Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos has opened up about his desire to have “Mindhunter” continue on the streaming service.
Operating as the public face of Netflix, Sarandos has offered a surprising new explanation for the reason that “Mindhunter” didn’t return to television screens following the conclusion of its second season. His comments seemingly contradict earlier comments from those involved in the series and go against what fans of long believed about the crime thriller’s demise.
Netflix Wanted More ‘Mindhunter’ Episodes After Season 2
During an event hosted by The Indian Express (via Collider), Sarandos was asked about what sequel he would like to see on the streaming service. In his response, he explained that his biggest disappointment is the fact that a third season of “Mindhunter” never materialized.
Sarandos explained, “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.”
He continued: “We always anticipated there would be a third season, and he got very busy making a film. And 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.”
According to Sarandos, Fincher was initially busy working on the biographical drama “Mank” about “Citizen Kane” screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and therefore didn’t have the time to work on future “Mindhunter” installments.
“[A third season] got pushed off and pushed off,” said Sarandos. “I would have loved to have seen a third season of ‘Mindhunter.'”
David Fincher Previously Blamed the Show’s Large Budget & Lack of Viewership
The comments from Sarandos do seem to be contradictory to what Fincher has previously said about the fate of “Mindhunter.” In a 2020 interview with Vulture, he suggested that the high cost of making the psychological thriller series and a relatively small audience meant that there was not enough of a justification to create more episodes.
“Listen, for the viewership that it had, it was an expensive show,” Fincher said at the time. “We talked about ‘Finish Mank and then see how you feel’, but I honestly don’t think we’re going to be able to do it for less than I did season two. And on some level, you have to be realistic about dollars have to equal eyeballs.”
However, others who are close to Fincher have also revealed that the filmmaker has discussed returning to the world of “Mindhunter” in the future, either as a third season or as two-hour movies.
Actor Holt McCallany, who portrayed FBI agent Bill Tench, told Awards Daily: “I’ve heard that David’s thought about it. I’m not saying it’s going to come back. 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. It’s been a few years now, so it’s probably unlikely, but just even that he would think about it is a hopeful sign.”
