Mindhunter’s second season included one of the nation's most infamous killers, Charles Manson, tracked the manhunt for the Atlanta child murderer, and continued to tell the story of BTK, who maintained a facade of all-American normalcy while terrorising Wichita. And nine episodes later, it’s all over. So are we getting a third season? And if so, when?
For now, it might be too early to tell, but there’s reason to be optimistic. Executive producer David Fincher is reportedly in it for the long haul—according to Mindhunter star Holt McCallany, Fincher wants the show to run for five seasons. "He said ‘Listen, are you ready to do this for five seasons? Because even if I fuck it up, it's gonna go five seasons, and I don't intend to fuck it up,’" McCallany told The Hollywood Reporter. "So I'd like to think that we will continue, for as long as David is intrigued by telling this particular story."
But while Fincher may be ready to go, there’s no word yet on whether or not Netflix is. The streaming service famously doesn’t release any viewing numbers, so it’s hard to judge Mindhunter’s success, but going by the amount of online chatter about the show, folks definitely seem to be watching.
Still, Netflix has lately been pulling the plug on even beloved shows. Some critics have noticed a pattern of shows being cancelled after two or three seasons—new programs are cheaper for the streaming service to create, and Netflix may have decided that the more lucrative contracts that casts and crew members often receive for later seasons aren’t worth the investment.
But Netflix’s flagship series, like Orange is the New Black and The Crown, have had or are scheduled to have long runs. (Co-creator Ross Duffer told Vulture that he thinks Stranger Things will probably end with its upcoming fourth season.) So while we may have to wait a while—nearly two years passed between the debuts of Mindhunter’s first and second seasons—it seems likely that a third season will be coming. Besides, Ford and Tench haven’t even interviewed Ted Bundy yet, and there’s no way the show can end without that happening. Plus, the BTK killer—who has haunted the entire series—is still at large. And even though he wasn't identified until the 2000s, it's likely that after Holt McCallany’s Bill Tench travels to Kansas to interview Kevin Bright, they will continue to track the illusive serial killer in later seasons.
Gabrielle Bruney is a writer and editor for Esquire, where she focuses on politics and culture. She's based (and born and raised) in Brooklyn, New York.
