A 97% RT Crime Thriller Cancelled Too Soon

Netflix is home to some of the best TV shows in recent years, and one of them exposes a frustrating and consistent problem with this platform. Over the years, Netflix has positioned itself at the top of the pyramid of streaming platforms. Netflix offers a wide variety of licensed and original content, but it has mostly stood out in the latter.

The branch of Netflix Originals has brought some of the best TV shows of all time, such as Stranger Things, Narcos, and Ozark, but even they show one of the platform’s biggest problems. Netflix has become known for not giving many seasons to its shows, but this is especially frustrating with Mindhunter, one of Netflix’s best TV shows and which deserved so much better.

Mindhunter Was One Of The Best TV Shows On Netflix

In 2017, Netflix released Mindhunter, a psychological crime thriller TV series. Created by Joe Penhall and with David Fincher and Charlize Theron among its producers, Mindhunter is based on the 1995 true-crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit.

Set between 1977 and 1981, Mindhunter follows the team that operates the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit within the Training Division at the FBI Academy. Forming the team are agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), and psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), who launch a research project consisting of interviewing imprisoned serial killers.

The purpose of it is to understand the psychology of these subjects, in hopes of applying this knowledge to solve ongoing cases. Thanks to this, Mindhunter sees the team interviewing well-known serial killers like Edmund Kemper, Dennis Rader a.k.a. the BTK killer, David Berkowitz a.k.a. the Son of Sam, and Charles Manson.

Mindhunter currently holds a 97% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it ranks among the best TV shows of all time and Netflix’s best shows. Mindhunter has been praised for its visual quality, with cinematic visuals that make it stand out from most crime shows, along with impeccable writing and complex characters.

Mindhunter stands out for its exploration of criminal psychology and how it approaches the interviews with the imprisoned serial killers, effectively avoiding the glorification of these people (which is a current mistake in crime shows) and instead giving a look at their own complexities. The atmosphere of Mindhunter adds to its immersive vibe, making it one of the most engaging, fascinating, but also unsettling crime shows ever.

Mindhunter’s Cancellation Exposed A Major Netflix Problem

Merrick Morton/Netflix

Unfortunately, despite its great quality and positive reception by critics and general audiences, Mindhunter only ran for two seasons. Netflix didn’t cancel Mindhunter, but production didn’t move forward with a third season, either, although Fincher had planned to make five seasons.

In January 2020, it was revealed that the cast had been released from their contracts, and Mindhunter was on indefinite hold while Fincher focused on other projects. While Netflix mentioned the possibility of Fincher revisiting Mindhunter in the future, Fincher himself confirmed in October 2020 that the series was done for now, and the following month, some of the reasons were revealed.

The main problem was that Mindhunter was an expensive show, and, while it had a “passionate audience”, it never reached the numbers it needed to justify the cost. Production of season 2 was challenging, too, with Fincher firing the initial showrunner and scrapping eight scripts and the show’s “bible” (via Variety).

Sadly, this is part of a major Netflix problem that was made more evident by Mindhunter, and it’s how the platform produces impressive TV shows and ends up canceling them too soon. Sense 8, The OA, and Warrior Nun are other examples of this, with Netflix usually justifying these cancellations with budget problems, low viewership, or changes in creative direction.

If Mindhunter Could Get Canceled, No Other Show Was Safe

Mindhunter’s cancellation continues to be one of the worst decisions by Netflix, and it shows a tough reality for all TV shows produced by the platform: none are safe from getting the axe. Of course, the cancellation of some shows has been more than justified by their quality, but many others have been surprising and undeserving.

If a show as well-produced, written, and critically acclaimed as Mindhunter got canceled so early, there isn’t much hope for smaller releases, no matter their budget – and, unfortunately, this problem over at Netflix hasn’t gotten any better.

Netflix’s Cancellation Problem Hasn’t Gotten Any Better Since Mindhunter

Image via Netflix

Mindhunter is, perhaps, the best example of Netflix’s unfair way of canceling its original TV shows, but unfortunately, it wasn’t the last to go through this. In recent years, shows like Shadow and Bone and Kaos have received this same treatment, despite their narrative and visual quality and their reception by critics and general audiences.

While it’s understandable that Netflix constantly looks to improve its content and appeal to a wider audience with it, canceling great shows like Mindhunter so soon doesn’t make much sense when other shows that aren’t at the same quality level are allowed to continue. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like this problem will end soon, and no TV show is safe.

Source: Variety.

Mindhunter

10/10

Release Date

2017 – 2019

Showrunner

Joe Penhall

Writers

Joe Penhall