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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →If you liked Mindhunter for its exploration of criminal profiling, Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer offers a nonfiction route into the history behind those ideas. The three-part Hulu docuseries follows Ann Burgess, a professor whose work with victims and law enforcement helped shape the real-world field that the Netflix drama fictionalizes. It is not a continuation of Mindhunter or a retelling of its plot; the appeal is seeing the people and professional work beyond the dramatization.
What is Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer about?
The docuseries centers on Ann Burgess, a Boston College professor whose work includes victimology and criminal profiling. Rather than treating cases only as puzzles about perpetrators, it also considers the experiences of victims and Burgess’s efforts to encourage more sensitive responses from law enforcement. Boston College describes the series as exploring her work and its connection to the early FBI behavioral science work dramatized in Mindhunter (Boston College).
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The series is based on Burgess’s book, A Killer by Design: Murderers, Mindhunters, and My Quest to Decipher the Criminal Mind. TIME’s July 11, 2024 feature discusses Burgess’s work with sexual assault and rape victims and her contribution to understanding perpetrators through victimology (TIME).
How is it connected to Mindhunter?
Mindhunter is scripted drama about FBI agents and dramatized cases; Mastermind is nonfiction about Burgess’s real career and professional work. TIME identifies Burgess as the real-life inspiration for Wendy Carr, the character portrayed in Mindhunter. That connection makes the documentary relevant to fans, but it does not make it an authorized companion or a direct adaptation of the Netflix series.
#1 Best Overall
| What to expect | Mindhunter | Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Scripted crime drama | Nonfiction docuseries |
| Focus | FBI agents and dramatized cases | Ann Burgess’s career, victimology, and work with law enforcement |
| Viewing experience | Narrative tension and character arcs | Documentary context and real people |
Who is it best suited to?
Choose Mastermind if what held your attention in Mindhunter was the history and practice of profiling, and you are interested in the real expert whose work informed that world. It may be a less direct fit if you mainly want another scripted thriller with the same characters, pacing, or plot style: this is a documentary about Burgess, not another season of the drama.
For more of Burgess’s perspective, the series draws on her book, A Killer by Design, which Boston College identifies as its basis. In TIME’s account, Andrea Constand, who appears in the docuseries, describes Burgess’s support with the words, “She believed me.” The moment points to the victim-centered dimension of the series, not just its interest in criminal profiling.
Rank #2
- Factory sealed DVD
When did it arrive on Hulu?
TIME reported that Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer began streaming on Hulu on July 11, 2024; that is its reported original release date, not confirmation of present-day availability in every region. A September 2024 Crime Analyst interview listing describes it as a three-part docuseries (Crime Analyst on Apple Podcasts). Check Hulu’s listing in your region for current availability.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- DVD
- 2 disc's
- filmed in color and black & white
Rank #3
- Inside The Criminal Mind DVD Set
- 30-episode documentary collection strips the covers from a world of profiling and forensic science.
- Examines serial killers and delves into killing sprees, arsons, and bombings.
- Includes 60 of the greatest unsolved mysteries and crimes
- 6 DVDs; 22 hrs. 48 mins.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
