Duntsch, hes an outlier for sure, but he exposed a lot of larger truths about the healthcare system. So the Canadian system is very different than the American system. And so, the producers started Googling and decided that he would make a good story, and then they contacted me because they were looking for a local reporter in Dallas who could work on the story. I had an urge to do that very early in the process. Planes crash because lots of smaller things go wrong at the same time. Were there some that you were trying to avoid sounding like. As those watching the show know, Christopher was dubbed "Dr. Death" in D Magazine for his botched surgeries that caused the death of several patients and left others with disabling injuries. And then I believe it absolutely became a full-blown fire when he went through school and went through the different hospitals, administrations that he went through because he wasn't stopped. Dr. Death in surgery. When people said, You werent going to be good enough, he outworked that and he made it happen.. Texas Neurosurgeon 'Dr. He performed only one surgery with the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute. Christopher, known as Dr Death, was Jerry's friend and the surgeon who performed the botched operation on him in 2011 Credit: Dallas County Sheriff's office The four-part docuseries features old footage and new interviews to tell more of the story about the neurosurgeon who was sentenced to prison after maiming or killing more than 30 patients. When I listened to the podcast, when I got into the conversation with Patrick Macmanus, when he gave me all the research material, I so wanted to make him evil. One of the patients who suffered disastrous consequences was Jerry Summers, the boyfriend of Megan Kane and a friend of Christopher Duntsch. The pair were childhood friends and eventually became roommates. This position also granted him operating privileges at Baylor Regional Medical Center (Baylor-Plano). Duntsch moved on fairly quickly, to the Dallas Medical Center, where officials allowed him to begin operating while they conducted his reference checkswhich ended in disaster. You can't justit doesn't come out wholly formed. Of course, a pediatrician couldnt have done as much damage. Did you talk a lot about how gory to make the surgeries? But depositions from Duntschs peers who knew him around that time period, between 2006 and 2008, point to cracks in the facade. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. So we had all of the tools at our disposal. But police sayanemail Duntsch wrote in 2011 points to his mind-set in the months before he "intentionally, knowingly and recklessly" messed up the procedures. Believe it or not, there was stuff I took out. And in fact, when they called me, I was kind of like, You know Im a print reporter, right? But they were great, they were willing to kind of show me what I needed to know in terms of audio and interviewing for audio, and making an audio podcast. And the fact that the system failed doesnt absolve him of the responsibility of what he did, and I want to make that clear. Dr. Death stars Joshua Jackson as Christopher Duntsch, with supporting performances from Alec Baldwin, Christian Slater, AnnaSophia Robb and Grace Gummer. Christopher Duntsch - AKA Dr. Death - spent 18 months as a practicing surgeon at multiple Texas hospitals until he had his license revoked in 2013. But on the other hand, they knew you had to have certain sounds to make the experience really real for people, and really immersive. The day that Brown suffered her stroke, Duntsch operated again. I wanted to make it easy for myself. All three of them are fantastic each in their own right. A CT scan would later reveal that Efurds nerve root had been amputated, there were several screw holes nowhere near where they were supposed to be, and one screw had been lodged in another nerve root. So it really came down to the reporting and the telling of the story itself. Duntsch took careful steps to put across the image of a hardworking, competent and caring person and doctor. And so, thats really what I zeroed in on, the whole systemic failure that allowed this to happen. And so, I think thats what made him an attractive hire. So we shot the episodes in three different bricks. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. We definitely amped up the sound effects. And because while we, as patients were told, well, the patient comes first. The Peacock limited series Dr. Death is in many ways much more a horror story than a drama, but the villain at . I believe that being born as a narcissistic sociopath was encouraged by his upbringing. JACKSON: Well, yeah, it gives you a healthy skepticism. Was a Dallas Surgeon Stoned When He Maimed His Patients?Surgery is scary enough, but when you hear what happened to some people it may seem downright terrifying. He's doing it on purpose. