Wondery’s hit true crime podcast series Dr. Death is returning for its fourth season this December, the Amazon-owned podcast company has announced.
The new season, titled Dr. Death: Bad Magic, will tell the story of Serhat Gumrukcu, founder of biotechnology company Enochian, who was charged in 2022 for allegedly plotting the murder of a business associate who law enforcement believed was planning to report him for fraud. The podcast promises “miraculous cures, spoon-bending magic, and murder,” according to the company.
Dr. Death, which first premiered in 2018, is reported and hosted by award-winning journalist Laura Beil. Beil recently hosted another true crime podcast for Wondery, Exposed: Cover-Up at Columbia University, which launched in September.
The podcast will be available for Wondery+ subscribers from 4 December, and will later be made available on Amazon Music and other podcast platforms from 22 January.
Wondery’s announcement follows the news that the TV adaptation of the podcast will be returning to NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock for season two on 21 December. The second season of the original TV series, starring Mandy Moore and Alec Baldwin, will be based on season three of the podcast, covering thoracic surgeon and conman Dr. Paolo Macchiarini.
Other true crime podcast series that Wondery has adapted for TV include The Shrink Next Door and Joe Vs. Carole for Apple TV+, Dirty John for Netflix, and more. The company plans to adapt more of its hit podcast series into TV and film in the future as part of its new podcast strategy, according to Wondery UK’s head of sales Nicole Gardner, who spoke about this at this year’s IAB Podcast Upfronts.
“My personal favourite was Dr. Death - that had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish,” said Gardner; “and season two is currently in post-production, starring Mandy Moore and Edgar Ramirez in leading roles.”
Dr. Death, alongside a number of other true crime originals from Wondery, took part in a free Halloween event in New York on October 24 hosted by the podcast company to promote its true crime channel Exhibit C, with live recordings, Q&A sessions, and more.
