Mindhunter: How The Series Came About

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through links on my site, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

I am watching Mindhunter on Netflix, and after a handful of episodes, I began to wonder how the series came about. What precipitated the making of this crime drama about famous killers?

The Netflix crime drama series, set in the late 1970s, explores the early days of criminal profiling within the FBI. “Mindhunter” was inspired by FBI agents John Douglas and Robert Ressler.

The show focuses on agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench. The two men venture into interviewing incarcerated serial killers to understand their motivations and to develop a framework for identifying future offenders.

How The Mindhunter Series Came About:

Director David Fincher:

First, there is David Fincher. Fincher is an American film director, often described as one of the pre-eminent directors of his generation. He is known for his psychological thrillers and dramas.

If a film is chilling to the core, you might check to see if David Fincher directed it.

Executive Producer Charlize Theron:

If not for actress Charlize Theron, there might not be a Mindhunter series at all. While researching her Oscar-winning role as Aileen Wuornos for the film Monster (2003), she came across the 1995 book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit and read it.

Theron says she is fascinated by books on neurology and brain development, and why people are sociopaths.

She asked David Fincher to lunch to discuss the idea, and the rest, as they say, is history. The series debuted in 2017 and ran for two seasons.

Actors Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany:

FBI agent Holden Ford (played by Jonathan Groff) is a young, somewhat naive, though ambitious G-man.

Bill Tench is the older, jaded, chain-smoking FBI agent working in the Behavioral Science Unit.

Initially, the two agents travel the country teaching local police officers federal investigative techniques.

But then Groff decides to talk to a notorious serial killer in prison and gets excited about what he learns. It takes a while to get Tench on board, and then for their boss to agree to their visits.

Tench says to their boss: “How do we get ahead of crazy if we don’t know how crazy thinks?”

The Scenes & Interviews:

In the Mindhunter series, you see Groff and Tench driving across the country from Quantico to prisons and jails to talk to serial killers.

The somewhat improbable companions share motel rooms and eat greasy food in various diners. And spend a lot of time crisscrossing America’s highways.

The cars they drive are regularly updated to indicate the passage of time in the early years of developing criminal profiling.

The two begin to learn about the minds of those who repeatedly kill and to figure out the process, the motive, and the psychology behind it. After a while, they bring a certain finesse to getting killers to open up and talk to them.

Hence, the name serial killer within law enforcement was born.

About Holt McAllany’s Role:

Holt McAllany gained 25 pounds for his role as Bill Tench, to represent the sedentary lifestyle. He smoked throughout the show, though in real life, he is not a smoker. He said he did his research because he wanted to understand the psychological underpinnings of sexually motivated homicides.

About Jonathan Groff’s Role:

FBI agent John E. Douglas inspired the character of Holden Ford. A relentless curiosity drives him to understand the criminal mind. This leads him to unsettling interviews with serial killers.

Will Mindhunter Eventually Return?

There is speculation that Mindhunter could eventually return in the form of movies, rather than a series. It has a passionate fanbase.

Holt McAllaney said he had a meeting with David Fincher in his office a few months ago, and he mentioned that there is a chance Mindhunter may return as three two-hour movies. But nothing has been forthcoming about the possibility of a return.

Meanwhile, McAllaney is starring in The Waterfront on Netflix. The first season, comprising eight episodes, was released on June 19, 2025. The Waterfront is based on a true story.

My Thoughts:

A recurring theme throughout the first episodes is a nameless male character, who is filmed in infrequent scenes. No time is spent on explaining who he is. Though the sightings of him are short and fleeting, you know this man is somehow integral to the show.

I’m looking forward to finding out who this enigmatic male is and what he did, because you just know he’s a bad guy. You know he’s probably a serial killer in the making.