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Planes dont crash because one big thing goes wrong. I knew I had to get across that even if you think you know the story of Christopher Duntsch, you dont really know the whole story. When Josh and I had our first conversation, he said to me from the beginning, 'I've got to figure out how to approach this character without any judgment. The son of a physical therapist and teacher, he was known even before pursuing his medical aspirations as a person who didnt give upeven when letting go would have been the right choice. He did his surgical residency at the University of Tennessee in Memphis, spending five years studying neurosurgery and a year studying general surgery. That is a wonderful question. Duntsch's criminal defense attorney claims her client made honest mistakes while performing risky surgeries. The screen, almost vestigial now, displayed a still graphic. In 2018, he filed for an appeal which was rejected by the court. In July, he performed an operation on a woman who lost a tremendous amount of blood and lost consciousness upon waking up after surgery. And thankfully, knock on wood, I've never had some spectacularly horrific outcome, like Christopher Duntsch, but I grew up in Canada and I'm Canadian. In late 2010, Dr. Christopher Duntsch came to Dallas to start a neurosurgery practice. What storytelling tools did you discover from working in a podcast format that you didnt have before, or maybe didnt think about before? Through it all, Duntsch was able to lure patient after patient under his knife was his extreme confidence. The one where EW follows up with the cast. I will not insult our writers when I say that because they elevated everything, but it's one of those stories that you have to be particularly bad to mess up, right? And then on top of that, you have the systemic side of the medical system that ultimately failed in stopping him. Was there anything that was particularly hard not to include? What do you think are some of the contributing factors? Do you think at some point he came to the conclusion that he really was a horrible surgeon, or do you think to this day he thinks everybody else is wrong? You can take in more from a printed article. Some people woke up paralyzed; others emerged from anesthesia to permanent pain from nerve damage. The value of the doctors, right? A new four-part docuseries from Peacock premiering July 29, called Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story, peers inside the torturous crimes of Duntsch, featuring chilling stories from victims and coworkers who saw the killer surgeon in action and were forever harmed as a result. While the state of modern journalism can often seem pretty dire, investigative, serialized podcast series stand out as one of todays few bright spots, one of the last places you can still find people willing to pay for good reporting. He toldLocal Memphisin 2014 that he woke up from the surgery paralyzed, which ultimately left him a quadriplegic. You had people in walkers. I mean, truly a revolutionary act. And so, they wouldnt report him, so there wasnt a paper trail. Dr. Death, read about how reckless surgeon Robert Liston killed his patient and two bystanders. You can't ask for a story that is so ready-made. Ive been writing in print for a long time, so I really enjoyed the chance to do something different. Life After "Death": Lethal Surgeon Sentenced to PrisonWATCH NEXT: Attorney who represented Dr. Duntsch's patients discusses her cases (3 of 5) https://youtu.. For months, they stopped getting reports about messed up operations and thought theyd found success. And that's only four years ago. Plenty, plenty, plenty, plenty. I gathered very quickly that everything that he had accomplished in sports had come with the sweat equity, one old teammate told ProPublica in 2018. Thats why we have these hours and hours of tape, but that said, there are a few fundamentals that were wrong. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Philip Mayfield, one of Christopher Duntsch's patients, who was paralyzed after his surgery. Of those 38, 31 were leftparalyzed or seriously injured and two of them died from surgical complications. Duntsch declined a reporter's request for a jailhouse interview Tuesday. But the path to that point was a long one made difficult by the systems put in place to protect doctors and the institutions they work for, not the patients. Death. Dirty John would seem hard to top the story of a psychotic con-man who spent his days playing Counter Strike, posing as a doctor and telling fake war stories. Right? (He was later let go from the company over money issues). Theyre not just props in your story, they are real people whove lived this, and you need to just be respectful of that, and not fall into tropes, and not exaggerate what theyve been through, but also not diminish it. But even inside it, there was some times where sequences would line up as chronological, but the timeline was a lot to keep your head around. The value of the legal system, right, of tort reform in the state of Texas was placed above the safety and remuneration of the patients and victims. This thrilling drama is based on a hit podcast of the same. The Peacock limited series, based on the Wondery podcast, covers the true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch (played by Joshua Jackson ), whose surgical career ruined the lives of numerous. Of the 37 patients Duntsch operated on in Dallas over about two years, 33 were hurt or harmed in the process. As is shown in the series, he drank too much and shoplifted hundreds of dollars worth of items, among other erratic behaviors. Duntsch is a former Dallas neurosurgeon who, through . We went into a mode of trying to figure out how to fill those shoes. And you know, the hope and dream is that the generation that comes up behind me, it seems inconsequential whether it's all women, all men or a blend of something in the both. The doctor denies doing anything wrong. Its those two question combined the lurid, unstoppable search for an ultimate motive, and the more concrete question of how the medical system allowed this to happen and how we can fix it that make listening to Dr. Death feel like youre eating cake and taking your medicine at the same time. I can tell you that, with the intention of allowing audiences to come to their own conclusions, my conclusion is that Christopher is an extraordinarily complex and tragic figure. Scheduling just got in the way there. And it wasnt that each one wasnt a tragedy in and of itself. