Netflix’s ‘Mindhunter’ Is a Perfect Thriller to Binge Watch in a Weekend

The Netflix thriller Mindhunter is perfection, and it can be binge-watched in a single weekend. Mindhunter Season 1 dropped on Netflix on Oct. 13, 2017, and Season 2 arrived a little under two years later on Aug. 16, 2019. If this genre is your thing, Netflix has a few more thrillers to pick from. 2025 alone had some exciting releases, like Wayward and The Beast in Me. However, it’s hard to say that everyone is still talking about those storylines and characters.

Mindhunter, in contrast, is still a fan favorite. It’s not every day that a series still has a strong presence in pop culture, even years after it ends. The series impresses for several reasons, and fans of true crime and David Fincher, who served as an executive producer and directed several of the episodes, shouldn’t miss it.

‘Mindhunter’ Is Netflix’s Most Incredible Thriller TV Series

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Watch even just the first of all 19 episodes of Mindhunter, and it’s clear why it’s the most well-crafted thriller TV series on Netflix. Begin watching on a Friday evening, and it’ll be easy to binge both seasons by the time the weekend is over.

Honestly, Mindhunter is much better than other popular series such as You, The Beast in Me, and all those Harlan Coben adaptations like Fool Me Once. The biggest difference? Those other thrillers are firmly guilty pleasures. Sure, they’re a lot of fun. You keeps viewers guessing by adding new settings and character twists throughout. The Beast in Me is a captivating murder mystery. And whether someone has read Coben’s vast library or not, his stories make for entertaining TV shows.

Mindhunter is its own thing, and it manages to be educational, deep, and entertaining, too. Creator Joe Penhall crafted an incredible series based on Mark Olshaker and John E. Douglas’s non-fiction book, Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit. In another’s hands, it could have been dry, boring, and unimpressive.

Instead, Mindhunter achieves two important goals: examining the history of criminal psychology and also telling a fascinating story about the main characters, Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) and Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff), who are FBI agents. Anna Torv’s character, psychologist Wendy Carr, is an important piece of the puzzle, too. Mindhunter‘s episodes stand out because Ford interviews serial killers, and these scenes are as alarming and unsettling as you would imagine them to be.

There were two potential ways to adapt the book: a (possibly boring) documentary about the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI, or a procedural series filled with intrigue and drama. Many people wish for a third season of Mindhunter because it touches on serious subjects but has some dramatic storylines, too. Real killers, like Wayne Williams and Charles Manson, are depicted, and Ford is often shown experiencing anxiety thanks to his disturbing career. He’s a real human, not a dull detective or agent without any personality. There’s no denying how heavy the series is. However, Season 1 also explores Ford’s relationship with Debbie Mitford (Hannah Gross). While it’s not an easy romance with zero problems, it adds a necessary break from the true crime element.

Yes, thrillers should be entertaining, but they’re more impressive when they’re actually about something. Mindhunter is a different type of binge-watch than, say, You. While there’s some insight into Joe Goldberg’s motives (Penn Badgley), and viewers learn about his traumatic childhood, the focus is on twists, turns, and juicy plotlines. With Mindhunter, you’re watching a dark story about death, pain, mental health, and racial profiling. A few years after its conclusion, it’s still a show everyone has to see.