IntroductionWhat is a mystery? The term is defined as “something difficult or impossible to understand or explain.” This idea has become a genre of its own – filled with novels, short stories, films and TV shows. Why are we, as a population, so fascinated by mystery? What about the mystery genre that allows us to watch detective shows for hours or have entire sections of bookstores dedicated to books in that genre? These are the questions that many theorists have answered. Theorists have proposed concepts that have altered and shaped our understanding of the mystery genre, some of which will be used in this analysis. The purpose of this essay is to examine two mysterious artifacts and to compare and contrast how the mystery forms throughout a serial television show, Hannibal, and throughout a film of approximately two hours, Red Dragon. The characters in Hannibal are based on the characters in the novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. Additionally, the Red Dragon movie is based on the same novel. So why these mysterious artifacts? First and foremost, because they share a nearly identical roster of characters, including Will Graham, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, and Special Agent Jack Crawford. The TV show and movie also have classic crime show characteristics – both begin with trying to solve a crime. Both of these items are in the suspense/mystery genre, which gives them similar mysterious elements and feels and gives them similar suspense plot points. Hannibal and Red Dragon are artifacts of the thriller genre. A thriller is a story in which the main character only gradually becomes aware of danger and the viewer is aware of things that the detective/protagonist is now. Thus, the observer experiences...... middle of paper ......C moves 'Grimm' to Tuesday. What other show has escaped the Friday night death slot? Retrieved from http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/04/26/grimm-friday-night-death-slot-escape/ Talmy, L. (2003). A cognitive framework for narrative structures. Towards a cognitive semantics (Vol. 2) (pp. 473). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. The Silence of the Lambs (film). (nd). Retrieved April 30, 2014 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silence_of_the_Lambs_(film)Vary, A. B, (June 1, 2010). The 100 greatest people of the last 20 years: here is our complete list! Retrieved from http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/06/01/100-greatest-characters-of-last-20-years-full-list/Vasquez, D. (April 29, 2014). This week's cable ratings. Retrieved from http://www.medialifemagazine.com/this-weeks-cable-ratings/Zunshine, L. (2006). Why we read fiction: theory of mind and the novel. The Ohio State University.