Mindhunter Could’ve Run Longer, But David Fincher Refused To Make It ‘More Pop’

Summary:

• Mindhunter was a Netflix crime drama set in the 1980s, following the creation of the FBI's Behavioural Science Unit.
• The show was executive produced by Charlize Theron and David Fincher, among others.
• Mindhunter was put on hold in 2020 and confirmed to finish in 2023.
• According to Fincher, the show was too expensive for Netflix to continue, so it was cancelled.

At the moment, there is no shortage of procedural dramas focusing on the behavior of the most frightening murderers and criminals of all kinds.

Throughout the years, people have been curious to find out what drives the minds of some people to make such inhumane decisions, and that curiosity has definitely hit the mark with television viewers.

One of the most prominent TV shows still on the air is Criminal Minds. Season after season, the team investigates the most twisted cases known to the FBI, making progress in tracking the behaviour patterns of criminals.

However, many viewers still can't get over another show that offered an even more raw perspective, but ended far too quickly for anyone's liking.

Netflix's Mindhunter, which ran for two seasons from 2017 to 2019, still lives rent-free in the minds of viewers. As it turns out, there was no way to save it without losing its authenticity.

Why Did Netflix Cancel Mindhunter?

Since the show was put on hold in 2020, all the reasons for this have been closely linked to Davin Fincher's name. It was said that he wanted to focus on other projects, but had Mindhunter season 3 in mind as a possible return.

Sadly, that never happened. The show ended in 2023.

For a project filled with the most talented creators, from those behind the cameras to every member of the cast, to end so abruptly was a huge disappointment. Many viewers have stuck with the show to this day, but now the chances of a comeback are dangerously slim.

As Fincher explained to the French magazine Première, there was a much bigger problem with the production of Mindhunter than meets the eye.

Having spent a lot of money on the show, Netflix didn't see the response they wanted. So the question of changing things was raised:

“We couldn’t complete a trajectory, but it was a gamble. An expensive series, too. Very expensive. We went as far as we could, until someone finally said to us: “It makes no sense to produce a series like this, unless you can reduce the budget, or make it more pop, so that more people will watch it,”” Fincher recalled.

On the one hand, long-time fans of the show should be happy that the producers didn't agree to change the whole course of the show to better suit the tastes of the general public. On the other hand, this refusal led to a cancellation that Mindhunter really didn't deserve.

If you're ready to jump on the nostalgia bandwagon and revisit the unfinished crime drama, you can stream the first two seasons of Mindhunter on Netflix.

Source: Première Magazine