Mindhunter

:

Season 1
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Oct 13, 2017
Season #: 2, 1
User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 436 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 394 out of 436
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 436
  3. Negative: 26 out of 436
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  1. geistreiches
    Oct 14, 2017
    10
    I just started yesterday and this show is good, the interaction between the characters as well as the interviews with the prisoner.. especially the interviews with the prisoner is amazing.. its one of those shows where you just want to go on to see what will happen.. it's an interesting topic to find out what goes on in a mind of a serial killer and how he became what he is
  2. judahjsn
    Oct 20, 2017
    10
    Incredibly impressed by this show. A lot of shows of this caliber take a few episodes to warm up but Mindhunter is fully formed from the jump. I'm not really into serial killer stories so I was glad to find out that this is so much more than that. Some of the smartest dialogue I've seen in a drama in a long time with perfectly casted actors to sell it. New favorite show.
  3. HarryNuggets
    Oct 15, 2017
    8
    Approached this with some trepidation. I find Fincher can be more than a bit lurid. Suprised by how restrained this series is turning out to be. This is fairly low key, though the subject matter most definitely is not. The acting is competent but no one really sticks out.
  4. contract
    Oct 21, 2017
    10
    This isn't a show about blood and gore, which is odd for a show about serial killers. It's a show about the earliest stages of profiling killers, and gives an early look into a shift between the belief that evil is caused by birth, and the belief that evil is caused by environment. It tackles one of the most important questions of our time - can the justice system do anything at all aboutThis isn't a show about blood and gore, which is odd for a show about serial killers. It's a show about the earliest stages of profiling killers, and gives an early look into a shift between the belief that evil is caused by birth, and the belief that evil is caused by environment. It tackles one of the most important questions of our time - can the justice system do anything at all about stopping and understanding senseless acts of murder? And it does all that while keeping the viewer entertained with a compelling and dramatic character arc.

    It's a very slow drama, and I think it's best that way. It's not supposed to be about fast paced music, or blood and guts all over, it's supposed to ask these questions that some people even today still refuse to ask.    … Expand
  5. Qgal5kap
    Oct 26, 2017
    10
    This was great! Hardly ever do I give out 10's, but this is well deserved. Everything else is gonna suck from now on out. Let this be a lesson to all the creators out there. Way to go!
  6. NikolayG
    Oct 21, 2017
    9
    A great, very different kind of crime show. Fantastic actors. It takes place in 1977. The older actor, 50-something, is completely believable as an old school FBI agent. He (along with the younger woman) is the best actor in the show. The younger guy, his partner, is a kind of straight-laced Tom Hanks character. His girlfriend (the other best actor in the show) loosens him up and broadensA great, very different kind of crime show. Fantastic actors. It takes place in 1977. The older actor, 50-something, is completely believable as an old school FBI agent. He (along with the younger woman) is the best actor in the show. The younger guy, his partner, is a kind of straight-laced Tom Hanks character. His girlfriend (the other best actor in the show) loosens him up and broadens his view of his profession. She should be it in the show more. She gives the show a more organic feel. She gives the show its most human dimension, and the show needs more of that. The odd thing is that Anna Torv (formerly of the show, Fringe) is in it and was unrecognizable in her first scenes. She looked quite old, but then across just a couple of episodes her appearance dramatically changes and she looks pretty much as she did in Fringe. I think she lost about 20 pounds during filming but in the show it appears to happen in just a few days. It was very strange.

    The concept of the show is that these two FBI agents travel the country teaching local cops about the psychology of murderers, particularly of serial killers. While they're at it they also interview serial killers in prisons around the country to learn more about what drives them. Anna Torv, an academic, ends up joining them to help turn their informal study and interviews of criminals into something more formal and scientific. They also end up helping the local cops they teach to catch serial killers. It's interesting but it's a bit too coincidental to believe so many local cops would just happen to have serial killers running around their towns. Still, a great show.    … Expand
  7. OscarTheGrouch
    Nov 16, 2017
    7
    I think Mindhunter was interesting, it has it's faults but overall I think it's an 'ok' watch.

