Summary

• Mindhunter may have ended, but there are other shows like Killing Eve, Clickbait, Elementary, and Only Murders in the Building to fulfill your crime and psychological thriller cravings.
• Shows like Broadchurch, Hannibal, Making a Murderer, and True Detective offer intriguing mysteries and delve into the minds of killers, much like Mindhunter.
• Criminal Minds, Manhunt, The Act, Unbelievable, Dexter, and American Crime Story provide unique perspectives on crime investigation and storytelling, making them worth a watch.

Though the series concluded after two seasons, there are shows like Mindhunter that fans can turn to now that the series has ended. Based on real events, Mindhunter follows fictional characters who represent real people from the 1970s in the FBI who worked to begin the criminal profiling of serial killers. That fascination extended to an interest in psychology, cold cases, and true-crime podcasts today. There is nothing quite like its format, but there are some shows like Mindhunter with enough in common to fill the void left by the Netflix series' disappointing end.

After the first two seasons of Mindhunter aired, Netflix placed it on indefinite hold. Executive producer David Fincher moved on to other projects, and Netflix released the cast from their contracts with the statement that Fincher could revisit the project in the future. While fans held out hope, Fincher later confirmed Mindhunter season 3 wasn't happening. Not every show with a murder mystery or a government agency can be a series like Mindhunter, but some come pretty close.

15 Killing Eve (2018–2022)

4 Seasons, 32 Episodes

• Stream now on AMC+

While Killing Eve doesn't have as much in common with true crime as some of the other shows like Mindhunter, it does a lot of work getting into the heads of its main characters. The primary difference is that Killing Eve focuses on spycraft instead of serial killers. Eve (Sandra Oh) finds her desk-bound job at MI5 not what she expected until she's tasked with bringing in loose cannon assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer) to a secret MI6 task force. The two women become obsessed with taking each other down.

Just as Mindhunter cautions its agents in case they get too close to the killers they interview, as they warn one another that these killers aren't their friends, the same is true in Killing Eve. Eve and Villanelle are often on opposing sides as investigator and assassin and though they try to kill one another, they're drawn to each other repeatedly. The commonalities between the two would have the audience believe there's a thin line between the killers and those who try to catch them.

14 Clickbait (2021)

1 Season, 8 Episodes

Stream on Netflix

A limited series of only eight episodes, Clickbait doesn't just focus on its audience's obsession with mysteries but also the perception surrounding them on social media. An online presence today is a large part of the way people consume pop culture. True-crime podcasts, websites, and Twitter feeds intrigue people, but some of it is simply clickbait to gain viewers.

The mystery here sees a seemingly nice family man named Nick Brewer (Adrian Grenier) abducted. His kidnappers promise to kill him when a video broadcast of him reaches 5 million views, capitalizing on their audience's need to tune in. Each episode is more twisty than the last, leaving the audience intrigued by the motivations of everyone in the show, just like the agents in Mindhunter who want to understand the people they interview.

13 Elementary (2012-2019)

7 Seasons, 154 Episodes

Stream on Hulu

A modern version of the Sherlock Holmes character, Elementary made a lot of changes to the story that fans of the original books loved. Dr. Watson became Joan, for example, played by Lucy Liu as the character apprenticed under Sherlock (Jonny Lee Miller) to become a consulting detective herself, while also still acting as a sober companion.

For the fans of shows like Mindhunter who are fascinated by the twists in the mysteries, or the revealing of previously unknown information, Elementary, with its complicated cases, is a good series to fill the void left behind by Mindhunter's absence. It's a bit faster-paced than Mindhunter as well, which makes it easier to binge than the slower Netflix series.

12 Only Murders In The Building (2021– Present)

3 Seasons, 30 Episodes

Stream on Hulu

Unlike most shows focused on murder, Only Murders in the Building is a comedy series. Oliver (Martin Short), Charles (Steve Martin), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) are three apartment building tenants obsessed with true-crime stories, and they then end up caught in the middle of one. With the cast of Only Murders in the Building season 3 adding Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd to the roster, it's also one of the most star-studded series around.

