What if a surgeon is using his powers for evil? That’s the question posed in the new Peacock series Dr. Death, which stars Joshua Jackson, Alec Baldwin, and Christian Slater. Based on horrifyingly true events and the Wondery podcast of the same name, Dr. Death follows charismatic sociopath Dr. Christopher Duntsch (Jackson), whose patients come in for routine spinal surgeries and leave either permanently maimed or dead.

Two physicians (Baldwin and Slater) notice the pattern of destruction and set out to stop him from performing surgery. It’s not that easy though, and failures in the system start to show as Dr. Duntsch continues operating as people seem more eager to protect themselves than to stop a killer. 

The pilot of the series, which was created by Patrick Macmanus, explores the beginning of the investigation and shows how Dr. Duntsch uses his expertise and confidence to find his next victims.

Here are five screenwriting takeaways from the pilot of Dr. Death:

1. The killer’s tools

Dr. Duntsch is in a profession that requires a lot of trust. His patients must believe that the operation and recovery will run smoothly. As a spinal surgeon, Dr. Duntsch is supposed to use his knowledge and capabilities to execute the surgery with minimal negative impact and improve the lives of his patients.

Few have the training to be a surgeon, so patients are placing their faith in the doctor’s diagnoses and treatment plans. Writers can see how this level of vulnerability and trust can be used as a weapon and place the viewer in a situation that they might similarly find themselves in one day. Weapons aren’t always guns or knives; in this case it’s more subtle, making it scarier. 

Although this is a true story, writers can find the moments in a person’s life when they would be vulnerable and seek solace in a trustworthy individual. How would that person exploit the situation? A recent comparison is the hit Netflix film I Care a Lot.

2. You won’t write a completely true story

True stories are often slow, tedious and boring — three adjectives that don’t bode well for a film or TV series. That’s why true stories or true events are "based on" something and often having warnings that parts are dramatized. Dr. Death opens with that information.

For the writer, this is good news. Regardless of how much research you provide and how true you want the story to be, some parts will simply need to be made up. Recently, for the TV series Godfather of Harlem, creator Chris Brancato shared that there are scenes with Malcolm X that originally took place in one location, only to have that location moved to advance the story. The intent is true, not the actual scene.

The goal should be true to the spirit of the story and the characters, some of which will need to be created. For instance, in Dr. Death some characters are combined to create a single character. Another example of this is the Tom Hanks character in Catch Me If You Can, who is an amalgamation of several FBI agents.

3. Defining the villain

Dr. Duntsch is not a good guy. There are indications of this from the very beginning; we see one of the surgeons perform a surgery to fix one of the problems Duntsch created and we hear what other medical staff say about him. Not to mention that he is in prison in the first scene.

Also, toward the end Dr. Henderson (Baldwin) says that Duntsch is "either the most incompetent surgeon or he’s a sociopath and he’s doing all of this on purpose."

The writer can see how to define a villain based on the fears of those around him and his actions. Duntsch is cunning and charismatic, which is on a par with some of the most horrendous villains presented in real life and in film. Think Hannibal Lecter or even the Joker in The Dark Knight. They’re extremely smart, decisive, confident, and evil in their own right. People are powerless to stop the villain.

4. Heroes and villains

In order for the hero to win, it must be a long shot. The hero must fight against incredible odds to be successful. While this is true for a feature narrative, exciting true stories are often built around this concept as well.

In Dr. Death, we see our heroes trying to fight a system that seems fearful of stopping the negligence from continuing. It’s an uphill battle that the viewer wants to see end in triumph. Meanwhile, the villain is smarter and better equipped at continuing his reign of terror.

Writers can view how the villain must always seem more intelligent at fighting off the heroes. It’s not only Dr. Duntsch's ability to maim and kill patients, but how he wiggles through legal loopholes that allows him to succeed. The hero must find a clever way to bring the villain down, often by exploiting that villain's one weakness.

5. Why tell the story?

There are countless interesting true stories to tell out there. But why tell one based on a real event when it’s probably easier to just make one up? This series could have easily been about a killer surgeon and the detective that catches him.

Why tell this story? Because knowing it’s a true story adds a layer of horror to the narrative.

Also, the writer can find stories in causes they sincerely believe in and share a world that may not be familiar to the audience. Movies and TV series have started to find these stories and include ways to learn about the underlying themes at the end of the program. Dr. Death presents this in the form of a link to learn about patient rights.

Another recent example is how Big Sky ends their program with resources to learn about human trafficking.

Dr. Death is currently streaming on Peacock.