    My main gripe with the show is that some of the characters come off as unrealistic due to their speech and some also due to their acting (be it intended or not). The main character in particular. Everybody, up to a high school dropout, has a high vocabulary in this series. This is not how    I think Mindhunter was interesting, it has it's faults but overall I think it's an 'ok' watch.

    My main gripe with the show is that some of the characters come off as unrealistic due to their speech and some also due to their acting (be it intended or not). The main character in particular. Everybody, up to a high school dropout, has a high vocabulary in this series. This is not how normal people talk. "Gregorious"..."morose"...a woman who was furious that her life had been ruined used that word in a sentence. I'm sorry, but unrealistic.

    The main character: I'm not sure if he's intended to act simmilar like Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory, to either make him a possible a serial killer in the future, or to show that being around serial killers is affecting his behaviour. But it's weird, and not in a good way. Which again makes him feel unrealistic, and takes (me) out of the story.

    The story though is great. Showing how the FBI is beginning to respond to new type of killers which seemed to emerge in the 60s, and using new profiling techniques to be able to catch them. Throwing a few cases at the team to show that their methods are working. I thought it was interesting and had no problem watching it untill the end even despite what I conceive to be faults of the show. But yeah, I didn't think it was great, but good enough.    … Expand
  8. avr50
    Oct 19, 2017
    9
    Mindhunter is centered in the mind of serial killers. Some movies and
    TV shows have already done that, but not like this. Mindhunter is one
    of those shows that mess your mind in ways that you can't predict. Is one of those shows that grabs you from the beginning; when you realize, yo have already seen five consecutive episodes. You are fascinated by the characters of the show, and    Mindhunter is centered in the mind of serial killers. Some movies and
    TV shows have already done that, but not like this. Mindhunter is one
    of those shows that mess your mind in ways that you can't predict. Is
    one of those shows that grabs you from the beginning; when you realize,
    yo have already seen five consecutive episodes. You are fascinated by
    the characters of the show, and watching how this experiment (talking
    to serial killers) affect them. The show is very rude with it's
    audience, because they don't miss a single detail about the complicated
    and horrible situations that happens, and help us understand what is
    going on. Don't expect an action show, this is something to see in
    detail. One of the best television shows of the year, also one of the
    smartest.    … Expand
  9. JLuis_001
    Oct 28, 2017
    9
    One of the best hits by Netflix in terms of series, addictive, intelligent, entertaining, attractive, dark, funny, very well written, very well acted and very well directed.

    Without a doubt one of the best series of 2017.
  10. ssjonoyoung
    Oct 22, 2017
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I finished Mindhunter now just over a week since it came out. And honestly I do still think it was a good show, I think it was meticulous in it’s attention to detail and a wonderfully plotted storyline that has a faltering quality. The last episode.

    The series follows Holden Ford and Bill Tench two behavioural scientists who are investigating serial killers in a time before serial killers were called as such. They go and interview the murderers to gain insight into the way their mind works and use it to solve crimes. It’s a good premise that is based on reality, the book the series is based on is the memoir of the real life ‘Holden Ford’ though that isn’t his real name. Supported by Doctor Wendy Carr they begin to make real progress.

    I’ll admit I was drawn to the show because I heard Jonathan Groff was in it. I like him as an actor and for the most part I thought he did a splendid job. While my qualms with series stem from how Holden’s character transformed him from this slightly bumbling but intelligent man to an arrogant, egotistical prick Groff did a good job in showing the arc so I must applaud him for it. Even if I don’t agree and think it was dumb as ****

    Holt McCallany’s Bill Tench is the mentor figure that we all kind of want. Blunt but deep down he’s a nice guy. He wants to do right even if it means butting heads with Holden. Holden has all the new ideas he’s very fresh but Bill’s been around a while and acts as an excellent foil to Holden. The way the two bounce off each other is brilliant and I think their relationship is one of the highlights of the series.