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. He had a very small but vitally important role. Over this period, Duntsch performed back surgeries that left his patients in a worse condition, paralyzed, or deceased. This time on 53-year-old Mary Efurd. Duntsch focused on his research for a while but was recruited from Memphis to join the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute in North Dallas in the summer of 2011. However, it wouldnt be long until Duntschs seemingly perfect career began to unravel. I know you talked to a lot of his college friends, how far back into Duntschs childhood did you want to go? Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story starts streaming on Peacock Thursday, July 29. So really for us, we're in a place where we're actually conscious of it, but the industry still has time to go. WFAA-TVChristopher Duntsch a.k.a. Chief among them is the mystery of whether Duntsch was homicidal or simply criminally inept. That was probably the biggest adjustment for me, was just the spareness of the script. The systems were telling us where their actual values lay. Its not just the story of Christopher Duntsch, its a story about the American healthcare system. I limited myself to those emails that were produced as evidence in the trial, because the D.A. In America, health is a service. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. In a one-on-one interview with Collider, showrunner Patrick Macmanus explained how he approached telling the story of Duntsch's rise and fall while being fully aware that explaining his motivations would never be truly possible, how important it was to examine both Duntsch the man as well as the reasons why he was able to keep working as long as he did, and how having figures like Kirby and Henderson eased the way in adapting the podcast. A former coworker, Dr. Randall Kirby (played by Christian Slater in the Peacock series), said he watched Duntsch botch a relatively simple procedure by refusing to use a scalpel to remove a disk, instead using a different instrument that ended up causing more damage. And also, to let the tape tell as much of the story as possible. I didnt want to create a two-dimensional villain, and his dad, I think, wouldve provided the most humanizing voice in the story, but the attorney just wouldnt allow it. Death' Based on a Shocking True Story, Joshua Jackson Becomes a Dangerous 'Sociopath' Surgeon in 'Dr. The trial of Dr. Christopher Duntsch in Texas was one of those most surprising revelations in the past few years. Despite being known in Texas as a doctor to avoid (at least among professional peers), and despite a report to the data bank and an investigation into his cases by the state medical board, Duntsch continued to be hired. Things seemed to be moving along smoothly. To establish that Duntschs disastrous work had been a part of a longtime pattern, prosecutors brought several of his former patients on the stand to testify about their experiences. From the very start, before there were any writers and before I'd even written the pilot episode, I had said to the studio that if you are asking me to answer the question of why Christopher Duntsch is the way that he is, I will never give you that answer. And so there was no world where they were going to let him speak to me. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY What is Dr. Death's origin story? How did this happen? Duntsch received his undergraduate degree from the University of Memphis and stayed in town to receive an M.D. So what it meant for the particulars of our show is that we had three excellent directors. Former Texas Neurosurgeon 'Dr. Death' Christopher Duntsch Subject Of Documentary, TV Miniseries CBSDFW 20K views 1 year ago 'Dr. Death,' The Neurosurgeon Who Left Patients Maimed Inside Edition. Going back to neurosurgeons being really lucrative for hospitals. Was that something that he knew? I can't think of a more enormous responsibility than trying to find an actor to play that role. How much do you think that affected Duntschs decision to become a neurosurgeon in the first place? Well, it was familiar content-wise because Im a medical reporter, so Ive never covered anything else. Ellis Unit in Huntsville and will be. I have to say, it was nice to do something different. Per the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Duntsch will be eligible for parole on July 20, 2045, when he is 74 years old. It mightve taken longer. Our intent was to present the story as best we could, and then allow audiences to take away from it whatever they would like to, because I just don't believe that we can answer why someone like Christopher Duntsch is or why he did what he did. From a creative standpoint, what is so unfortunate about the fact that you need to ask that question, and it's a totally valid question is, one would have hoped that we would have always understood that the more diverse and the better quality voices that we have in telling stories, the better the industry is as a whole. Joshua Jackson on Playing 'Dr. That it needs to be noted that like, well, you can only give these ladies so many slots. If people come away from the show saying, "We don't know who Christopher Duntsch was," that was the intent, right? Both the scripted Dr. Death series and the Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story docuseries are now streaming on Peacock. I am somebody who adores the genre of horror. Duntsch, who declined KXAN's multiple requests for an interview, was sentenced to life in prison on Feb. 20, 2017. I had seen Josh in When They See