With the series renewed for a second season, Doctor Death season 2 premiered on December 21, 2023. The Peacock true crime anthology drama series has received high ratings and reviews from critics and audiences alike. The Doctor Death series is based on the Wondery podcast, which focuses on the horrifying cases of medical malpractice.
While Doctor Death season 1 focused on the medical atrocities of American neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, Doctor Death Season 2 dramatizes the story of Paolo Macchiarini, a Swiss-Italian surgeon and medical researcher. Paolo Macchiarini had promised his patients a medical miracle with his revolutionary synthetic, 3D-printed trachea. However, these miracles only bring them closer to their deaths. While the story is anyone’s nightmare, the cast’s performances make the re-enactment so convincingly entertaining. These are the cast and characters they play in Doctor Death Season 2.
Édgar Ramírez as Paolo Macchiarini
Venezuelan actor Édgar Ramírez was one of the first actors cast in Doctor Death Season 2. Édgar Ramírez portrays Surgeon Paolo Macchiarini. The surgeon-turned-convict story begins during his tenure as a visiting professor at Karolinska Institutet (KI) in Sweden. Although he had growing acclaim as a Miracle Man, impressing the heads of the institute and gaining the trust of his patients, Paolo Macchiarini was nothing more than a medical fraud. With a growing list of deaths from his surgeries, Macchiarini had unsuccessfully performed his miracle surgeries on eight patients before he was stopped.
Turning his trusting patients into guinea pigs, seven of Paolo Macchiarini’s eight-operated patients died from complications from the procedure. Emmy-nominated actor Édgar Ramírez is known for playing Carlos the Jackal in the French-German film Carlos (2010) and Gianni Versace in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018). Édgar Ramírez also had starring roles in The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), Che (2008), Wrath of the Titans (2012), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Furlough (2018), and The 355 (2022).
Mandy Moore as Benita Alexander
Singer-songwriter and actress Mandy Moore lands her next main role in television after playing Rebecca Pearson in This Is Us (2016–2022) in Doctor Death season 2. Mandy Moore portrays investigative journalist Benita Alexander. Assigned to cover the supposed successes of Paolo Macchiarini, Benita Alexander soon begins to fall for his charms and wits. However, when the charms begin to wear off, Benita Alexander begins to see Paolo Macchiarini for who he truly is, helping to expose his lies, deception, and medical malpractice. Besides her main role in This Is Us, Mandy Moore has had a couple of voice roles in television. On the big screen, Moore is known for her roles in The Princess Diaries (2001), A Walk to Remember (2002), Chasing Liberty (2004), 47 Meters Down (2017), and The Darkest Minds (2018).
Luke Kirby as Dr. Nathan Gamelli
Dr. Nathan Gamelli, a cardiovascular surgeon, becomes the voice of reasoning in Doctor Death season 2. He not only doubted Paolo Macchiarini’s implants, but he went the extra mile to ensure Macchiarini was never allowed to perform his procedures on another patient. He calls out the heads at Karolinska Institutet (KI) for prioritizing receiving a Nobel Prize rather than the string of deaths from Paolo Macchiarini’s procedure. American-Canadian actor Luke Kirby is cast as Dr. Nathan Gamelli. Luke Kirby is popularly known for his role as Lenny Bruce in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023). In his television career, Kirby has played main roles in series like Cra$h & Burn (2009–2010), Rectify (2013–2016), and The Deuce (2018–2019).
Ashley Madekwe as Dr. Ana Lasbrey
Dr. Ana Lasbrey is also a doctor at the Swedish institute, Karolinska Institutet (KI). She’s one of the doctors in awe of Paolo Macchiarini’s “success” and soon joins his team. However, besides her professional admiration for Macchiarini, Dr. Lasbrey is more concerned with advancing her career in stem cell research. However, faced with facts, she joined forces to get the heads at Karolinska Institutet (KI) to stop Paolo Macchiarini. British actress Ashley Madekwe is cast as Dr. Ana Lasbrey in Doctor Death season 2. British television audiences will recognize the actress from her time on the ITV2 drama series Secret Diary of a Call Girl (2008–2010). Ashley Madekwe also starred in Revenge (2011–2013) and Salem (2014–2017).
Gustaf Hammarsten as Dr. Anders Svensson
Gustaf Hammarsten is the only Swedish actor in the Doctor Death season 2 main cast. The actor plays a researcher at Karolinska Institutet (KI), Dr. Anders Svensson. He was tasked with placing Paolo Macchiarini’s 3D-printed implants in lab rats to test their efficacy. Although introduced as a supporting character, Dr. Anders Svensson plays a vital role in the season. As a Swedish actor, most of Gustaf Hammarsten’s starring roles have been in Swedish films and television. However, his international breakout role was in the 2009 mockumentary comedy Brüno, where he played Garry Schulz. Before his starring role in Doctor Death season 2, Gustaf Hammarsten also made minor appearances in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), Stockholm (2018), and Old (2021).
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