Mindhunter is an American psychological crime thriller television series created by Joe Penhall, based on the 1995 true-crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker. The series debuted in 2017 and ran for two seasons. Executive producers included Penhall, Charlize Theron, and David Fincher, with Fincher serving as the series' most frequent director and de facto showrunner, overseeing many of the scriptwriting and production processes. The series stars Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, and Anna Torv, and follows the founding of the Behavioral Science Unit in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and the beginning of criminal profiling.
The first season of 10 episodes debuted worldwide on Netflix on October 13, 2017. The second season was released by Netflix on August 16, 2019. A potential third season was put on indefinite hold in 2020. In 2023, Fincher said the series was definitely over.
Contents
Plot
Mindhunter revolves around FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench, along with psychologist Wendy Carr, who operate the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit within the Training Division at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Together they launch a research project to interview imprisoned serial killers to understand their psychology with the hope of applying this knowledge to solve ongoing cases.
The first season takes place from 1977 to 1980, in the early days of criminal psychology and criminal profiling at the FBI. Cameron Britton has a recurring role in this season as notorious serial killer Edmund Kemper, who is the first to assist Ford and Tench in understanding how a serial killer's mind works. Other notable serial killers featured in the first season include Montie Rissell played by Sam Strike, Jerry Brudos played by Happy Anderson, Richard Speck played by Jack Erdie, and Dennis Rader also known as BTK, played by Sonny Valicenti.
The second season takes place in 1980 and 1981, with Ford and Tench investigating the Atlanta murders of 1979 to 1981, which included at least 28 deaths, mostly children. This is based on the real case of Wayne Williams, who was charged and convicted for the murder of two adult men but was never tried for the killing of the children and adolescents, causing mass outrage and questions over Williams's guilt as the children's cases went cold. The second season also features other infamous murderers, such as David Berkowitz, also known as Son of Sam, played by Oliver Cooper, William Pierce played by Michael Filipowich, Elmer Wayne Henley played by Robert Aramayo, and Charles Manson, played by Damon Herriman.
Cast and characters
Main
Jonathan Groff as Holden Ford, a special agent in the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit (BSU)
Holt McCallany as Bill Tench, a special agent in the FBI's BSU
Anna Torv as Wendy Carr, a psychology professor working towards tenure at Boston University who joins the BSU. She is a closeted lesbian.
Hannah Gross as Debbie Mitford (season 1), Ford's girlfriend and a graduate student in sociology at the University of Virginia
Cotter Smith as Robert Shepard (season 1; guest season 2), the assistant director at the FBI Academy overseeing the BSU
Stacey Roca as Nancy Tench (season 2; recurring season 1), Bill's wife
Joe Tuttle as Gregg Smith (season 2; recurring season 1), a special agent newly assigned to the BSU
Michael Cerveris as Ted Gunn (season 2), Shepard's successor as overseer of the BSU
Lauren Glazier as Kay Manz (season 2), a bartender and Carr's love interest
Albert Jones as Jim Barney (season 2; guest season 1), an Atlanta FBI agent
Sierra McClain as Tanya Clifton (season 2), a hotel worker who brings Holden's attention to the Atlanta child murders
June Carryl as Camille Bell (season 2), a grieving mother of Yusef Bell, one of the Atlanta murder victims and the organizer of the Committee to Stop Children's Murders
Recurring
Cameron Britton as Ed Kemper, a serial killer interviewed by Ford and Tench
Alex Morf as Mark Ocasek, a police officer from Altoona, Pennsylvania
Joseph Cross as Benjamin Barnwright, a murder suspect in Altoona
Marc Kudisch as Roger Wade, a Fredericksburg elementary-school principal
Michael Park as Peter Dean, an Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) investigator
George R. Sheffey as John Boylen, an OPR investigator
Duke Lafoon as Gordon Chambers, an Adairsville detective
Peter Murnik as Roy Carver, a Sacramento detective
Happy Anderson as Jerry Brudos, a serial killer interviewed by Ford and Tench
Sonny Valicenti as ADT serviceman / Dennis Rader (BTK)
Zachary Scott Ross as Brian Tench, Bill and Nancy's adopted son
Nate Corddry as Art Spencer (season 2), a detective investigating a murder near the Tench household
