Netflix’sMindhunteris one of those rare TV shows that is perfect from start to finish. The series, which is based on John Douglas and Mark Olshaker’s memoir,Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit, arguablyrevolutionized crime dramaswith a story about how the FBI came to develop criminal profiling.
AlthoughMindhunteronly ran for two seasons, the series got high praise from everyone who watched it. Currently,Mindhunterhas 97% and 95% Rotten Tomatoes scores from critics and audiences, respectively. The disturbingNetflix serial killer showdefinitely deserves more recognition than it already gets.
Mindhunter Is A 2-Season Masterpiece That Ended Way Too Soon
Mindhunter Season 3 Never Happened
Mindhunterseason 1 was an incredible TV show, and season 2 was even better. The first season sawFBI agents Tench and Ford delving into criminal profiling by attempting to understand the notorious serial killer Ed Kemper’s motivation, while the second installment delved more into the personal lives of the FBI agents.
Unfortunately,Mindhunterwas canceleddue to budget reasons. With Ford and Tench’s work finally getting attention, season 3 would have seen them get out of the basement and bring their research to the world. Given how greatMindhunteris, the fact that it didn’t continue is incredibly frustrating.
It’s been nearly six years sinceMindhunterseason 2 aired, andthe cast has gone on to work on other projects, so a third installment of the series is highly unlikely. However, there is one way the crime drama can continue, and that is through a movie that can explore Ford and Tench’s research in a new setting.
It seems like David Fincher is open to the idea of revisitingMindhunterthrough movies, but there is nothing official. Either way, Netflix’s cancellation ofMindhunterstill hurts.
Don’t Expect Mindhunter To Be Like Other Crime TV Shows
Mindhunter Places Huge Emphasis On The Psyche Of Its Characters
AlthoughMindhunteris a crime drama, it’s not an ordinary addition to the genre. The nature of the show itself is that it doesn’t focus on solving a new crime in each episode. Instead, it uses a different formula by havingFord and Tench try to understand the psychology behind why serial killers commit such heinous crimesto predict and prevent future incidents.
Speaking toPremière Magazine(viaThe Fincher Analyst) about the cancellation of Netflix, David Fincher stated:“We went as far as we could until someone finally said to us, ‘It makes no sense to produce this series like this, unless you can reduce the budget or make it more pop… We did not want to change our approach, so, respectfully, they told us that they were drawing a line under it.”
Mindhunter, more than anything, is a character study. It is also a slow burn that takes its time fleshing out its characters and doesn’t use the whodunnit formula. The fact thatMindhunterdoesn’t have big mysteries or flashy action scenes may explain why the show is often overlooked andremains an underrated thrillereven to this day.
Mindhunter
Cast
From executive producers David Fincher and Charlize Theron comes Mindhunter, a series that chronicles the founding of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit used to track and apprehend serial killers. Mindhunter follows Agent Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) as they work to establish a framework for understanding the minds of some of America’s most dangerous serial killers. Mindhunter adapts a number of true crime stories, including the BTK murders and the notorious Co-Ed Killer, Edmund Kemper.
