Set over the course of several years, the series follows Christopher Duntsch (Joshua Jackson) from his formative college years to eventually becoming a medical doctor and surgeon. Over the course of his career at hospitals all over the state of Texas Dr. Duntsch is involved in the maiming or death of 33 patients while facing no disciplinary action or suspension. Two medical doctors Randall Kirby (Christian Slater) and Robert Henderson (Alec Baldwin) team up to try and find a way to stop Duntsch and prevent him from harming more patients.
Based on the Wondery podcast of the same name, Dr. Death chronicles the true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch the disgraced and now incarcerated former neurosurgeon who was nicknamed "Dr. Death" when details of his surgeries came to light. The show does a respectable job telling its true life story respectfully and with purpose telling a story of not only a malignant narcissist and sociopath, but also the layers of bureaucratic buck passing and deceptive and misleading documentation that covered for Dr. Duntsch's actions for the sake of protecting public image, prestige, and dodging legal liability.
Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater are terrific as Doctors Henderson and Kirby and have great chemistry with Baldwin's more serious level headed planner well complimented by Slater's more laid back and loose attitude making them for an endearing and likable set of heroes. But by far the biggest asset in the show is Joshua Jackson as "Dr. Death" Duntsch himself. From the first time we meet Duntsch he absolutely oozes with contempt. Alternating between a veneer of smug and phony unearned confidence that has the same level of slimy appeal as a used car salesman and a searing intensity of rage, insecurity, jealousy, and paranoia that gives the man the level of threat on par with a live wire next to a puddle. It's a brilliant performance by Jackson and great examination of a terrible person.
Dr. Death does struggle getting viewers hooked thanks to a tendency to jump around the timeline with multiple sequences taking place at different points in Duntsch's past intercut with the ongoing investigation with Kirby and Henderson. While the title text does give us a sense of time and place I'd often find myself lost briefly wondering if certain events took place before others thanks to the non linear storytelling. While the time jumps can be disorienting I did eventually find myself settling into the show's rhythm and was able to become fully immersed.
Dr. Death is not an easy sit and will be a haunting experience for many viewers. With its cold analytical narrative detailing actions of inhuman callousness and indifference there will be many viewers who will not be able to stomach this series for the surgery scenes alone (not that they're excessively gory, but they are intense). With that said, the show is a well made and well-acted story that tries to do justice to the victims and understand why this happened and who was responsible. Highly recommended.
