An Interview with ‘Dr. Death’ Showrunner Ashley Michel Hoban & Executive Producer Patrick Macmanus

DR. DEATH -- “Dr. Death S2 Premiere” -- Pictured: (l-r) Patrick Macmanus, Executive Producer; Ashley Michel Hoban, Executive Producer at the Pacific Design Center on December 14, 2023 -- (Photo by: Todd Williamson/Peacock)

Ashley Michel Hoban and Patrick Macmanus are a pair of accomplished producers and writers that have worked together on multiple projects throughout the years. Currently, they serve as Showrunner and Executive Producer of Peacock’s Dr. Death, respectively, and we here at NTG had the distinct honor of sitting down with both of them to discuss season two of this incredible show, which premieres on Peacock on 12/21/23.
 
John Betancourt: I would love to know what it was about this story that called to each of you and made it known it needed to be told.
 
Ashley Michel Hoban: You know, I think we had, there's obviously a lot of stories, unfortunately, of doctors that can be a part of the Dr. Death franchise. But when we heard this, this story on season two, season three of the podcast, I think it was clear that this was going to be the story for us. I mean, it's incredibly compelling on so many levels. And it takes a lot of the same themes that we have in season one and expands them globally. So, it kind of takes this problem that we think of as an American medical problem and takes it to Sweden, which is the last place that you think you're gonna run into, you know, money and medicine crashing together at the sake of victims and patients.
 
Patrick Macmanus: I mean, just jumping off of that, I'd say that when we first sold the show, back in 2018, the plan was always for each of the seasons to sort of stand on their own two feet, right? That the stories, the characters, even the cinema should all feel different. So that if you stripped away the name, that people were going to be able to watch these two things and say, “Well, it feels reminiscent, but it just also feels completely different.” And so when Ashley Michel took the reins on this, and she began to pitch out what the story and what the characters were going to be, it became apparent very, very quickly that everything that she and her team of writers and actors and her crew were setting out to do was exactly what that original vision was, which was to, and I do think I fundamentally believe that fans of season one are going to find enough touchstones that are gonna make them want to tune in. And then we're going to bring in a whole new audience because of everything that they did on this show. Because I do believe that the characters are extraordinarily interesting, the plot is extraordinarily interesting. And the themes that they're touching on what they're trying to impart to the viewers, as a deeper meaning for telling the story, I think takes the show to a whole new level, and it's going to be hard to beat.
 
John Betancourt: As writers and executive producers, what kind of challenges did you run into in assembling a story that features such tough, ethical subject matter?
 
Patrick Macmanus: Well, look, I think that the challenge that we will always face is figuring out how to present, how to make your characters and your story. approachable, and accessible for an audience. So that in a weird way, you know, they can see themselves in these stories and in these characters, not just as a victim, quote, unquote, but also as somebody who might be put into the, into the shoes of, in this case, the whistleblowers. We are all faced with ethical challenges, thankfully, not as challenging as these people. But I do fundamentally believe that the only way to tell these stories effectively, is to make an audience member feel like they are somehow a part of that, that they could see themselves in those people's shoes. And I will say that was a goal of season one. Absolutely. And again, I think that they you know, they took care of that in season two as well.
 
Ashley Michel Hoban: And, you know, watching, learning about Paolo, meeting Paolo, really, through the eyes of Benita was an important part of that, because it helps us understand how somebody like that can move through the medical system the way that he does for so long as long as he did. And because, you know, he's selling something that people are buying. And it's true on the personal side of the story. And it's true on the medical side of the story. And, you know, we're talking about complicity. The fact that our whistleblowers and Benita are all held accountable for their mistakes is something I think we're proud of in this in the show that makes it I think, hopefully a little more nuanced than then you would expect from a true crime show.
 
John Betancourt: Last question that I have today for Ashley, what are you most excited for audiences to experience in season two of the show?
 
Ashley Michel Hoban: I hope you experience thrill. No, you know, what I want people to take away is there's a scene at the very beginning of the show where there's a car crash, and that thing comes back. And there are all these little coincidences throughout the show. And some of them are true, which is crazy. But the point of those is to speak to one of the bigger themes that we wanted to hit this season, which is that an individual voice and individual action can have a huge effect. I think that's true for season one as well. Like you have people standing up against huge institutions with backing and money and influence and you don't think that your voice is going to make a difference. So, I hope that people come away with an understanding and sort of an empowerment of what their voice can affect in the world.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
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