Dr. Death release date, cast, synopsis, trailer and more

Medical dramas tend to be heartwarming fares like New Amsterdam under NBC‘s banner, however, the network’s streamer Peacock has different plans for their audience with the medical thriller Dr. Death.

The chilling limited series, written and ran by Patrick Macmanus, will take viewers into the operating room of Dr. Christopher Duntsch. The charismatic doctor has the Dallas medical community under his spell but beneath his smile and brilliance lies a deadly malice and taste for murder.

Dr. Death, which is based on a true story, is set to be an unsettling reminder of how much of ourselves we put into the hands of medical professionals. Sure, the Hippocratic oath is one they swear by and there are laws in place to keep people in check, but no system is flawless. It doesn’t take much for people to sweep unusual behavior and circumstances under the rug when they believe the person they’re defending is someone they can trust.

Dr. Death will debut soon on Peacock, so here’s what we know about this series and the murder spree that’s about to be unleashed in Christopher’s operating room.

Dr. Death release date

Dr. Death premieres on Peacock as a Peacock original on July 15, 2021.

Dr. Death cast

According to Deadline‘s reporting, the casting for Dr. Death is as follows:

Joshua Jackson as Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a Dallas-based surgeon whose promising practice takes a deadly turn as he breaks his Hippocratic oath and begins to irreparably harm his patients.

Alec Baldwin as Dr. Robert Henderson, a surgeon who believes in the system and taking your time to ensure success both in the operating room and in life.

Christian Slater as Dr. Randall Kirby, who has no problem burning the system down. He’s brash with the kind of recklessness that will get under Robert’s skin, but they’re both determined to bring Christopher to justice.

AnnaSophia Robb as Michelle Shughart, the Assistant District Attorney who joins forces with Robert and Randall to stop Dr. Death from killing any more of his patients.

Chris Sullivan as Jerry Summers, Christopher’s best friend whose loyalty could cost him his life as he’s not wary of his friend’s operating room and its increasing casualties.

Molly Griggs as Wendy Young, Christopher’s girlfriend and mother of his children. She’s his touchstone, and his family life is the last shred of humanity connecting him to who he was before becoming Dr. Death.

Grace Gummer as Kim Morgan, a nurse who gets close to Christopher on both a personal and a professional level. His ambition and talent call to her no-nonsense, take-charge manner that is embodied in her capabilities as a medical professional.

Hubert Point-Du Jour as an OR nurse at Dallas Medical Center who breaks his silence on what’s been happening in Christopher’s operating room. The information he passes to Robert and Randall is the first push toward stopping the charming doctor from smiling his way through hurting his patients.

Maryann Plunkett as the patient whose surgery gone wrong and becomes the crux of the criminal case Michelle, Robert, and Randall are building against Christopher.

Carrie Preston as Christopher’s defense attorney Robbie McClung.

Dr. Death synopsis

The official synopsis per Peacock:

"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 (AnnaSophia 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."

Dr. Death trailer

Watch the trailer below: