While Netflix regularly cancels promising TV shows, Mindhunter‘s cancellation is still felt among fans and viewers who discover the slow-burn crime thriller. The show stood out against flashier detective shows, as it had a distinctive tone and a constant sense of unease. While the central pair could have been one of the best detective duos in crime TV, they did not get the chance.
Even the greatest detective TV shows of all time can feel formulaic, focusing on catching a killer each episode or season. However, Mindhunter is more than a police procedural as it documents the birth of criminal psychology, the investigative theory used in most great crime dramas. Shows like Mindhunter are rare, but it was canceled for a very common reason.
Netflix Canceled Mindhunter Because Of How Expensive It Was
Compared to many great high-budget TV shows with realistic aliens and epic battles, Mindhunter is extremely understated. It may be surprising that a TV show set in the 1970s would be expensive to make, but Mindhunter had a very high budget. Much of this was spent on achieving the show’s distinctive and realistic period-accurate look through costumes and sets.
Executive producer David Fincher explained Mindhunter‘s cancellation in depth in an interview with Première Magazine (via The Fincher Analyst on X, translated from French.) He said that “we went as far as we could until someone finally said to us, ‘It makes no sense to produce this series like this, unless you can reduce the budget…” Their proposed solution was not an option.
The Only Way Mindhunter Could’ve Continued Would’ve Ruined The Series
Fincher said that the suggested option was to “make it more pop, so that more people will watch it.” This appeal to a mass audience would have removed the show’s originality and unusual approach. “We did not want to change our approach, so, respectfully, they told us that they were drawing a line under it,” Fincher explained.
David Fincher’s best movies tend to have a very distinctive style, with a dark and cinematic aesthetic that can make even the most violent scenes into art. He brought this style to Mindhunter, which has relatively few gory moments, but many extremely disturbing scenes that are still beautifully shot. Courting a mass audience would risk diluting Mindhunter‘s appeal to its fanbase, ruining the series.
Mindhunter’s Cancellation Will Forever Be One Of TV’s Most Tragic
Mindhunter is among the best TV crime dramas that do not have a bad episode, and it had the makings of a long-running TV crime show masterpiece. The fact that it left so many mysteries unsolved and storylines unfinished is extremely frustrating, especially as season 2 increasingly focused on the infamous BTK Killer, played perfectly by Sonny Valicenti.
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Mindhunter’s seasons and Rotten Tomatoes’ Scores |
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|---|---|---|
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Season |
Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score |
Rotten Tomatoes audience score |
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1 |
96% |
95% |
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2 |
99% |
95% |
Season 2 earned Mindhunter an extremely rare 99% critics’ score, with the show set to move location and broaden its plot. This abrupt ending, just as the show was getting even more ambitious, makes Mindhunter one of the most frustrating TV cancellations of the past 10 years, and prioritizing viewing figures over quality may work to Netflix’s detriment in the long run.
Source: The Fincher Analyst
- Release Date
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2017 – 2019
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Joe Penhall
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Holt McCallany
Bill Tench
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Munro M. Bonnell
CMF Doctor
