'Mindhunter' Season 3: Has 'Mindhunter' Been Canceled?

On January 15, it was announced that Jonathan Groff and the rest of the main cast of Netflix's Mindhunter have been released from their contracts. Many fans were left wondering whether the show had been canceled by Netflix, following series like The OA, Anne with an E and Daredevil in being axed.

Unlike those three shows, however, Netflix has made it known that the show is definitely not canceled, and that Mindhunter Season 3 could still happen in the future. However, there are no immediate plans to make it in the next few years, as executive producer David Fincher wants to focus on his other Netflix projects.

A Netflix spokesperson told The Wrap: "David is focused on directing his first Netflix film Mank and on producing the second season of Love, Death and Robots. He may revisit Mindhunter in the future, but in the meantime felt it wasn't fair to the actors to hold them from seeking other work while he was exploring new work of his own." Other outlets have reported that Season 3 has been put on "indefinite hold" at Netflix.

Although not mentioned in this statement, Fincher said to be making a prequel series to the classic 1974 movie Chinatown, another project that may have spurned Fincher's decision to put Mindhunter on the back burner.

There was already a two-year gap between Mindhunter Seasons 1 and 2, so if there is a Season 3 it is unlikely to be on screens until the mid-2020s. Although the exact contract details of Mindhunter have not been revealed, TV stars often sign seven-year contracts for shows, the maximum length of contract allowed under California law. If this is the case for Groff and his co-stars, who according to Slashfilm were signed up in May 2016, then their contracts would have extended until May 2023, suggesting that Fincher has no interest in making another season of Mindhunter in that time window.

However, there are two silver linings for fans. Firstly, the show was not canceled and therefore could still return. Secondly, the show's "indefinite hold" is nothing to do with its popularity. Though Netflix releases very little viewing figures data, Insider looked at what numbers there are and estimated that Mindhunter was the 13th most-watched show on Netflix in 2019, beating major shows like Grace & Frankie, Designated Survivor and You.

Mindhunter Season 1 and 2 are streaming on Netflix now.