NBC Slots Bryan Fuller’s ‘Hannibal’ for Thursdays at 10 p.m.

Hannibal NBC Hugh Dancy - P 2013

NBC

"Hannibal's" Hugh Dancy

From Do No Harm to … Hannibal.

NBC has slotted Bryan Fuller's dramatic adaptation of the Thomas Harris books on Thursdays at 10 p.m. starting April 4.

"#Hannibal Requests the Honor of your Presence for Dinner Thursday April 4 10PM @NBC -- Saving you a place at the table," Fuller announced Thursday on Twitter along with a picture of its  Hannibal, Mads Mikkelsen.

Repeats of Law & Order: SVU will continue to air on Thursdays at 10 p.m. Through March 28.

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Mikkelsen will play the psychiatrist-turned-serial killer in the 13-episode dramatic take from the creator of cult hit Pushing DaisiesHugh Dancy (The Big C) stars as Will Graham, the criminal profiler who is on the hunt for a serial killer with the FBI and enlists Dr. Lecter's help with the case. Laurence Fishburne and Wonderfalls' Caroline Dhavernas co-star, with The X-Files star Gillian Anderson set for a three-episode arc.

Hannibal, which was picked up straight to series last year, will take over the once-prolific time slot that most recently housed Do No Harm. NBC axed the freshman drama last week after two low-rated episodes.

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The 10 p.m. Thursday time slot has proved problematic for NBC, which has struggled to successfully launch scripted dramas in the period since ER left the air in 2009. In the past few seasons, the network failed with Prime Suspect and another dual-reality drama, Awake, before dropping newsmagazine Rock Center With Brian Williams -- now airing Fridays -- into the slot.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit

Lesley Goldberg