Netflix has yet to renew Mindhunter for another season, but fans and the cast themselves are confident that the series will return for not just one but three more seasons. Why is that? It is mainly because executive producer David Fincher has said, in the past, he has planned five seasons for the Mindhunter.
As many have known, however, the future of a TV show is not based on the production execs plan but, rather, on the viewership ratings. Fortunately for the Charlize Theron-produced series, it has been receiving positive reviews from both critics and fans since Season 1. This means the renewal announcement is highly likely to come anytime soon.
Mindhunter is based on the true-crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker. It revolves around FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), and psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv). The three work together at the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit at Quantico, Virginia. They interview imprisoned serial killers to understand how they think, with the hope of solving ongoing cases.
Seasons 1 and 2 have featured different killers. Hence, it is expected that viewers will see a new killer or killers in Mindhunter Season 3.
Real-Life agents John E. Douglas and Robert K. Ressler, to whom the lead characters were based on, have interviewed several infamous killers such as Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and Jeffrey Dahmer during their time with the FBI. It is worthy to note that Season 2 was set in 1980 through 1981.
During this time, Bundy was in prison. He remained behind bars for nine more years until he was executed in 1989 at the Florida State Prison via the electric chair after he eventually admitted to 30 murders.
The book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit also includes the profile of Robert Hansen and Larry Gene Bell. DigitalSpy also noted a thread on Reddit where Mindhunter fans share their predictions on who will be featured in Season 3. The list includes Robert "Butcher Baker" Hansen, Gary "Green River Killer" Ridgway, Richard "Night Stalker" Ramirez, and Jeffrey "Milwaukee Cannibal" Dahmer. Any of these killers could be seen in Mindhunter Season 3.
Meanwhile, Groff and McCallany are expected to reprise their roles as Holden Ford and Bill Tench, respectively, in Mindhunter Season 3. Torv is most likely to return as well, along with as Joe Tuttle (Special Agent Gregg Smith), Stacey Roca (Bill's wife Nancy), Michael Gervais (FBI Chief Ted Gunn), and Zachary Scott Ross (Bill and Nancy's adopted son Brian).
Should Netflix announce a new season, it may be released in 2021. Mindhunter Season 1 was released in October 2017, while the second installment was in August. The two-year gap could also be expected in Mindhunter Season 3.