    Another highlight is Anna Torv. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen her in anything before but now I want to. Wendy is incredible. She’s a badass intelligent woman who takes a lead after being asked by Bill to have a look. Though reluctant she joins the study to further research the killers because she sees potential. Yet she becomes so much more than that. She becomes the voice of reason and intelligence in the office with her external perspective playing a large part in helping the study become something more. Professional and remarkable and to top it off she’s a lesbian a secret I hope is explored further in season 2.

    I liked every episode of Mindhunter apart from the last one. Each instalment has purpose and tells a story and reveals so much about the way the mind works. It is it’s meticulous attention to detail that make it great. But the last episode just felt like a waste of time. I think it needed something else other than complete character assassination of Holden. The ending though was a cliffhanger and I’m eager for season 2.    … Expand
  11. skykappah
    Jan 5, 2018
    10
    Stunning, just stunning, everything about it. Sit back as we are taken on an eye opening macabre journey of how profiling and criminal psychology first started.
    My only gripe is that it's only 10 episodes short.... I could watch an episode a day for years on end.
  12. TI490M
    Nov 28, 2017
    9
    What a great show! first two eps were boring to watch but then it all changed, it is amazing how a tv show about Serial Killers barely shows some action/crimes and still is amazing, the dialogues are amazing the pictures are genius and ofc the acting is superb!
  13. BioTofu
    Dec 28, 2017
    9
    + David Fincher directed a few of them
    + Convincing and relatable characters
    + Smart subtle character development + Very good pacing No plot spoilers but I do mention some basic relationships between characters and specific scenes from the show FYI. My favorite show of 2017. great cinematography, fitting music, interesting character development, smooth pacing, engaging story (i    + David Fincher directed a few of them
    + Convincing and relatable characters
    + Smart subtle character development
    + Very good pacing

    No plot spoilers but I do mention some basic relationships between characters and specific scenes from the show FYI.

    My favorite show of 2017. great cinematography, fitting music, interesting character development, smooth pacing, engaging story (i was afraid that it would get bogged down too much half way like in Zodiac).

    To me, the best element of the shows its characters, Holden, Bill and Wendy. The secondary characters such as Holden’s gf Debbie, the FBI colleague Greg, FBI director Sherpard, and the “fascinating” cast of serial killers all add so much to the story and character development. Characters are very different from each other but were swiftly established with minimal boring lazy expositions. They are all memorable in different ways. It is so satisfying to watch how the 3 main characters change in their professional life and personal life throughout the season. I’d like to compare True Detective to this as both are about 2 detectives solving serial killer crime. I couldnt bear to continue watching True Detective after S01E01 because I found the 2 main detectives too unrelatable, and found their conflict in belief too frustrating to watch.

    Here, you get why characters do what they do, say what they say. External influence shapes them as the story progress, I can understand the characters. It is an interesting journey to learn about the backgrounds, motivation, ideas, goals, through carefully, consistently and convincingly constructed scenes. To shape the characters for the audience to learn about them, the directors make very good and subtle use of visuals, story telling and sound elements, such as:
    1. The composition of the shots: I love the one where Bill hugs his son outside his house on the lawn where he looked so small;
    2. The symbolism of locations: Bill feels small at home because he is frustrated that he knows more about murderers than his own son;
    3. Sounds: the director usually starts the prison visit with Holden and Bill parking their car and walking through security, the supposedly mundane day to day sounds of door opening, footsteps, keys hitting the counter, people yelling, become the ritualistic sound of Holden’s ascending (or descending?!) transformation.

    Talking about Holdens transformation, the higher he goes professionally, the lower he gets in his personal life as his work impacts his relationships with Debbie and Bill. BUT! He has to ethically go low in order to learn about the killers so he can climb up to be a better detective.

    The acting on this shows top grade. I enjoy the prison visitations so much. Those interviews, the conversations and interactions, were so finely crafted with amazing dialogues. I really enjoyed the portrayal of the killers on screen.

    The shows focus is not on crime solving like How To Get Away With Murder, but on the characters, the writers merely using the crime solving setting to shape the characters. We might not catch the criminal at the end of the episode, but we always learn more about the characters.

