Mindhunter

Mindhunter is an American crime drama television series that premiered on Netflix in October 2017. The series was created by Joe Penhall and developed by David Fincher and Charlize Theron. It is based on the 1999 book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker, which documents the early development of criminal profiling at the FBI.

The show is set in the late 1970s and follows FBI Special Agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) as they interview incarcerated serial killers to gain insight into their psychology. They work in a basement office in the FBI headquarters in Quantico, Virginia. The series also features other agents such as Wendy Carr (Amanda Noo) and Chuck Pavlovich (Oliver Christian Hutchinson) and later Rolfe Kent (Hans Gehling).

Three seasons were released: season one in 2017, season two in 2019 and season three in 2020. The narrative examines the ethical, psychological, and procedural challenges of profiling while exposing the agents to extensive psychological stress. The series received praise for its performances, period-set costumes, and atmospheric direction; critics particularly noted the methodical pacing, unsettling psychological depth, and strong on-boarding of criminal minds. Conversely, some reviewers critiqued the series for slow pacing and short episode run times.

Mindhunter contributed to a broader public interest in forensic psychology and has been credited with inspiring academics and practitioners in the field of criminal profiling. Its influence can also be seen in subsequent productions such as the 2015 documentary Mindhunter and the 2018 feature film Mindhunter: Murder in the Blackwater Prairie. The series has retained a cult following and remains noteworthy for its depiction of early FBI behavioral science.