THE WRAP: ‘Dr. Death’ Season 4 to Premiere in December, Will Follow Case of Serhat Gumrukcu (Exclusive)
By Kayla Cobb
October 24, 2023 @ 9:00 AM
December will mark the return of “Dr. Death,” both the podcast and the show. The Wondery podcast will premiere on Dec. 4, TheWrap can exclusively reveal, along with the premise of the “Bad Magic” installment of the podcast.
This time around, award-winning reporter Laura Beil will be chronicling the story of Serhat Gumrukcu, a doctor and scientist who claimed to be on the verge of curing HIV and cancer. His biotech company, Enochian BioSciences Inc., reached a valuation of half a billion dollars as Gumrukcu made a name for himself in the medical tech sector. As his company’s portfolio rose so too did his personal portfolio; it wasn’t uncommon for Gumrukcu to post photos of himself basking with celebrities in glamorous locations. But this fortune came crashing down when a man from Gumrukcu’s past was found dead with gunshot wounds, a shocking revelation that marked the beginning of the end for Gumrukcu.
“The investigation details a fascinating story of miraculous cures, spoon-bending magic and murder,” the season’s official synopsis reads.
“Dr. Death” Season 4 will premiere on Wondery+ on Dec. 4. It will then become available on Amazon Music and all other major podcasting platforms starting Jan. 22.
The Wondery podcast about medical malpractice first premiered in fall of 2018 and quickly captured the attention of true crime obsessives. “Dr. Death” started with the real-life story of Christopher Duntsch, a neurosurgeon who was convicted of gross malpractice after 31 of his patients left his surgeries seriously injured. That was followed by Farid Fata in Season 2, a hematologist and oncologist who prescribed chemotherapy to patients who did not have cancer, and Paolo Macchiarini in Season 3, a thoracic surgeon and regenerative medicine researcher whose experiments led to the deaths of several patients.
The podcast is so popular that it’s led to its own TV series adaptation. Peacock’s take on Season 1 of “Dr. Death” first premiered in 2021 with Joshua Jackson playing Christopher Duntsch. Season 2, which will follow the third season of the podcast rather than the second, is set to premiere on Dec. 21 with Édgar Ramírez portraying Paolo Macchiarini.