The series debuted in 2017 and followed FBI agents Holden Ford, Bill Tench and psychologist Wendy Carr as they pioneered the study of serial killers and criminal profiling in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Now, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has offered a different explanation for why the acclaimed thriller never reached a third season, telling The Indian Express that the streamer had always expected the story to continue. His comments were reported by Collider.
Netflix Had Always Expected ‘Mindhunter’ to Continue
At an event in New Delhi, Sarandos was asked about a series or film that never received the continuation it deserved. His answer immediately brought “Mindhunter” back into the conversation. “It’s not a part two, it’s a part three that I wish we got to make,” he said.
The executive went on to make clear that a third entry was not merely a possibility that emerged after the show’s success. “We always anticipated there would be a third season,” Sarandos said. The hit ultimately stopped after two installments, with the second arriving on Netflix in August 2019.
According to Sarandos, the biggest obstacle was David Fincher’s workload. “He got very busy making a film,” he said, referring to the director’s demanding filmmaking schedule. Fincher was heavily involved in “Mindhunter” as an executive producer and directed multiple episodes, overseeing much of the series’ production.
A potential third part was placed on indefinite hold while Fincher worked on “Mank,” and Netflix eventually released the cast from their contracts in 2020. Fincher later cited the show’s cost and audience size before confirming in 2023 that “Mindhunter” was over.
Sarandos also emphasized just how demanding Fincher’s approach to filmmaking could be. “David is an unbelievably meticulous creator, so he couldn’t do two things at the same time, and he certainly didn’t want to short-change either one,” he said. “So it just got pushed off and pushed off.” For the Netflix executive, the result was a third entry that remained something he personally wished had happened: “I would have loved to have seen a third season of Mindhunter.”
