Dr. Death season 1 is a US true-crime series that's made its way across the pond to the UK after previously airing on Peacock.
This limited series is inspired by the Wondery podcast of the same name and tackles the story of disgraced Dr. Christoph Duntsch, a real surgeon who was sentenced to life in prison in 2017 after a series of botched surgeries.
The series follows Duntsch, who is described as a 'young, charismatic and ostensibly brilliant' surgeon. However, as patients who enter his operating theater begin leaving either maimed or dead, two fellow physicians (along with a Dallas-based prosecutor) team up to stop him from harming any more people.
Here's what you need to know about Dr. Death season 1...
Dr Death season 1 release date
Dr Death's first series originally premiered in 2021 on the US streaming service, Peacock, and it has also streamed on Lionsgate Plus.
The series is airing on UK TV screens on Channel 4 starting on Tuesday, June 20 at 10 pm and will be available to watch on Channel 4's streaming service, too.
Dr. Death cast
Canadian actor Joshua Jackson leads the Dr. Death cast as Dr. Christopher Duntsch. You may know Jackson from The Affair, Fringe, Little Fires Everywhere, or, most recently, the Paramount Plus Fatal Attraction series.
The series also stars Christian Slater Dr. Randall Kirby and Alex Baldwin as Dr. Robert Henderson, the two physicians who catch on to Duntsch's scheme and set out to stop him, aided by Dallas-based prosecutor, Michelle Shughart (AnnaStophia Robb).
In addition, the series also features:
- Dominic Burgess
- Grace Gummer
- Molly Griggs
- Fredric Lehne
- Laila Robins
- Grainer Hines
- Hubert Point-Du Jour
What's the plot of Dr. Death?
As we've noted above, Dr. Death is based on a chilling true story. The full synopsis for season 1 reads: "Based on Wondery’s hit podcast, DR. DEATH is inspired by the terrifying true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch (Joshua Jackson), a rising star in the Dallas medical community. Young, charismatic and ostensibly brilliant, Dr. Duntsch was building a flourishing neurosurgery practice when everything suddenly changed. Patients entered his operating room for complex but routine spinal surgeries and left permanently maimed or dead.
"As victims piled up, two fellow physicians, neurosurgeon Robert Henderson (Alec Baldwin) and vascular surgeon Randall Kirby (Christian Slater), as well as Dallas prosecutor Michelle Shughart (Anna Sophia Robb), set out to stop him. DR. DEATH explores the twisted mind of Dr. Duntsch and the failures of the system designed to protect the most defenseless among us."
Is there a Dr. Death trailer?
Yep, you can find the trailer that released ahead of the show's premiere below, which introduces the race against time that Henderson and Kirby faced as they tried to stop Duntsch's twisted scheme. You can find it below:
Will there be a Dr. Death season 2?
Dr. Death was renewed for a second season in July 2022 (per Variety). For the second season, the series will take on an anthology format, with the series following a new case each season. Season 2 will be moving onto the story of Paolo Macchiarini, a Swiss-born surgeon who was convicted of causing bodily harm with an experimental transplant, as stated in this report from the BMJ.
