If there is a niche show with a passionate fanbase, chances are, it will get canceled. This was the case for Warrior Nun, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and so forth.
David Fincher’s Mindhunter is the rare case of hope for the fan-favorite series. Based on the John Douglas book of the same name, the series depicts the beginning of psychological profiling at the FBI. Fans of the Thomas Harris franchise of books may recall that Douglas was the inspiration for Jack Crawford in Silence of the Lambs, and that the author consulted with these FBI profilers to get his world of Hannibal Lecter just right. The Netflix series is a slightly fictionalized take on these events, but captivating nonetheless.
Jonathan Groff stars in the series as Holden Ford, a hostage negotiator who joins the FBI’s first program to study the psychological profile of serial killers. The rest of his team is comprised of investigator Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), and the architect of the profiles themselves, Dr. Wendy Carr (Anna Torv). They are a small group, who are often dismissed as hack scientists. In the late ‘70s, there were no such things as psychological profiles, and it took law enforcement a lot of arm-twisting to take them seriously. Psychological studies are widely accepted now, so much so that Criminal Minds made an entire crime procedural off the idea.
But unlike others of its ilk, Mindhunter veers away from heightened reality and more towards the specifics of what the day-to-day would look like. The first 2 seasons feature terrifying performances from Cameron Britton as Ed Kemper and Sonny Valicenti as BTK. All the while, Holden confronts whether he is more like these killers than he would like to believe. Despite the directorial styles of Fincher making this series a slam dunk, it has been 5 years since the last season.
Has Netflix greenlit season 3 of Mindhunter?
The hiatus between seasons is not promising, but this isn’t the first or last time Netflix has been vague on the specifics of a show’s fate. Though the last season aired in 2019, the series hasn’t been canceled yet. At least, not officially. Other series, such as Black Summer, similarly have a passionate fanbase but lay in television show limbo.
Many hope that Mindhunter will one day be given it’s due and another season. Fincher’s deal with Netflix and talent with crime stories makes this seem like an easy choice. But officially, there is no release date for season 3. With a pandemic and a dual Hollywood strike following season 2 of the series, there are many reasons why a third season hasn’t materialized yet. Hope springs eternal, however. McCallany told Awards Daily (via What’s On Netflix) that he would come back in a heartbeat.
“I’ve heard that David’s thought about it. I’m not saying it’s going to come back, but what I am saying is that if it comes back, I’m coming back with it. You can take that to the bank, but it’ll depend on what David wants to do.”
Fincher has been vocal about how expensive the series is to shoot, which is most likely the hold-up. But the production value and artistic integrity ingrained in the series are the contributing factors to such a loyal fanbase. If it ever does come back for a season 3, there’s no doubt that passionate people will be ready to watch.