    Shows worth rewatching are always on my A list and Mindhunter certainly belongs to it.    … Expand
  14. sultan09
    Sep 8, 2018
    9
    Fascinating stuff, superb directing and written very thoughtfully, the origin of criminal profiling and the study of criminal psychology sketched out brilliantly, this show is not for everyone though, and in the end you do get the lesson - don't play with fire!
  15. eva3si0n
    Mar 15, 2018
    9
    One of the best series of 2017. Perhaps here I have seen the best dialogues of characters in series. I didn't see such deep, realistic and psychological series long ago. At once David Ffincher's work is visible. The series stylistics very much remind the Zodiac of 2007.
  16. JorgeLestre
    Nov 23, 2017
    9
    Mindhunter is compelling as it is dark and tense. A thriller led by the flawless David Fincher that tackles one of the most challenging themes in contemporary television.
  17. jaasieljunior
    Dec 3, 2017
    9
    Midhunter é tão incrivelmente instigante que você acaba questionando tudo ao redor da série. Cada minuto é milimetrado e necessário para a continuidade da série,embora o piloto seja extremamente cansativo.Midhunter acerta também nos atores envolvidos e embora um 9 seja uma ótima nota,as próximas temporadas poderão ser superiores a season1.
  18. bigsam54
    Nov 13, 2017
    9
    Just finished watching season 1. I was very impressed with the acting of all the characters. David Fincher proved again how great a director he is.... I was attracted to the drama since it's based on the FBI's profiler, John Douglas, even though the names have been changed in the series. I can't wait for season 2.
  19. Gatocosmico
    Nov 21, 2017
    9
    Very good series with a good development of characters, but with failures in the development of bill or lack deepening more but in general very good setting at the time with excellent cinematization of landscapes, each chapter is inetresante to see I wait for the second season with anxieties
  20. Bojack_Horseman
    Nov 23, 2017
    10
    What I like about this show is that it doesn't show all the gory and inhumane details and leaves them for the viewers to imagine, and the well written dialogues and great cast doesn't hurt either.
  21. Rtab
    Dec 11, 2017
    10
    While not historically correct in its time-line, the series get the late 1970's right. Lots of old cars, constant smoking everywhere imaginable, music etc. Some great portrayals of serial killers and good acting from the leads.
  22. WalterTSolley
    Feb 3, 2018
    9
    Having finished all of “Mindhunter: Season 1”, I am very excited for the release of Season 2. I am a huge fan of David Fincher, and this loose adaptation of John Douglas’ fact based memoir, is another unqualified success. Like all of Fincher’s projects, “Mindhunter” unfolds at a pace dictated by the story. And here, that story about the birth of the FBI’s elite serial crime unit, is asHaving finished all of “Mindhunter: Season 1”, I am very excited for the release of Season 2. I am a huge fan of David Fincher, and this loose adaptation of John Douglas’ fact based memoir, is another unqualified success. Like all of Fincher’s projects, “Mindhunter” unfolds at a pace dictated by the story. And here, that story about the birth of the FBI’s elite serial crime unit, is as leisurely as it is fascinating. Don’t expect unfettered action and mindless gore. Instead, “Mindhunter” excels in character development, fine acting, exceptional writing, and Fincher’s trademark dedication to period detail. There is enough thoughtful action and matter-of-fact violence to keep the average viewer involved, but it will appeal primarily to viewers searching for intelligent programming and overall verisimilitude.… Expand
  23. Ascospore
    Mar 18, 2018
    9
    Outstanding series, for all the most compelling reasons - historical set design, photography, plot, dialogue, atmosphere and intelligent acting. Fincher isn't going to come at you from the shadows in a clown mask to unsettle you - he's just going to play you a genuine tape recording.
  24. GarethB
    Oct 7, 2018
    7
    Starts strongly and sadly loses impetus at the end. Tense and thrilling and times but can often gives way to tedium.
  25. katezoe
    Oct 23, 2017
    10
    Best new series of Fall season. If you loved Seven and Zodiac then this is must see TV. The director David Fincher again hits a home run! Wonderful acting. Loved every episode.
  26. McGillotine
    Oct 13, 2017
    9
    Without sounding like a complete sadist this show is fun. The acting is spot on , the direction is top and the replication of 70's America is stunning especially for a tv budget and as of this moment i am two episodes in and i am hooked. Fincher really work his magic here especially with his cast, Groff, whose most notable credit is Kristoff in Frozen, play a captivating lead, withWithout sounding like a complete sadist this show is fun. The acting is spot on , the direction is top and the replication of 70's America is stunning especially for a tv budget and as of this moment i am two episodes in and i am hooked. Fincher really work his magic here especially with his cast, Groff, whose most notable credit is Kristoff in Frozen, play a captivating lead, with McCallany playing his more seasoned partner in a side role that is just as memorable. In addition, Britton plays a likable yet terrifying and sadistic serial killer as Edmund Kemper in a role that parallel's Kevin Spacey's performance in Se7en.

