Mindhunter Looks Small Next To The 'Se7en Meets True Detective' Series That Changed TV

Published Jul 24, 2026, 7:00 PM EDT Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones. You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep." Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant. Of all the shows that have changed the way we watch TV, a surprising number have been crime series. With sci-fi using cutting-edge special effects and dramas changing the game with different creative formats, crime may not always be the most obviously innovative genre. However, crime reflects society, and our understanding of crime has changed, with shows like The Wire and Adolescence focusing on the social and systemic aspects of the worst crimes imaginable. That said, one aspect of the genre that has fascinated and horrified viewers for decades is serial killers and monsters in human form. The best masterpiece TV crime dramas that feature serial killers have a significant challenge. With the subject often being horrifying enough, merely being gory is no guarantee that a show will captivate its viewers. This is why Mindhunter felt like a breath of fresh air for the genre. Based on expert criminal profiler John Douglas' memoir of the same name, the show had a surprising lack of violence, yet was extremely disturbing. Focusing on the birth of criminal psychology rather than its use, the main characters made mistakes while the show covered real crimes familiar to the viewer. There are few shows like Mindhunter, which is why it has become such a crime genre staple, with its cancelation being a disappointment to fans and one of Netflix's saddest. However, one TV show makes Mindhunter look small for its impact on both the horror and crime genres, and for its impressive legacy that continues today. Hannibal was controversial, breaking the usual rules by airing graphic body horror on mainstream TV and with many aspects concerning the existing fanbase. However, it has not only become one of the best reboots of all time, but has a surprising connection to Mindhunter. Hannibal Combines Se7en's Psychological Horror With True Detective's Flawed Characters There are more Hannibal Lecter movies and TV shows than it might seem, with the iconic character first appearing in Thomas Harris' book Red Dragon, which also featured Will Graham. The Silence of the Lambs brought the character into the mainstream, with Anthony Hopkins' terrifying performance being one of the best villain portrayals of all time, and while the subsequent movies did not match up to The Silence of the Lambs, they established a lore and characters that remain a gold standard in psychological thrillers. When the cast for Hannibal TV series was announced, many of the existing fans were concerned by the way creator Bryan Fuller had swapped the sexes of established characters, like the slimy tabloid reporter Freddie Lounds, who became an equally unpleasant crime blogger. However, the show gave these characters fuller roles, reimagining them for the show, which would not have worked nearly as well had it merely copied Thomas Harris' existing works. Some of the characters who were little more than plot devices in the source material became fan-favorites in Hannibal. Their mixed motivations and flawed personalities combined with standout performances by the main cast earned the series comparisons to True Detective, which was also a feat of great acting and character writing. The best episodes of Hannibal were masterclasses in character writing, with Will Graham being similar to Rust Cohle, who would appear a year later and also, like Will, struggle to reconcile his brilliance with his psychological trauma. The series excelled in another significant way. Mindhunter proved that blood-soaked murders and body horror did not need to be shown onscreen for a show to be nightmare fuel, but Hannibal proved that even nightmare fuel could be disturbingly beautiful. Hannibal's murder tableaux were the defining scenes in their episodes, and resembled art in the same way the murder scenes in David Fincher's brilliant Se7en did. This feat of psychological horror made viewers look for more meaning within the scenes, just as Bill and Holden would do 22 years later in Mindhunter, which was also directed by Fincher. Mindhunter Wouldn't Be The Same Without Hannibal Image via MovieStillsDB While Rotten Tomatoes scores deem Mindhunter to be the better TV show, it would likely not have been made without the legacy of The Silence of the Lambs, which won the "Big Five" Academy Awards and has been inspiring crime thrillers ever since, while Mindhunter has had a quieter impact. The shows intertwine in a fascinating way, influencing and shaping each other over decades. Before Mindhunter, John Douglas' serial killer interviews were a plot point in 1991's The Silence of the Lambs, with Douglas being the inspiration for Jack Crawford. Comparing Mindhunter with Hannibal Title Year Seasons Rotten Tomatoes critics' rating Rotten Tomatoes audience rating Hannibal 2013 3 93% 94% Mindhunter 2017 2 97% 95% The public interest in serial killers and their crimes already existed, with The Silence of the Lambs appealing to this fascination and becoming one of the best crime thrillers ever made, with many of the movie's characters being inspired by killers Douglas interviewed. This interest led to Mindhunter being written, and the legacy of Hannibal Lecter continuing through the TV reboot. Hannibal and Mindhunter might be very different shows in terms of tone, but they share DNA, with Mindhunter being born from the same fascination with human monsters that also gave us Hannibal. Hannibal 9/10 Release Date 2013 - 2015-00-00 Network NBC