The trio lives in Arconia and are all fans of the same murder mystery podcast, All is Not OK in Oklahoma, which is the perfect touch considering society's obsession with cold cases. When a resident is murdered in their building, the three team up to uncover the truth, initially with the idea of podcasting the story. While very different from Mindhunter, it speaks to the overall appeal of the Netflix show – wanting to understand the motivations and the mystery behind the murders. In this case, the would-be audience is involved in the crime.

11 Broadchurch (2013–2017)

3 Seasons, 24 Episodes

• Stream on PBS Masterpiece

Unlike many of the other shows similar to Mindhunter, Broadchurch is very much a police procedural. It primarily focuses on one case, however, instead of each episode introducing the audience to a different crime. But it's that long-term focus that makes it a show like Mindhunter. Small-town British detective Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) is passed over for a promotion in favor of out-of-town detective Alec Hardy (David Tennant).

The two are then forced to work together on a high-profile case – the death of a young boy. As the Broadchurch episodes unfold, the two understand one another better, but they also discover that the small town holds many secrets.

10 Hannibal (2013–2015)

3 Seasons, 39 Episodes

Stream on Prime Video

Hannibal follows the story of Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) in a riveting retelling of the original novel series by Thomas Harris. Hannibal is a psychiatrist and Graham is a brilliant profiler, who occasionally takes his cases too personally.

This story is all about serial killers and figuring out their profiles based on Will and Hannibal's abilities to see through the eyes of the killer, discover their sick motives, and track them down. The show is beautifully gruesome and has a very similar tone to that of Mindhunter. Like the Netflix series, it also allows the audience to get into the heads of killers and learn about the psychology of their actions.

9 Making A Murderer (2015–2018)

2 Seasons, 20 Episodes

Stream on Netflix

Making a Murderer is a true-crime documentary series from Netflix about Steven Avery, a man wrongfully accused and locked in jail for nearly two full decades. Avery filed lawsuits against the county and many others who were involved in his arrest. Shortly after that, Avery found himself behind bars yet again for the accused murder of a young photographer, Teresa Halbach.

What is fascinating about this show is that the documentary series raised some questions about Avery's second arrest and has made the public cry out for the police to reopen the case. The series is of particular interest as it provides the flip side of shows like Mindhunter. While the people interviewed in Mindhunter are based on real-life serial killers, Making a Murderer shows what happens when crime research and the ensuing investigation are biased.

8 True Detective (2014– Present)

4 Seasons, 25 Episodes

Stream on Max

True Detective is a crime anthology series on HBO, and each season follows different sets of detectives and crimes. Like in Mindhunter, the series focuses not only on the specific cases but on the lives of the detectives as well. This is reminiscent of how Bill and Holden's lives are subplots within Mindhunter, and that the greater plot pushing their lives along is the cases they are currently investigating. True Detective also has a star-studded cast with the likes of Mahershala Ali, Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Alexandra Daddario, and Michelle Monaghan.

7 Conversations With A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes (2019)

1 Season, 4 Episodes

Stream on Netflix

Another Netflix docuseries, Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes focuses on the eponymous serial killer who is one of the most notorious in the United States. Bundy was interviewed by the Behavioral Science Unit in 1985, which is predominantly why viewers didn't see this particular serial killer in Mindhunter. However, it is also mysterious as to why no one has even mentioned him in the series, considering his court case was going on during the show's timeline.

The docuseries pieces together archival footage of when Bundy was being interviewed while on death row. For the fans of shows like Mindhunter who wish the series would have included this well-known figure, Conversations with a Killer will provide an interesting (and dark) accompaniment.

6 Criminal Minds (2005– Present)

16 Seasons, 334 Episodes

Stream on Hulu

Criminal Minds had over 15 seasons before rebooting with Evolution, so there is a lot to enjoy. It is a show like Mindhunter that focuses on the crimes and investigations of the Behavioral Analysis Unit in the FBI. This show is probably the most closely related to Mindhunter because it is directly focused on criminal profiling and goes into the psychology of the killers that the BAU tracks, focusing more on the perpetrators' psychological reasoning and habits than the murders themselves.

They are even called the "mind hunter" team. Criminal Minds could have easily been a sequel series of sorts as it's clear the modern team is influenced by the actions taken to understand serial killers, like the events of Mindhunter. The show doesn't only focus on serial killers though, as the team also takes on kidnappings and robberies that occur across state lines, allowing the series to explore other avenues of investigation too.