    I can't go into too much detail as i will need to watch more but so far i'm finding the pacing, storytelling and acting terrific and cannot wait to see more.    … Expand
  27. panslabyrinth
    Oct 14, 2017
    9
    Fincher's Mindhunter is a deeply unsettling and gripping thriller. David Fincher knows what he's doing and will continue to astound audiences for years to come.
  28. imthenoob
    Oct 19, 2017
    7
    The first half of the show is great. It's interesting to see them get together, starting interviewing these killers and then building the science. There should have been more of that imo. In the second half of the season, They attempted to make this needless drama where personal problems start effecting their work and it just doesn't fit with the show. Well not really fit with the show,The first half of the show is great. It's interesting to see them get together, starting interviewing these killers and then building the science. There should have been more of that imo. In the second half of the season, They attempted to make this needless drama where personal problems start effecting their work and it just doesn't fit with the show. Well not really fit with the show, The problems just weren't that interesting and the show kind of fades from a strong 8 (nearly a 9) to barely a 7. Now as for the characters:

    Wendy is a rather boring character that isn't given enough time to shine or really given any character exploration. I felt that Debbie was a surprisingly enjoyable wild card to the show, A yin to Holden's yang and a polar opposite of him in every way and that to me made their interactions very enjoyable to watch. And then you have Bill, the experienced vet who isn't given enough dialogue because he's quite an interesting character.    … Expand
  29. chidime
    Oct 22, 2017
    8
    Really good show. Very intriguing and interesting to watch. Good acting and really good plot. I had some issues with the pacing, as some parts were a bit too slow to unfurl, but that didn't take too much away. 8.5/10.
  30. Prosmooth
    Oct 14, 2017
    8
    It wasn't what I was expecting, but it's a pretty good show. Definitely Fincher light though. Curb your enthusiasm, and you'll probably enjoy it. It's actually a pretty funny show, even though it's about serial killers and the FBI agents trying to get inside their heads.
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Awards & Rankings

46
#46 Best TV Season of 2017
16
#16 Most Discussed TV Season of 2017
14
#14 Most Shared TV Season of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Troy Patterson
    Dec 15, 2017
    80
    “All the world is not, of course, a stage, but the crucial ways in which it isn’t are not easy to specify.” The writers (led by Penhall) and the directors (who include David Fincher) of “Mindhunter” play with this and related ideas about masks, frames, screens, and true selves in a distinct tone. As the show flows from mode to mode--slow-burn horror, arch workplace comedy, buddy-cop road movie--it returns its attention to performers, and to the daily problem of giving an audience what it wants.
    Read full review
  2. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Chuck Bowen
    Oct 23, 2017
    88
    Mindhunter is addictive and resonant for its mining of two evocative forms of social contrast. The terrific cast informs Fincher and creator Joe Penhall's sociological schematic with a human element that's unusual for a crime procedural, and the series has a piercing sense of how macro influences micro culture.
    Read full review
  3. Slate
    Reviewed by: Willa Paskin
    Oct 20, 2017
    80
    It’s a head trip, a cerebral consideration of all the terrifying things that can go wrong inside the minds of murderers and men. ... Mindhunter locates its drama in interrogations. The show is, in essence, a string of short plays, two- and three-handers featuring Ford, Tench, and a vile murderer in a room.
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