Two-time Emmy nominee Edgar Ramirez has signed on to star in Season 2 of Dr. Death, which is finally heating up at Peacock after a dynamite first season that starred Joshua Jackson.
Season 2 will tackle a new true crime story this time — that of Paolo Macchiarini, who was the subject of the third season of the hit Wondery podcast of the same name.
Macchiarini was a charming surgeon who was renowned for his innovative operations, which earned him the nickname “Miracle Man.” However, when investigative journalist Benita Alexander approaches him for a story, the line between personal and professional begins to blur, changing her life forever. As she learns how far Paolo will go to protect his secrets, a group of doctors halfway across the world make shocking discoveries of their own that call everything about the so-called “Miracle Man” into question.
Patrick Macmanus created Dr. Death and served as writer/showrunner on Season 1, though he’s handing those reins to Season 1 writer-producer Ashley Michel Hoban this time around. Both of them will serve as executive producers on Season 2, which hails from UCP.
Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, and Taylor Latham are executive producing for Escape Artists along with Aaron Hart, Hernan Lopez, and Marshall Lewy of Wondery. Linda Gase will executive produce as well, while Jennifer Morrison will direct the first four episodes of Season 2, and Laura Belsey will direct the final four.
Ramirez recently played the fashionable but doomed title role in the excellent FX limited series The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, which brought the Venezuelan actor his second Emmy nomination. He earned his first for his performance as Carlos the Jackal in the acclaimed miniseries Carlos. Ramirez also starred in the HBO series The Undoing and Kathryn Bigelow‘s Zero Dark Thirty, and he’ll soon be seen in the upcoming Netflix series Florida Man.
I can certainly see Ramirez playing a charming doctor who has gone mad with hubris, so this is pretty solid casting in my book, and after being hugely impressed with Season 1 of Dr. Death, which is the best thing Peacock has ever done, I’m definitely looking forward to Season 2. Ramirez is represented by CAA and Impression Entertainment.
