Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Criminal profiler pioneer docu has disturbing content.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
MASTERMIND: TO THINK LIKE A KILLER is a docuseries that chronicles the pioneering work of criminal profiler and victimologist Dr. Ann Burgess, and how it transformed the way law enforcement thinks about serial murders and sexual assault survivors. In the early 1970s Burgess, a psychiatric nurse in Boston, co-authored a study that asked female rape survivors to share their feelings about what happened to them, and then quantified the information into research data that could be used to assess victim trauma. By 1978 she was developing a project that used similar research techniques with FBI agents in the organization's fledgling Behavioral Science Unit. They assessed the trauma of Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, and other notorious serial killers and used the data to develop modern psychological criminal profiling. Through interviews, Burgess offers firsthand accounts of how this all transpired, and of her subsequent years collaborating with the FBI to identify and apprehend serial murderers. She also discusses why she stepped back from this work to focus on helping sexual assault victims. She's served as an expert witness in cases involving alleged sexual assault, including the Menendez brothers' first trial and Andrea Constad's 2005 civil case against Bill Cosby (which was settled before it went to trial). Throughout it all, reenactments, FBI recordings, archive video footage, and interviews with Burgess' adult children, authors, researchers, and sexual assault survivors discuss the significance and ongoing impact of her work.
Is It Any Good?
This compelling biographical docuseries reveals how Dr. Ann Burgess used her research skills and scholarly background in criminal psychology, victimology, and sex crimes to change the practice of law enforcement. Despite the fact that the archive recordings of interviews serial killers and images of injuries occasionally give Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer a slight tabloid-like vibe, the three-part production offers a serious and detailed chronicle of Burgess' research and the high-profile cases she's worked on. It also offers some insight into what motivated Burgess to do this work, and what it was like as a married woman with four young children to pursue this career during a time period and in a field that was (and to some extent still is) largely patriarchal. Burgess shares her story with a combination of matter-of-fact objectivity and a fair share of humility about successfully overcoming these challenges and her professional successes, noting how a new generation of researchers will need to update her research in a digital world.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what it takes to be a criminal profiler. What kind of academic training is necessary? How do profilers cope with the disturbing information they have to work with?
Did you know that Dr. Ann Burgess is the inspiration for Dr. Wendy Carr's character in the movie Mindhunter? Is the work described in Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer as exciting as they make it seem in entertainment media?
TV Details
- Premiere date : July 11, 2024
- Cast : Ann Burgess
- Network : Hulu
- Genre : Reality TV
- Character Strengths : Compassion , Curiosity , Humility , Perseverance , Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Last updated : July 29, 2024
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate