Netflix’s 2-Part Crime Thriller Series Is So Good, You Can Rewatch It Multiple Times

There are some excellent crime thriller shows on Netflix, and the platform is host to some of the greatest long-running crime TV series with a tried and tested formula. However, Netflix has not fared so well with experimental shows, and while many great ideas have been seen on the streaming platform, it often cancels promising series. The most tragic of these is undoubtedly Mindhunter.

Mindhunter is based on the memoir of the same name, by the legendary criminal profiler John Douglas and the Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and journalist, Mark Olshaker. The show instantly stood out from other crime thrillers for its unusual approach to the subject matter, but Mindhunter was canceled for budgetary reasons just as it was set to expand its world.

Mindhunter Had The Makings Of A Legendary TV Crime Thriller

There are very few detective shows like Mindhunter, as the series rewrote the rules for TV crime thrillers. Rather than follow a highly skilled investigative team as they solve a crime, Mindhunter took a new approach. The show was set during the 1970s, when criminal psychology was a virtually unknown concept, and then allowed its main characters to make mistakes which were often catastrophic.

Many modern crime shows that are based on true events dramatize the story to the extent that the show resembles a horror. Mindhunter is dark and cinematic thanks to David Fincher’s directing, but it allows the crimes to do the talking. There are surprisingly few moments of real violence in the show, which relies on crime scene photos and chilling monologs from the characters.

Mindhunter‘s understated approach made the few gory scenes stand out, while the rest of the show kept up a sense of unease. The events in the series had already inspired movies and TV shows, most notably The Silence of the Lambs, so Mindhunter‘s more in-depth exploration and phenomenal acting could have made it into a long-running true-crime masterpiece.

Mindhunter Is A Perfect Long Weekend Binge If You Have A Strong Stomach

Mindhunter is a crime show that hooks you in the first ten minutes with its shocking opening scene. Many great TV crime dramas begin by showing the success and genius of their main characters. However, Mindhunter shows Holden Ford working a hostage situation that involves full nudity and a jump-scene shooting as it goes horribly wrong despite his expertise.

The show does not let up, with gory crime scene photos and an unforgettable monologue from Cameron Britton as Ed Kemper “The Co-Ed Killer” as he describes a sexual act with a severed head. However, Mindhunter‘s creepiest character is not a serial killer, as the show explores other crimes, including grooming behavior that was not taken seriously at the time.

The creepy Principal Wade was a real person who is mentioned in the Mindhunter source material.

Mindhunter has just 19 episodes, lasting between 45 and 75 minutes each, making the show a perfect long weekend binge-watch for fans of true crime. That said, while the series deals with extremely heavy subject matter and is not always an easy watch, Mindhunter is a must-watch for viewers with strong stomachs who want to see a better-quality crime show.

Why Mindhunter Holds Up On A Rewatch

Many great crime dramas do not hold up on a rewatch because they often involve a mystery aspect. Once the killer is revealed, or the strategy uncovered, there is no more intrigue. On the other hand, Mindhunter is not an ordinary crime drama, as it works as a character study as well as an exploration of the crime investigation landscape in the 1970s.

It is well worth researching the serial killers featured on Mindhunter after watching the show for the first time, and then going back for a rewatch. It is only then that the actors’ spot-on portrayals can be appreciated. David Fincher’s cinematography is also worth appreciating again, and after the shock factor of the original story, a rewatch reveals just how perfect Mindhunter really was.