Us. Well, thank you for your time. Because that one where he says that, Im God, Einstein, and I do what I want, but also I control things behind the scenes without anyone knowing in the same sentence that just cracked me up. His first drug of choice would be cocaine.. Patrick Macmanus also explains why the show's supporting characters were such a gift. The best of these series retain the lurid appeal of the news magazine while offering the opportunity to go deeper; to tell stories that resonate as much as they titillate. His resume included a combined MD/PhD program and neurosurgical residency at The University of Tennessee at Memphis College of Medicine and was bolstered by a prestigious spine surgery fellowship in the city, a research patent under his name and published academic papers. The real Dr. Henderson and Dr. Kirby could never answer that question, to this day. Dr. Christopher Duntsch had the hallmarks of an impressive neurosurgeon, at least in theory. So the outcomes are totally evil, and it is unconscionable that this man was allowed to continue to create this much chaos and pain in people's lives. But at the end of 2012, Kirby was called to help yet another patient whod had her vocal cords and an artery cut during a neck surgerya surgery he discovered had been done by Duntsch at another clinic. Over the course of two years, Christopher Duntsch operated on 38 patients in the Dallas area. That was a big focus of Collider's one-on-one interview with Joshua Jackson, who spoke openly about the differences between the American and Canadian health care systems and why it's an important step for shows like Dr. Death to include an all-female directing team (Maggie Kiley, Jennifer Morrison, and So Yong Kim directed the eight episodes). JACKSON: Well, actually, I think it's even one step scarier than that. I think that it would do a disservice to the story to try to find the pretty pink bow to tie on the story, to let people know how this creature could possibly be. One patient, a childhood friend of Duntschs, went in for a spinal operation with someone he trusted and woke up a quadriplegic after the doctor damaged his vertebral artery. For example, I never knew before I started this that I had such strong feelings about sound effects. Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action, Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater team up to take down a dangerous surgeon in, Joshua Jackson replaces Jamie Dornan in Peacock's, Dr. Death review: Joshua Jackson is chilling. And the American system, I often find myself having to remind myself that in the American system that the money comes first before the care. Read the crime and public safety news your neighbors are talking about. So, we've taken steps and that's good, but I think it's a totally valid thing to ask because we're not there yet. Kyler Alvord leads PEOPLE's politics coverage as a news editor for the brand. She also said that he kept a pile of cocaine on his dresser in his home office. The star of the new Peacock drama revealed how he got inside the head of the notorious Dr. Christopher Duntsch. Tulsa Hospital Shooting Suspect Was a Patient Who Had Recent Back Surgery and Targeted His Doctor: Cops, One Brother Was a Hero, One Was a Serial Killer: New Docuseries Explores the Stayner Family's Plight. So yes, there are definitely heroes in the story. JACKSON: I mean, I think, leaving aside our show, it means that finally the industry as a whole is starting to redress some of the failures of imagination that have led us into a predominantly male, predominantly white-dominated creative industry. The value of the institutions was placed above the value of the patients. I think Ava is the first person to have a completely female directed show on Queen Sugar. You have to be very careful with that. Joshua Jackson as Christopher Duntsch in 'Dr. From 2011 to 2013, dozens of patients in the Dallas area woke up after their surgeries with horrible pain, numbness and, paralysis. And so, as it goes along, theres sort of less and less about what he did to each person. This was a very dangerous story for somebody like me to delve into. And what happened after shows how Duntsch was able to continue working as a surgeon in Texas, despite the trail of broken trust, chronic pain and death he left behind. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison. And so, that was one of my goals to start out with, is to just report the hell out of it. Dr. Death is not a show that you should consider watching right before your next trip to the doctor's office. Did you feel a need to go talk to Christopher Duntsch in prison? You just reminded me, that was another danger that we were really grappling with. Like a lot of these podcasts, they do start out as a mystery, or they have a big plot twist in the middle. But neurosurgeons are big money makers. I think his upbringing fanned the flames of that sociopathy and that narcissism. In July 2015, a grand jury indicted Dr. Death on five counts of aggravated assault and one count of harming an elderly person, his patient Mary Efurd, according to Rolling Stone. I'm happy to be a part of a show that is redressing the failure of creative imagination that has placed a female director as some other thing, rather than a director, meaning a male director. And by doing that, then you also bring in his patients. You have to be spare and selective with the details. "Never ever f***ing argue with me and banter or what the f*** ever in front of anyone. We've told lots and lots and lots of our stories. The next question is how he was able to continue performing surgeries even as he butchered patient after patient. Death' Review: Joshua Jackson