I was ready to recoil at yet another broadcast series about a serial killer that borrowed on a film series. On NBC yet.
But the truly shocking thing about “Hannibal” (NBC, 10 p.m.) is that it’s really good.
The series follows another one of those crimefighters with a special skill. Hugh Dancy portrays a profiler somewhere on the autistic scale with an unusual ability to see crimes through the eyes of the perpetrator, in hopes of catching them. The series by Bryan Fuller does a lot visually to make those admittedly creepy scenes happen. But then there are some other levels. Laurence Fishburne, fresh from “CSI” is his FBI boss trying to get him to come to conclusions, but everybody keeps an eye on the psychiatrist hired to assess the agent. The doctor’s name? Hannibal Lechter.
The killer you know from “Silence of the Lambs” (HBO2, 6:30 p.m., as it happens), here played by Mads Mikkelsen, isn’t overtly killing yet — or at least nobody seems to guess that he is, though he spends so much time on preparing specialty gourmet meats, a viewer is meant to understand his passion is cannibalism and probably is a copycat to the odd deaths occuring on the show.
What makes “Hannibal” work is the ability to stretch immediate cases (the first is about eight dead young women) into several episodes, even as the longstanding plot arc (Lecter’s identity) stretches even longer. Like “Bates Motel,” it’s another TV prequel of a notorious fictional character that audiences will already know.
There is an undeniable creepiness to the show, but it’s reached in a more unusual way than most shows. Instead of excessive gore or gunplay there is, instead, a lovely dinner of sweetbreads.
It plays against broadcast TV’s oddball crimesolver, “Elementary” (CBS, 10 p.m.), which investigates a bank heist done during a blizzard.
A season finale comes for an AMC series that didn’t cause the sensation of the network’s dramas, “Freakshow” (AMC, 9:30 p.m.).
Nick and Jess finally agree to see what it is bubbling between them all season when they go on a date on “New Girl” (Fox, 9 p.m.), showing on a different day.
Carrie Underwood and Casey James perform on “American Idol” (Fox, 8 p.m.) before someone is eliminated at the end of classic rock week.
Ben gets the key to Partridge, Minn., where he was once boy mayor, on a new episode of “Parks and Recreation” (NBC, 8:30 p.m.).
If the premise of “The Office” (NBC, 9 p.m.) has been a documentary crew following them all these years, the subjects finally have the opportunity to see some of its footage for the first time on tonight’s episode.
Sharp-tongued Tabitha Coffey returns for her fifth season of berating beauty shops on “Tabitha Takes Over” (Bravo, 10 p.m.).
“Men at Work” (TBS, 10 p.m.), the workplace comedy led by Danny Masterson (of “That ’70s Show”) returns. It’s OK in its way.
A second season begins for “Yardcore” (DIY, 10 p.m.), a lawn improvement show.
“Go On” (NBC, 9:30 p.m.) is making a move to Thursdays. But “The Mindy Project” (Fox, 9:30 p.m.) is on tonight just to take advantage of an “American Idol” lead-in.
Five films from the mining community of Wales are on Turner Classic Movies with “The Corn is Green” (8 p.m.), “How Green Was My Valley” (10 p.m.), “The Proud Valley” (12:15 a.m.) and “Nowhere to Go” (1:45 a.m.).
NBA action includes Chicago at Brooklyn (TNT, 7 p.m.) and San Antonio at Oklahoma City (TNT, 9:30 p.m.).
Britta plans a dance to compete with Dean Pelton’s dance on “Community” (NBC, 8 p.m.).
A new season starts for the amusing repair work of “America’s Worst Tattoos” (TLC, 9 p.m.).
It’s the second to last episode for the season on “Archer” (FX, 10 p.m.).
It’s Iowa vs. Baylor (ESPN, 9 p.m.) in the NIT Championship.
In late baseball, it’s Giants at Dodgers (ESPN2, 10 p.m.).
Daytime Talk
Kelly & Michael: Shia LaBeouf, Rita Wilson, Lisa Vanderpump & Gleb Savchenko. The View: Chandra Wilson, Aziz Ansari. The Talk: Luke Bryan, Casey Lane. Ellen DeGeneres: Matthew Perry, Chris O’Dowd.
Late Talk
David Letterman: Martin Short, Tyler the Creator. Jay Leno: Eva Longoria, Terry Crews, Cavalia’s Odysseo. Jimmy Kimmel: Patrick Dempsey, Goran Visnjic, Seth Sentry. Jimmy Fallon: Melissa McCarthy, Chris Jericho, Ryan Bingham. Craig Ferguson: Kunal Nayyar, Molly Shannon (rerun). Carson Daly: Nikki Glaser & Sara Schaefer, Damien Jurado. Tavis Smiley: Jonathan Rieder. Jon Stewart: Danny Boyle. Stephen Colbert: Dr. Francis Collins. Conan O’Brien: Charles Barkley, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. Chelsea Handler: Alex Guarnaschelli, Greg Fitzsimmons, April Richardson, Ryan Stout, Ross Mathews.