5 Manhunt (2019-2021)

2 Seasons, 7 Episodes

• Stream on Hoopla

This British show spans only seven episodes across its two seasons and focuses on the manhunt Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton (Martin Clunes) undertakes to find serial killer Levi Bellfield (Celyn Jones). This show was based on a very real case and focused on Sutton's side of the story. The short series is similar to shows like Mindhunter in that it is a true-crime retelling and is the story of an actual serial killer. The bulk of the action, however, is in tracking the killer, not researching them after the fact.

4 The Act (2019)

1 Season, 8 Episodes

stream on Hulu

Hulu's The Act is a series like Mindhunter in that it is another story based on actual events. This true-crime story follows the life and murder of Dee Dee Blanchard (Patricia Arquette) and her daughter and killer, Gypsy (Joey King). The Act shows the true toxicity of an over-protective parent as Dee Dee suffers a serious case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy and insists beyond belief that her daughter is sick with several ailments.

She forces Gypsy to use a wheelchair and insists she cannot walk. She fools everyone, including Gypsy and medical professionals, that her daughter has cancer and several illnesses. Things begin to turn sour when Gypsy starts to uncover her mother's lies. While Mindhunter allows the audience to see the investigators react to what the serial killers have done (and recount in their interviews), The Act gives the audience another perspective – that of the killer. It explores some of the same ideas of Mindhunter differently.

3 Unbelievable (2019)

1 Season, 8 Episodes

Stream on Netflix

Unbelievable is a Netflix original true-crime drama based on an actual story, though it does take some liberties. This story follows the case of Marie Adler (Kaitlyn Dever) who was assaulted by a masked intruder in her home and was then re-traumatized by the media and detectives who accused her of making it all up. Due to their insistence, Marie recanted her story. Because of this oddity, two female detectives take on the case, following evidence to reveal the truth that leads to a serial rapist.

While the person being investigated is a serial criminal, that and the fictionalized true-crime approach are where the similarities to Mindhunter end. Unlike most shows in the genre, Unbelievable is a true-crime story that is women-centric and told from their perspective. The survivor and investigating detectives Grace Rasmussen (Toni Collette) and Karen Duvall (Merritt Wever) are women, bringing a new point of view that all true-crime fans should check out.

2 Dexter (2006–2013)

8 Seasons, 96 Episodes

• Stream on Paramount+

Dexter is a crime series that follows Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a bloodstain pattern expert for the Miami Metro PD. Dexter doesn't only help solve the crimes, though; he commits them too. The series dives into Dexter's state of mind and how he sees himself as he descends more and more into his web of lies and murder, a pattern that resembles Holden's mentality throughout Mindhunter. It also allows the audience to get into the mind of an actual serial killer instead of simply focusing on the investigators.

1 American Crime Story (2016– Present)

3 Seasons, 29 Episodes

Stream on Hulu

American Crime Story is a dramatization of true crime events, with each season focusing on a different case. The series was developed by Ryan Murphy and the same team behind American Horror Story and has a similar premise to the horror anthology series in that much of the ensemble cast repeats every season.

The series has covered infamous cases: The People v. O.J. Simpson, with Cuba Gooding Jr. in the titular role, The Assassination of Gianni Versace starring Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan, and Impeachment with Beanie Feldstein as Monica Lewinsky and Clive Owen as Bill Clinton. Like in Mindhunter, the team tries to cast and style the actors as close as possible based on how their real-life counterparts looked.

• 

  Mindhunter

  Release Date:

  2017-10-13

  Cast:

  Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, Hannah Gross, Cotter Smith, Anna Torv, Stacey Roca, Cameron Britton, Michael Cerveris, Joe Tuttle, Lauren Glazier

  Genres:

  Crime, Drama, Thriller

  Rating:

  TV-MA

  Seasons:

  2

  Story By:

  Joshua Donen, Josh Douglas, Mark Olshaker, Courtenay Miles

  Writers:

  Joe Penhall

  Streaming Service(s):

  Netflix

  Directors:

  David Fincher

  Showrunner:

  Joe Penhall