Mindhunter Season 3 gets massive update and it should cover this terrifying serial killer

According to star Holt McCallany, Mindhunter Season 3 might have a future – David Fincher says the writers are working on it. If Netflix gives it the go ahead, there’s one serial killer that would be perfect to explore. 

Set in the late 1970s and early ‘80s, Mindhunter follows the early days of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, with agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (McCallany) based on real-life profilers John Douglas and Robert Ressler.

It was so much more than just another true crime drama, with Fincher succeeding in creating slow-burn, razor-sharp television that’s as much about psychology as it is murder. Ever since Season 2 ended, fans have been calling for a third chapter, but it seemed like all hope was lost when Netflix confirmed its cancellation in 2023.

However, McCallany has offered a glimmer of hope after meeting with Fincher. “There’s a chance that it may come back as three two-hour movies… I know there are writers that are working, but you know, David has to be happy with scripts,” he told CBR. 

Mindhunter Season 2 should cover the Green River Killer

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If Mindhunter Season 3 does get the go-ahead, movies or not, there’s one serial killer it should tackle next: Gary Ridgway, aka the Green River Killer.

For the uninitiated, Ridgway – dubbed the Green River Killer due to where his victims’ bodies were found – was convicted of 49 murders committed between 1982 and 1998, though he confessed to 71 and is believed to have murdered more than 90. 

Many of his victims were young sex workers or runaways, with his crimes spanning decades. His case would be compelling to the show’s narrative, firstly due to the timeline fitting in with Mindhunter’s. 

The show has so far explored killers active primarily in the ‘70s, and Ridgway’s spree picks up shortly after, giving Season 3 room to expand the story into a new era of criminal investigation.

Though Ridgway wasn’t arrested until 2001 – well after the main timeline covered by the Netflix show – the investigation unfolded in the early ‘80s, and could highlight how FBI profiling evolved to tackle the growing complexity and scale of such cases.

Plus, Ridgway is fascinating from a psychological standpoint. Unlike some killers who sought notoriety, Ridgway’s methods were terrifyingly methodical and dispassionate. 

He often strangled his victims and returned to their bodies, sometimes over years, exhibiting signs of psychopathy and compulsion. 

As said in a case study on Ridgway: “Unlike highly sadistic killers like Ted Bundy or Richard Ramirez, Ridgway’s psychological profile suggests a blend of psychopathy, paraphilic disorders, and a methodical, compulsive need to kill rather than extreme cruelty or thrill-seeking. 

“His case is a prime example of organized serial murder, making him a fascinating subject for forensic psychological analysis.”

He was also excellent at leading a double life. As his own defense lawyer said, “If you did not know what he had done, you would like him. The monster within him was well hidden.”

Exploring his mindset would provide rich material for the kind of deep-dive, dialogue-driven storytelling Mindhunter excels at. 

Then there’s the fact that Ridgway’s case opens the door to revisiting Ted Bundy, who was touched upon in the first season.

Even though Bundy’s crimes have been covered to death in countless true crime documentaries and dramas, you might not know that he was interviewed by the authorities from prison in a desperate attempt to hunt the Green River Killer down. 

Bundy told police that the site where the bodies were found was most likely close to the killer’s home, that he would be “low-key and inoffensive,” and that he would feel an irresistible urge to revisit the site – all of which turned out to be true. 

McCallany confirmed that there’s “just a chance” that the Mindhunter movies go ahead, but if it does return, there’s no better case to examine than the hunt for the Green River Killer. 

Until then, read about Monster Season 3, why Fred West needed an appropriate adult, and find more TV shows streaming this month.