you know we have loose restrictions,” Fuller laughed. “There’s stuff we do on the show I would argue is X-rated. We had a guy who is ripping himself out of a human mural and chunks of his flesh are coming off. I was thinking it would never air, but Standards and Practices never said anything.” Thank heavens it did air, because it was a high point for the series.
![]()
That scene doesn’t even come close to Hannibal‘s most gruesome moments. Fuller’s right: if Hannibal were a movie, it would be R-rated, and because of its dramatic tone and harsh violence, potentially NC-17. He knows how to work the system, though, which he describes as surprisingly easy. “The dynamic between Standards and Practices is actually a very friendly one,” stated Fuller. “I’ll say, ‘We’re going to have a scene where a guy is cutting off his face and feeding it to dogs. How do we do that? How can we show as much as possible?’”
The resolution: make the blood a little darker, put it all in shadows.
With those dog treats in mind, it’s funny to see what Hannibal can’t get away with. The ratings systems in place is famous for its acceptance of violence and distaste for sex and language, and it doesn’t break stride here. “There was a quote in the book where a character describes his lesbian sister as a ‘muff diver,’” recalled Fuller. “The Standards and Practices chain of letters was hysterical, because I wrote, ‘I wanna use this quote from the book, which is ‘muff diver.’ We were told we can’t use muff diving or a bunch of other things I had never heard before. Anything that’s aurally implicated we can’t use. I asked, ‘What about button stitching?’”
When conference attendees were confused as to what button stitching meant, Fuller pantomimed it for those not in the know. Try it yourself at home.
(Lol, I still don't know what it means.)
While Fuller has fared well with Standards and Practices, fellow producers are continually baffled by the system. True Detective executive producer Scott Stephens also participated in the panel and expressed his disdain for backward thinking. “We’re hamstrung by a group of people we don’t know,” said Stephens. “What I find most frustrating is that the most basic human act of love and sex is forbidden from television, but we’re having this conversation on these acts of violence. At the very least, I think they should let audience decide what is or isn’t appropriate.”
Walking Dead producer David Alpert said they’re restricted from shooting a human in the face, despite having shot a six-year-old zombie on the show’s pilot. Fuller then gleefuly pointed out that they’ve shot someone in the face on Hannibal (which, of course, is tame compared to the average death design on the show). Mushrooms growing out of a dead body certainly tops a bullet to the face.
Then again, as we all know, dismembered bodies could never touch the horror of saying “muff diver.” God forbid if Hannibal Lecter ever said pearl diving, rug munching, diving in the bushes, lickety split, or, my personal favorite, snarling in the busby.
The hope is for Hannibal to have six seasons, so maybe there’s time for the good doctor to push the envelope and say something mildly sexual. Until that day, at least Hannibal can graphically continue to eat Will Graham's friends.
Sauce
That scene doesn’t even come close to Hannibal‘s most gruesome moments. Fuller’s right: if Hannibal were a movie, it would be R-rated, and because of its dramatic tone and harsh violence, potentially NC-17. He knows how to work the system, though, which he describes as surprisingly easy. “The dynamic between Standards and Practices is actually a very friendly one,” stated Fuller. “I’ll say, ‘We’re going to have a scene where a guy is cutting off his face and feeding it to dogs. How do we do that? How can we show as much as possible?’”
The resolution: make the blood a little darker, put it all in shadows.
With those dog treats in mind, it’s funny to see what Hannibal can’t get away with. The ratings systems in place is famous for its acceptance of violence and distaste for sex and language, and it doesn’t break stride here. “There was a quote in the book where a character describes his lesbian sister as a ‘muff diver,’” recalled Fuller. “The Standards and Practices chain of letters was hysterical, because I wrote, ‘I wanna use this quote from the book, which is ‘muff diver.’ We were told we can’t use muff diving or a bunch of other things I had never heard before. Anything that’s aurally implicated we can’t use. I asked, ‘What about button stitching?’”
When conference attendees were confused as to what button stitching meant, Fuller pantomimed it for those not in the know. Try it yourself at home.
(Lol, I still don't know what it means.)
While Fuller has fared well with Standards and Practices, fellow producers are continually baffled by the system. True Detective executive producer Scott Stephens also participated in the panel and expressed his disdain for backward thinking. “We’re hamstrung by a group of people we don’t know,” said Stephens. “What I find most frustrating is that the most basic human act of love and sex is forbidden from television, but we’re having this conversation on these acts of violence. At the very least, I think they should let audience decide what is or isn’t appropriate.”
Walking Dead producer David Alpert said they’re restricted from shooting a human in the face, despite having shot a six-year-old zombie on the show’s pilot. Fuller then gleefuly pointed out that they’ve shot someone in the face on Hannibal (which, of course, is tame compared to the average death design on the show). Mushrooms growing out of a dead body certainly tops a bullet to the face.
Then again, as we all know, dismembered bodies could never touch the horror of saying “muff diver.” God forbid if Hannibal Lecter ever said pearl diving, rug munching, diving in the bushes, lickety split, or, my personal favorite, snarling in the busby.
The hope is for Hannibal to have six seasons, so maybe there’s time for the good doctor to push the envelope and say something mildly sexual. Until that day, at least Hannibal can graphically continue to eat Will Graham's friends.
Sauce