“I’m proud of the work that we did”: Holt McCallany opens up about Netflix’s decision to axe Mindhunter 

There are a handful of shows that have stood out on the crowded TV agenda to date, but Mindhunter might be one of them. Netflix abruptly axed the David Fincher crime drama that was widely lauded for its psychological twists and uncanny accuracy after only two seasons.

Series star Holt McCallany of the FX hit series, American Crime Story - where Holt portrayed an FBI agent Bill Tench, opened up on what ended Mindhunter and his pride in being a part of the show.

“Most shows are pretty forgettable,” — But not Mindhunter

In a conversation with AwardsDaily, McCallany underscored the special nature of the project, declaring Mindhunter to be his all-time best experience. He did not hold back while speaking about Mindhunter, in contrast to the bigger TV picture. He said:

"Did I want Mindhunter to be canceled after two seasons? Uh, no, but that's not my decision. That's my friend David's (Fincher) decision. And if that's David's decision, that's David's decision. I understand, and I accept, and I move on. I remain grateful, and I mean this sincerely, for the opportunity to have made Lights Out, for the opportunity to have made Mindhunter, even if they didn't last as long as I might have hoped, I still got to be there, and I'm proud of the work that we did.

Mindhunter is based on the 1995 true crime book Police Psychopath Investigative Unit, which chronicles the birth of FBI criminal profiling. Adding further, he said:

"You're talking about my two favorite projects. Let me prattle on just for five more seconds. I loved making those shows, and I can only hope that at some point in my career, there'll be something else that I feel as strongly about as I do about those two television series, because not all series are created equal."

Based on the 1995 true-crime book Mindhunter: Inside The FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit, the show follows Agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (McCallany), who interview some of the most notorious serial killers as they strive to understand their minds, a concept that is the cornerstone of modern criminology.

David Fincher’s vision made Mindhunter unforgettable

David Fincher, who directed Se7en, Zodiac, and Gone Girl, brought something different to the table, which Mindhunter exceeded basic true crime. While it's minimalist, polished directing by Fincher provided chills and character-rooted material that felt too scarce in the theatre of the mind. Slower pacing, more silence, longer pauses, and character tension over action sequences is something he wasn’t afraid to experiment with.

McCallany added:

"Let's face it. Most of them are pretty forgettable. I don't think you can say that about Mindhunter. And for the boxing fans and for the people out there who really love the fight game, I think the same can be said for Lights Out."

Mindhunter has even transcended its brief tenure as a cultural touchstone. The series currently has a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for multiple Emmys, but is often attributed as one of Netflix‘s smartest original shows ever created.

Why Mindhunter still matters

Despite its premature end, Mindhunter has remained a cultural touchstone. The series holds a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, was nominated for multiple Emmys, and is still hailed as one of Netflix’s most intelligent original productions.

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Mindhunter exposed the actual science of every most gruesome type of crime as it existed. Rather than rabbiting on about the shock value, the show entered us into the gradual, unpleasant space of criminal profiling, even rarer in the modern true crime-heavy TV world is rare.

There has been a noticeable void in the genre since Mindhunter was cancelled. A flood of crime series still hit streaming services but nobody dares to follow Fincher's awsh stone-brainchild approach. Mindhunter didn’t rely on explosive moments or serialized cliffhangers — it captivated audiences with tension, performance, and eerie realism.

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