Is Terrific in Terrifying Peacock Series That's as Sharp as a Scalpel. Patrick Macmanus also explains why the show's supporting characters were such a gift. I didnt really expect that one to create quite such a reaction. The medical boards will protect themselves. And its all because of one surgeon named Christopher Duntsch a.k.a. They did a lot of cutting to my script, because Im used to print where you can put a few more details in, and you can have a little more have other characters, or other names, or other information in, because when you are reading, if you miss it, you can just go back and check. Death': "He Thinks He's the Hero of This Story", So when it comes to the question of how he was able to get away with it for so long, that involves a lot of breaking down the administrative and legal aspects that keep a doctor like him in a position of doctoring. Follow her on Twitter at @lizlet. I didnt want listeners to grow tired of peoples pain. Would they have been just as willing to take on a pediatrician who had some baggage? See Kim's most controversial Met Gala looks after 'offensive' Marilyn gown, Inside Teen Mom Jenelle's ex Andrew's humble New York life away from Jace, Kourtney Kardashians thin frame drowns in baggy jeans as she rocks sultry red lips, Wheel of Fortune brings back contestant 'treated unfairly' in rare gesture, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Jerry Summers, who died earlier this year, claimed Christopher Duntsch gave him his 'first hit of acid', Christopher, known as Dr Death, was Jerry's friend and the surgeon who performed the botched operation on him in 2011, Jerry claimed he'd 'never taken a hit of acid' before doing so with Christopher, Along with a docuseries, Peacock also has a Dr Death scripted show, where Joshua Jackson plays the titular character, Dr Death - Trailer for the Peacock series based on the true story of Christopher Duntsch. I will say I'm a hundred percent hypochondriac. The former American neurosurgeon was convicted for gross malpractice of maiming . and a Ph.D. from a top-tier medical school, a decade of experience, and a central role in a pioneering stem-cell treatment. It was fun to write these two characters. I would say that he and I both were cokeheads. Since sentencing, Christopher Duntsch has been serving time at the O.B. And then there were comments that he made himself on the Dallas Observer article [about him]. But everyone around him, not wittingly or willingly, ended up sort of encouraging all of his worst attributes. And so, he was an attractive hire. Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater join the cast as two doctors who try to stop Duntsch from causing further harm. Duntschs substance abuse was brought to the attention of the University of Tennessee following an anonymous complaint that he was doing drugs before work. And I had none of those things. You have reached your limit of free articles. Im saying the system played a role in it, but it was clearly his fault. His father was a missionary and physical therapist and his mother was a school teacher. This meant Summers could still feel pain, but was unable to move from the neck down. They suffer with everything from agonizing spinal problems to severely damaged vocal chords and they say their problems are the result of botched surgery performed by the same surgeon, a doctor many of them claim is a butcher and a drug addict. Prior to serving as Senior TV Editor at Collider, her work had been published by Vulture, Variety, The AV Club, The Hollywood Reporter, IGN, The Verge, and Thought Catalog. When he woke up, he was a quadriplegic with incomplete paralysis. Death' Review: Joshua Jackson Is Terrific in Terrifying Peacock Series That's as Sharp as a Scalpel. Yeah, I do, and theres another one that comes in later. But the truth was far more complex. Right? Death' First Trailer, The Best TV Shows on Amazon Prime Video to Stream Now. Those were way more telling than the emails, I thought, because if you just read through those you get kind of a look into his mind. But there was so much that came together. According to D Magazine, Duntsch did so well in medical school that he was allowed to join the prestigiousAlpha Omega Medical Honor Society. We went out of our way to let your imagination do the work. "I am ready to leave the love and kindness and goodness and patience that I mix with everything else that I am and become a cold blooded killer.". But more importantly, he explained how he got inside the head of a man who it would be all-too-easy to write off as pure evil. Death' Review: Joshua Jackson Is Terrific in Terrifying Peacock Series That's as Sharp as a Scalpel. They couldve just said, Youre the print person, leave this to us. But I would err on the side of less is more. What was totally new was that Im a print journalist. Liz Shannon Miller is a Los Angeles-based writer and editor, and has been talking about television on the Internet since the very beginnings of the Internet. In terms of the production, were you shooting at all chronologically or was itwere you kind of bouncing between time periods? But that was probably the one thing that was hardest for me to get used to was that balance between my wanting spare sound effects and their wanting to make a good podcast. Jennifer Morrison, I've actually known for a very long time. He was affable. So it has to be taught through generations. The 50 greatest TV and movie detectives of all time. After this, life for Duntsch fell apart. Paying Tribute to the Celebrities Who Have Died in 2023, The True Story Behind Netflix's 'The Good Nurse', The True Story Behind Hulu's 'Welcome to Chippendales'. I couldnt go beyond that.