Mindhunter Canceled by Netflix

This post will not have any interest for some of you because (1) you don't have Netflix, and (2) you don't want to watch a show that is ultimately about the mind of a serial killer.  

That is ok, I understand. You already know I watch some strange programs.  I prefer cozy murders, a la Agatha Christie - there is a body in the library- but this show has appealed to me from an intellectual aspect that I find strange myself.  

What makes a killer?   Are some people born bad?  Why do you cross the road when you see one person coming toward you and not another?  Is it all about childhood?  Is it about nature or nurture?  

The series is loosely based on John E. Douglas and his book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit.  The character of Holden Ford is based on Douglas. The character of Bill Tench is loosely based on Robert K. Reesler.  I was not familiar with either of these men or the book.  

I did kind of fall for the Bill Tench character with his smooth dry wit and everyman sensibility.  Apparently Holt McCallany the actor who plays Tench has been in the business some 30 years.  I didn't recognize either McCallany or Jonathan Groff who plays the wide-eyed gung-ho younger of the two.  

Here is a better description of the program from The Men's Journal - you can read the whole article by clicking on the link:

Mindhunter follows FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (McCallany) during the nascent days of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit in the late 1970s. The two agents travel the country teaching local cops federal investigative techniques, while developing the fields of criminal psychology and criminal profiling. How they get that done: Interviewing some of the most notorious real-life serial killers in U.S. history, including Ed Kemper (Cameron Britton) and Richard Speck (Jack Erdie).
The perfect way to sum up the series might be this line from McCallany’s Tench to the higher-ups at the FBI when he defends Holden’s new way of thinking: “How do we get ahead of crazy if we don’t know how crazy thinks?” Tench asks.https://www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/holt-mccallany-having-career-moment-mindhunter-its-about-damn-time/ 

While I truly enjoyed the program what baffles me is why Netflix canceled it.  Netflix never shares viewer information.  Popularity is shared through word of mouth, or word of social media I should probably say. 

When researching why this show was dropped, I read this on Popculture - you can read the whole article by clicking on the link: 

For Netflix, there is more value in variety than longevity, argues Showbiz Cheat Sheet. The company keeps its subscribers hooked with a seemingly endless catalog, not by making them come back for the same show year after year. https://popculture.com/streaming/2019/08/10/why-netflix-keeps-canceling-their-shows/#5

The show is also set in the '70s which is a favorite time in my life and the clothes, music and social standards are all a joy for me to watch.  But there must be more than this because there was a series, HBO, I think, called Deuce.  Set in the same time frame but to me, it was an ugly, grimy portrayal of the times and I didn't like it.  

I kind of hate the fact that there are more really dumb shows out there on the channels I am paying for and then they cancel the ones I like.  Is it me?  Am I old and set in my ways?  Yes, probably.  If no one liked the show but me, why not say it was canceled for lack of an audience? That I could understand.  Frustration.  It is not just this show but the fact that I feel unappreciated and treated irresponsibly as a fan of and subscriber to Netflix.  

Just sayin' ....