Regi Davis as Maynard Jackson (season 2), mayor of Atlanta
Gareth Williams as Redding (season 2), the chief of Atlanta police
Drew Seltzer as Dale Harmon (season 2), Bill and Nancy's neighbor
Guests
Lena Olin as Annaliese Stilman (season 1), Carr's former lover and head of the psychology department at Boston University
Sam Strike as Montie Rissell (season 1), a serial killer interviewed by Ford and Tench
Jack Erdie as Richard Speck (season 1), a mass murderer interviewed by Ford and Tench
Oliver Cooper as David Berkowitz (season 2), the serial killer known as "Son of Sam"
Robert Aramayo as Elmer Wayne Henley (season 2)
Michael Filipowich as William "Junior" Pierce (season 2)
Corey Allen as William Henry Hance (season 2)
Damon Herriman as Charles Manson (season 2); Herriman previously portrayed Manson in the 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Christopher Backus as Tex Watson (season 2)
Morgan Kelly as Paul Bateson (season 2)
Development and production
The development of Mindhunter began in 2009 when Charlize Theron gave a nonfiction crime book titled Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit to David Fincher. In January 2010 the Mindhunter project was set up at Fox 21, which had optioned the book, along with premium cable channel HBO. Scott Buck was tapped to write the pilot. Fincher, who was mostly known as a director and producer in films, felt at that time that television was "completely foreign" until he worked on the political drama House of Cards, for which he co-produced and directed the first two episodes. When Fincher finally felt comfortable with television as a medium after doing House of Cards, Theron suggested playwright and screenwriter Joe Penhall as the project's writer, replacing Buck. In December 2015, Mindhunter was moved to streaming service Netflix, with Fox 21 dropping out of the project.
In February 2016, Netflix announced that the production of Mindhunter would be based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Filming began in May 2016, and open casting calls were held on April 16 and June 25, 2016. Episode 9 of season 1 was filmed in Moundsville, West Virginia, at the West Virginia State Penitentiary. The series was renewed for a second season before its premiere on Netflix.
The character of Holden Ford is loosely based on FBI agent John E. Douglas, on whose book, Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit, the show is based. The character of Bill Tench is based on pioneering FBI agent Robert K. Ressler. Wendy Carr is a fictional character based on psychiatric forensic nurse researcher Ann Wolbert Burgess, a prominent Boston College nursing professor who collaborated with the FBI agents in the Behavioral Science Unit and procured grants to conduct research on serial murderers, serial rapists, and child molesters. Her work is based on treating survivors of sexual trauma and abuse, and studying the thought process of violent offenders. The serial killer characters were modeled on the actual convicted criminals and their prison scene dialogues were taken from real interviews. Although not explicitly stated, it is implied that the ADT serviceman seen in several short vignettes throughout the first season is Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer. This is clarified in the second season.
The musical score was written by Jason Hill.
The second season was originally reported to consist of eight episodes; however, the season ultimately contained nine episodes. Shooting took place between April and December 2018. Directors for the second season were Fincher, Andrew Dominik, and Carl Franklin.
Episodes
Reception
Critical response
The first season received positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the season has a score of 79 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 96% with an average score of 8 out of 10, based on 102 reviews. The site's critics consensus reads: "Mindhunter distinguishes itself in a crowded genre with ambitiously cinematic visuals and a meticulous attention to character development." The first season of Mindhunter was named among the best TV shows of 2017; it was ranked No. 10 on Metacritic's year-end list of the best TV shows of 2017 compiled from rankings by various critics and publications.
The second season was also acclaimed. On Metacritic, the season has an average score of 85 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season holds an approval rating of 99% based on 70 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3 out of 10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Mindhunter expands its narrative horizons without losing sight of the details that made its first season so rich, crafting a chilling second season that is as unsettling as it is utterly absorbing."
