We place a great deal of trust in medical professionals. Occasionally, this trust is abused, and in the case of the ex-neurosurgeon Christopher Daniel Duntsch – otherwise known as Dr Death – simple malpractice evolved to become something more… murderous. The real-life story of Duntsch is the latest in a long line of true crime stories to receive the drama series treatment, with this one starring Dawson Creek alumni Joshua Jackson as Duntsch himself, alongside both Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater.
The Dr Death trailer opens with some ominous foreshadowing, wherein Jackson’s Duntsch introduces himself to a medical team right before they undertake an operation:
“It is important we are in and out with as little fanfare as possible,” Jackson can be heard saying.
“So mouths shut, ears open – let’s begin.”
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As the list of Christopher Duntsch’s surgical “mistakes” builds, leaving patients permanently damaged or dead, fellow neurosurgeon Dr Robert Henderson (portrayed by Alec Baldwin) and vascular surgeon Dr Randall Kirby (portrayed by Christian Slater) become increasingly suspicious. Before long, it’s a race against the clock to stop the cold and calculating Dr Christopher Duntsch before he can do any more damage.
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Christopher Duntsch / Dr Death would eventually injure 33 out of 38 patients in less than two years, causing death to two, before his license was revoked by the Texas Medical Board. In 2017, he was successfully convicted of maiming a patient and sentenced to life imprisonment.
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Jackson, Baldwin, and Slater will be joined by Carrie Preston, Dominic Burgess, Fredric Lehne, AnnaSophia Robb, as well as Grace Summer. The series has been created by Patrick Macmanus, who has most notably produced Netflix’s Marco Polo, Happy!, and The Girl From Plainville.
Dr Death starring Joshua Jackson, Alec Baldwin, and Christian Slater will soon be available to stream on Stan – watch the first trailer above.
