Midhunter Season 3: When the second season of the crime thriller “Mindhunter” was released on Netflix in August 2019, fans quickly watched all nine episodes. They eagerly anticipated the show’s future.
Last year, there was hope for a third season when Netflix hinted at a special announcement from David Fincher on October 13.
Something special is coming tomorrow from David Fincher… 👀
— Netflix Tudum (@NetflixTudum) October 12, 2021
Fans thought the announcement would be about a third season of “Mindhunter” starting production. However, they were disappointed when it turned out to be about Fincher’s new project, the docuseries “Voir,” which is a series of visual essays celebrating cinema.
Despite this, “Mindhunter” fans shouldn’t lose all hope for a third season.
There are still many real-life serial killers for the series to explore, giving FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), along with psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), more cases to investigate.
Additionally, Fincher originally intended to create five seasons of “Mindhunter,” so there remains a possibility that he could return to continue the series.
Fincher has been occupied with several projects since filming season two of “Mindhunter” in 2018. He directed the Netflix movie “Mank,” which won two Academy Awards in April 2021 (for Cinematography and Production Design), produced the second season of the animated series “Love, Death and Robots,” and produced “Voir” this year. Additionally, he’s planning to direct an adaptation of the graphic novel “The Killer,” starring Michael Fassbender.
Due to Fincher’s busy schedule, Netflix announced on January 15, 2020, that “Mindhunter” season three is on indefinite hold. This means it’s not officially canceled, but the cast and crew have been released from their contracts.
“He may revisit Mindhunter again in the future,” a representative said at the time, “but for now, he felt it wasn’t fair to keep the actors from pursuing other work while he explored new projects.”
Actor Holt McCallany previously told Pop Culture that he’s hopeful not just for a third season, but for two more after that.
“We are hopeful that we will get to do the whole five seasons because the audience seems to have really responded to the show, people really like the show,” he said.
Netflix is known for canceling popular shows, but ending Mindhunter could be a deal-breaker for many of its subscribers.
But as we mentioned, “on hold” doesn’t mean canceled, and Fincher himself said in November 2020 that he isn’t done with the show yet.
“At some point I’d love to revisit it,” he told Variety. “The hope was to get all the way up to the late ’90s, early 2000s, hopefully get all the way up to people knocking on the door at Dennis Rader’s house.”
These comments came after an interview with Vulture where he sounded less optimistic. “We had done the first season of Mindhunter without a showrunner, with me filling in on a week-by-week basis,” said Fincher.
“We started getting scripts for the second season, and I ended up looking at what was written and deciding I didn’t like any of it. So we tossed it and started over. But it’s a 90-hour work week. It absorbs everything in your life. When I got done, I was pretty exhausted, and I said, ‘I don’t know if I have it in me right now to break season three… Mindhunter was a lot for me.”
He added: “I think it’s probably done. For the viewership it had, it was an expensive show. I honestly don’t think we can do it for less than what season two cost. At some point, you have to be realistic about the money matching the audience size.”
More recently, Small Screen reported that a source indicated Mindhunter hasn’t been ruled out: “All I can really tell you about Mindhunter is that conversations between Netflix and Fincher are ongoing. They are discussing the possibility of bringing the show back for a third season.
“It’s still very early days, but Fincher sounds more upbeat about the project.”
Let’s hope Fincher doesn’t wait too long to get his team back together, or they may be too busy to return to the serial killer series for another season.
While actor McCallany has been working on movies since the last season of Mindhunter (you can catch him in Guillermo Del Toro’s thriller Nightmare Alley), Anna Torv is focused on filming the HBO series The Last Of Us, and Jonathan Groff will be busy collaborating with his Frozen co-star Kristen Bell for the animated musical Molly and the Moon.
Hopefully, both the cast and director will find time to deliver what fans are hoping for and return to Mindhunter in the near future.
While we anticipate that, here’s all you should know about the possibility of a Mindhunter season three.
When will it premiere?
Season one premiered in October 2017, but fans had to endure a long wait until August 2019 for the second season. The production of Mindhunter demands meticulous research and detail, so if a third season does happen—which remains uncertain as discussed earlier—expect another lengthy wait.
who’s in it?
If Mindhunter gets renewed, we can anticipate seeing Ford (played by Jonathan Groff) and Tench (played by Holt McCallany) back on screen. Groff described their characters as akin to the odd couple, highlighting the enjoyable dynamic they shared both on and off screen.
If Mindhunter returns, we can expect to see the ensemble cast including psychology professor and FBI consultant Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), Special Agent Gregg Smith (Joe Tuttle), Bill’s wife Nancy (Stacey Roca), FBI Chief Ted Gunn (Michael Cerveris), Bill and Nancy’s adopted son Brian (Zachary Scott Ross), and the ‘BTK killer’ Dennis Rader (Sonny Valicenti).
Groff expressed his enthusiasm to return, emphasizing his respect for Fincher. He likened the experience of working on Mindhunter to a privilege, attributing much of it to collaborating with Fincher. He drew a comparison to sports, likening the decision to return for another season to a player’s choice to continue with a successful team or follow the management’s direction.
Groff expressed his trust in David Fincher’s decision-making regarding the future of Mindhunter. He likened his role in the series to a sports analogy, where he respects Fincher’s leadership like a team’s general manager. Groff emphasized his eagerness to return if Fincher decides to continue the series, highlighting the unique and special nature of working on a Fincher production compared to other sets.
Groff appreciates Damon Herriman’s portrayal of Charles Manson, especially noting the differences and similarities between Herriman’s performances in Mindhunter and Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. He considers Herriman’s portrayal a “master class” and hopes to see Manson return in future seasons of Mindhunter.
Groff praised Damon Herriman’s consistent and incredible performance as Charles Manson, both in Mindhunter and in Quentin Tarantino’s film. He expressed admiration for Herriman’s creativity and called him a genius. As for the future of Mindhunter, there’s a chance we might see characters like Ed Kemper (played by Cameron Britton) return, alongside new serial killers yet to be explored by Holden and Bill.
Special Agent Jim Barney, portrayed by Albert Jones, had a brief appearance in season one and played a more prominent role in season two during the Atlanta Child Murders investigation. Whether his character will return in future seasons remains uncertain.
It’s unlikely that Debbie Mitford (played by Hannah Gross), Holden’s former love interest who was absent in season two, or Lauren Glazier, who portrayed Kay Manz, Wendy’s brief romantic interest, will make a return to the series.
