The potential for Mindhunter season 3 to finally happen would be a dream come true if the rumors of a movie follow-up come to fruition. However, HBO’s new crime series in development sounds like it has all the ingredients to fill the gap left by Mindhunter’s disappointing cancellation.
Even six years after Mindhunter season 2 ended, Netflix’s decision to cancel the crime thriller show still stings today. Directed by David Fincher, Mindhunter remains a masterclass entry in its genre, with its mysteries and character drama only just beginning to reach their full potential by the time it was axed.
With Mindhunter’s stellar cast performances, writing, direction, and storytelling, it’s been difficult to find a new show that so compellingly rivals what Fincher’s series brought to the TV landscape. However, HBO has just announced a new series in development with a setup reminiscent to Mindhunter’s initial premise, which may help satisfy fans’ needs for a third outing.
HBO’s Witsec Series Has A Similar Premise To Mindhunter
Per Deadline, HBO is currently developing a TV show about the origins of the federal Witness Protection Program, which bears to mind the basic premise of Netflix’s Mindhunter exploring the origins of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit. Both cover very different aspects of federal approaches to using important witnesses, those close to the criminals, and criminals themselves to help catch bigger fish, while taking the timeline back to the 1960s and ‘70s.
Justin Piasecki and David Kob have been tapped to write for HBO’s in-development Witsec series, based on Pete Earley and Gerald Shur’s nonfiction WitSec: Inside the Federal Witness Protection Program from 2002. Being inspired by an in-depth nonfiction book on the real-life crime-fighting program mirrors Mindhunter’s origins, as Fincher’s show was based on the 1995 true-crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit.
With nothing concrete having come out of Mindhunter season 3’s potential return talks so far, Witsec is among the most promising new series to fill its spot in the crime thriller TV slate. Both focus on the early days of two of the most iconic federal crime-fighting programs, with tense dynamics between federal employees and criminals working together to either capture or convict dangerous figures.
While Mindhunter had FBI agents interviewing convicted killers like Charles Manson and Ed Kemper to help their investigations into identifying and capturing other killers, Witsec will see a Department of Justice lawyer and a mob hitman work together to put away more prolific “criminal titans.” With HBO behind the series, Witsec already has a leg up due to the network’s history of prestigious thrillers.
HBO’s Witness Protection Series Can Repeat One Of Mindhunter’s Unique Features
One of the most intriguing aspects of Mindhunter was the inclusion of numerous real-life serial killers. Of course, actors portrayed the real-life figures, but Mindhunter’s premise made for an incredibly compelling way to include numerous serial killers’ stories in just one TV show. Mindhunter never glorified the killers, but their inclusion was important to contextualizing the high stakes and shocking nature of the program’s bold origins.