Fact check: Is Netflix renewing Mindhunter for season 3? Viral poster debunked

A supposed poster depicting Netflix renewing Mindhunter for season 3 is circulating on social media, prompting fans to believe that the beloved Netflix Original series is coming back to streaming for another season.

Uploaded on Facebook by YODA BBY ABY, the supposed poster featured two of the show's famed FBI agents, Bill Tench and Holden Ford, in a red, blood-splattered background. Meanwhile, the caption alludes to a Mindhunter for season 3's October release with the original cast returning for "more captivating mysteries."

However, the poster shared on Thursday, June 20, and its claims of the Mindhunter renewal have turned out to be false as Netflix has not released any news about plans for a third season since its confirmed cancellation in 2023. Also, the streaming giant has not shared any poster about the same. The poster about Mindhunter for season 3 being circulated online is fake.

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The plan of Mindhunter season 3 is still on "indefinite hold"

Contrary to what is circulating online, and to the disappointment of many fans awaiting more of the crime drama series, there is neither any news of renewal nor a poster to imply that Mindhunter season 3 is in Netflix's plans.

The show, which originally debuted on the streaming platform in 2017, returned for a second season in 2019. However, around a year after its ninth and final episode aired, Netflix placed the show on "indefinite hold," and it's been the case ever since.

While five seasons of Mindhunter were initially set in the beginning, one of the key reasons why the series was cut short just after the second season is because of its big budget.

The show's leads, including Jonathan Groff who plays Holden Ford, Holt McCallany who plays Bill Tench, and Anna Torv who plays Dr. Wendy Carr, were released from their contracts around January 2020, allowing them to pursue other projects.

Series director David Fincher confirmed the same "very expensive" narrative in an interview with Vulture, saying:

"[Listen], for the viewership that it had, it was a very expensive show. We talked about, 'Finish Mank and then see how you feel,' but I honestly don't think we're going to be able to do it for less than I did season two. And on some level, you have to be realistic—dollars have to equal eyeballs."

Even a more recent Mind Hunter season 3 update is not working in the Netflix Original show's favor. Fincher spoke to Le Journal du Dimanche in February 2023, again reiterating that while he's proud of the first two seasons of the series, Mindhunter is a "particularly expensive" show.

When directly asked whether or not Mind Hunter season 3 is a possibility, he further stated (translated from French to English):

"...in the eyes of Netflix, we haven't attracted a large enough audience to justify such an investment."

And while the show remains on indefinite hold, the cast and crew have been somewhat positive in any case that Mindhunter returns for a new season. Jonathan Groff told THR in 2021 about being game to reprise his role. He said:

"The minute he [David Fincher] says he wants to do another one, I'll be there in a second. But I trust his vision and his instincts, and so I leave it always in his hands, as ever."

Meanwhile, the other half of the show's FBI duo, Holt McCallany told Awards Daily in January that if the show ever comes back, he's "coming back with it."

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While plans for Mindhunter season 3 are over, for now, the first two seasons of the show are streaming on Netflix.