Peacock's Dr. Death chronicles the real-life atrocities committed by surgeon Christoper Duntsch, but here's why Joshua Jackson replaced Jamie Dornan as the unnerving antagonist. The eight-part series stars Texas surgeons Robert Henderson (Alec Baldwin) and Randall Kirby (Christian Slater) as they try to stop Duntsch from a deadly medical career. Duntsch was a Tennessee-hailing neurosurgeon, who, despite having an MD-PhD, kept causing patients to die from, or develop life-altering complications after, lying on his operating table. Henderson and Kirby set out to prove that he was doing so on purpose.
The limited series cover a sizeable amount of ground, jumping back and forth between the plot's present chase to stop him from operating and send him to prison and his eerie college years and early days in medicine. Though not to be romanticized in the slightest, watching the dark evolution from a psychological perspective is quite intriguing. It's on par with killers' backstories that have been fleshed out in projects like The Assassination of Gianni Versace and Rob Zombie's remake of Halloween. The show's subject matter is disturbing on its own, but knowing it's a true story makes the pain even more unsettling. And beyond that, the fact that he was able to continuously get away with what he was doing for years is disheartening and mind-boggling.
Jackson's "Dr. Death" is certainly the show's main draw. But, interestingly, actor Jamie Dornan was originally set to play the multi-faceted sociopath. And he would've been undeniably great in the role, as well. After all, his portrayal of sexual sadist serial killer Paul Spector on BBC's The Fall was a stellar performance. That character also required equally convincing shades of both emotional detachment and a pleasant, socially competent demeanor, depending on the situation. But, in October of 2020, TVLine reported that Dornan wouldn't be playing the role due to scheduling conflicts. A Peacock spokesperson was quoted as saying, "Due to production delays relating to the coronavirus pandemic, Jamie Dornan…is no longer professionally available to participate in the production." A year later, Joshua Jackson (who's known for roles in Dawson's Creek and The Affair, among others) was set to take the reigns as the titular sociopath.
Though Dornan is a top-notch actor, who was a great choice for the role given some of his previous work, after watching Dr. Death, it's easy to see how the series wouldn't be the same without Jackson as Duntsch. It's a highly addictive, binge-worthy show that sucks viewers into its morose and disturbing microcosm. A key component as to why the show works so well--aside from the writing and impressive performances from Slater, Baldwin, and many others--is Joshua Jackson's portrayal of the monstrous surgeon.
He captures Duntsch's duality extremely well. One minute, he can be charming, fun, even charismatic; but he can switch over to a monster who's dead in the eyes and lacks any empathy or remorse in a matter of seconds. And Joshua Jackson's believable portrayal of narcissistic delusions are so believable that watching his character parade around on-screen, believing that everyone else is the problem--but, of course, never him--is enraging. It's a less-than-profound statement to say the heinous crimes committed by Duntsch should never have happened. But Dr. Death's depiction of the events somehow manages to transmute that darkness into addictive media, which only adds to the damning public persona that he's become known for.