Mindhunter season 3 was always on the cards, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos offers fresh hope to fans

Mindhunter has been absent from Netflix's release slate for years, but a recent comment from one of the streaming giant's top executives has reignited fan speculation about the acclaimed series.

Ted Sarandos, Netflix's co-CEO, has revealed that he personally wished David Fincher's serial-killer drama had returned for a third season — and indicated that, at one point, another round of episodes was genuinely part of the company's plans.

An unusually specific answer

Speaking at an event hosted by The Indian Express, Sarandos was asked whether there was a sequel or follow-up project he wished Netflix had made. His response left little ambiguity:

"It's not a part two, it's a part three that I wish we got to make: Mindhunter, David Fincher's series on Netflix."

Sarandos went on to explain that Netflix had, in fact, expected the series to continue: "We always anticipated there would be a third season, and he got very busy making a film."

Mank and the scheduling conflict

The film Sarandos referenced was Mank, Fincher's 2020 Netflix drama about screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz. According to Sarandos, the director's exacting approach to filmmaking made it difficult to advance both projects simultaneously.

"David is an unbelievably meticulous creator, so he couldn't do two things at the same time, and he certainly didn't want to short-change either one," Sarandos said.

He added that plans for Mindhunter were repeatedly pushed back as a result: "Mank got pushed off and pushed off." Sarandos then made his own feelings clear: "I would have loved to have seen a third season of Mindhunter."

This account adds a new dimension to the long-standing mystery surrounding the show's fate.

About Mindhunter

Mindhunter premiered in 2017 and quickly became a cult favorite, despite never achieving blockbuster-level viewership. The series follows FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench, played by Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany alongside psychologist Wendy Carr, played by Anna Torv, as they interview convicted serial killers to help develop the early methodology of criminal profiling.

The show's second season premiered in August 2019, and fans have been asking about a potential return ever since.

Fincher's more cautious account

Fincher himself has offered a somewhat less optimistic explanation for the delay. In a 2023 interview with Vulture, he described producing Mindhunter as "gruelling and time-consuming" and pointed to the show's production costs as a central obstacle.

"Listen, for the viewership that it had, it was an expensive show," Fincher said.

He noted that a potential return had been discussed following Mank, but tempered expectations: "I honestly don't think we're going to be able to do it for less than I did season two." His assessment was direct: "On some level, you have to be realistic about dollars have to equal eyeballs."

Sarandos's recent remarks complicate that narrative somewhat. Rather than framing the show's absence purely as a budgetary issue, the executive has now suggested that Fincher's scheduling conflicts played a significant role as well.

A door left slightly open

Series star Holt McCallany has also hinted, cautiously, that a revival hasn't been entirely ruled out. In a 2024 interview with Awards Daily, as quoted by The Independent, he said he had heard Fincher was at least considering the possibility of bringing the series back.

"I'm not saying it's going to come back," McCallany said. "But what I am saying is that if it comes back, I'm coming back with it. You can take that to the bank, but it'll depend on what David wants to do."

McCallany acknowledged that a comeback was "probably unlikely" given how much time has passed, but said he found it encouraging that Fincher was even entertaining the idea: "But just even that he would think about it is a hopeful sign."