Mindhunter season 3 is finally on the horizon

Mindhunter was an excellent TV show, and it’s a darned shame that Netflix pulled the plug on it after just two seasons. Then again, we should be used to Netflix prematurely cancelling shows by now.

While Mindhunter was created by Joe Penhall, it’s David Fincher’s involvement that got everybody talking. Fincher served as an executive producer on the show - alongside Penhall, Charlize Theron, and several others - while also directing the vast majority of the episodes. If Fincher’s name rings a bell but you can’t pinpoint why, the auteur is responsible for a string of thriller hits you’ll most certainly have seen. You can thank Fincher for films Seven, Fight Club, Zodiac, Gone Girl, and The Social Network, plus he served as an executive producer on House of Cards.

If you've got a penchant for mysteries, try your luck at hunting down the Keychain Killer in Murder on Space Station 52.

Mindhunter debuted its 10 episode first season on Netflix in 2017, followed by a second season in 2019. Based on the 1995 true crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker, the show centred around the founding of the FBI’s Behavioural Science Unit in the 1970s, following the early days of its criminal profiling. Starring Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, and Anna Torv, the series received rave reviews from critics, who all praised its visuals and character development.

Unfortunately, a third season was shelved in 2020 after Netflix announced that Fincher wanted to pursue other projects. Still, it was teased that he may revisit the show in the future. Flash forward to February 2023, and Fincher confessed that Netflix has cancelled the series due to concerns about its budget. Speaking to Journal du dimanche, via Forbes, Fincher said, “I’m very proud of the first two seasons, but it’s a very expensive show, and in the eyes of Netflix, we didn’t attract enough of an audience to justify such an investment.”

Well, I can tease that there’s hope. Star Holt McCallany recently spoke to Awards Daily, revealing that Fincher is interested in reviving the show: “I’ve heard that David’s thought about it.” This is by no means concrete confirmation, but a renewed sense of optimism is more than we had about the series several days ago.

McCallany confirmed that he doesn’t know precisely what is going on behind the scenes but “if it comes back”, he’s “coming back with it”. That’s exactly what we’re all crossing our fingers for. Mindhunter has too much potential to be left in the dust.