NBC Finds the Perfect ‘Mindhunter’ Replacement Series From ‘The Blacklist’ Producers

Netflix’s collaboration with David Fincher delivered one of the most gripping and psychologically unhinged crime thrillers of the past decade, only to leave audiences stranded with a promised third season that never came. Any lingering hope of Mindhunter’s return was finally put to rest when Fincher himself confirmed the series was over. However, that hasn’t stopped fans from holding out for a miracle, but in the meantime, studios have been racing to capture even a fraction of the show’s chilling magic. Now, NBC is stepping into the void, with a new report confirming the network has ordered a pilot for a new series centered on legendary criminal profiler Dr. Ann Burgess, the real-life inspiration behind Mindhunter’s Wendy Carr, portrayed by Anna Torv in the Netflix classic.

The yet-untitled thriller hails from Quantum Leap showrunner Dean Georgaris and The Blacklist and Magnum P.I. veteran John Fox, who will write and executive produce the project alongside John Davis, another key creative force behind NBC’s long-running crime hit The Blacklist. Produced by Universal Television, the pilot arrives with strong internal momentum, particularly given the studio’s successful history with Georgaris. Following his work steering NBC’s Quantum Leap reboot, as well as crafting pilots for The Brave and Bluff City Law, expectations are high that this latest crime entry could secure a full series order. The official synopsis, according to the new report, reads:

“Professor Georgia Ryan is a trailblazing psychologist who challenges the field of criminology by shifting the investigative focus to the victim rather than just the perpetrator in order to uncover the crucial clues that more traditional methods leave behind. Alongside her team, this pioneering expert consults with the FBI to solve the most baffling and elusive cases. Inspired by the real-life work of internationally renowned expert profiler and author Dr. Ann Burgess.”

NBC Is Doubling Down on Crime Shows

NBC has been especially active in building out its slate ahead of the next TV season, with the pilot order for the Burgess-inspired drama arriving alongside several other high-profile projects. The network recently greenlit a pilot for Protection, an upcoming U.S. Marshal drama from Quantico creator Josh Safran, as well as a pilot for a reboot of The Rockford Files, the classic series that starred James Garner and ran on NBC from 1974 to 1980.

If picked up, the Ann Burgess–inspired series would mark the third time her groundbreaking work has been adapted for the screen, following Netflix’s Mindhunter and Hulu’s docuseries Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer. Burgess chronicled her pioneering role in shaping the FBI’s criminal profiling unit in her book A Killer by Design: Murderers, Mindhunters, and My Quest to Decipher the Criminal Mind, and she will serve as a consulting producer on the NBC project. The drama is being developed as a one-hour series, with no casting announcements made at this time. Stay tuned to Collider for further updates.