# Dead Ringers (miniseries)

Dead Ringers is an American psychological thriller drama miniseries developed by Alice Birch. It is based on the 1988 film of the same name by David Cronenberg, itself adapted from the 1977 novel Twins by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland. The series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on April 21, 2023. The series won a Peabody Award at the 84th ceremony in June 2024.

## Cast and characters
### Main

* Rachel Weisz as Beverly and Elliot Mantle, twin gynecologists. They are gender-flipped versions of the characters portrayed by Jeremy Irons in the 1988 film.
* Britne Oldford as Genevieve Cotard, an actress and Beverly’s love interest
* Poppy Liu as Greta Leung, the Mantles' assistant and housekeeper
* Jennifer Ehle as Rebecca Parker, an investor in the Mantles' birthing center and laboratory
* Michael Chernus as Tom, Elliot’s lab assistant

### Recurring

* Jeremy Shamos as Joseph
* Emily Meade as Susan Parker
* Natalie Woolams-Torres as Heather

### Guest

* Susan Blommaert as Agnes
* Liza Fernandez as Lenka
* Andrew Garman as the grief support group leader
* Suzanne Bertish as Linda
* Maryann Urbano as Sasha
* Aaron Dean Eisenberg as Jeremy
* Kevin R. McNally as Alan
* Tony Crane as Nick
* Michael McKean as Marion
* Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine as Silas Jordan
* Erica Sweany as Florence

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Teleplay by | Original release date |
| 1 | "One" | Sean Durkin | Alice Birch | April 21, 2023 (2023-4-21) |
| In Manhattan, twin gynecologists Beverly and Elliot Mantle, dubbed the Mantle twins, frequently commit malpractice at the hospital where they work, while harboring a plan to establish their own independent birthing center. During one of their hospital sessions, Beverly meets Genevieve, a famous actress. Elliot successfully seduces Genevieve while posing as Beverly, which effectively brings Beverly and Genevieve into a relationship, with Genevieve having slight doubts. The twins manage to convince Rebecca Parker, a venture philanthropist, to fund their birthing center scheme, despite earlier failed delivery at the hospital. Beverly is revealed to be schizophrenic while experiencing bleeding in her vulva; Elliot expresses sociopathic behaviors and instigates several sexual encounters with strangers. Elliot has a mental breakdown when Beverly tells her that her relationship with Genevieve is serious. |||||
| 2 | "Two" | Sean Durkin | Ming Peiffer | April 21, 2023 (2023-4-21) |
| 3 | "Three" | Karena Evans | Rachel De-Lahay | April 21, 2023 (2023-4-21) |
| 4 | "Four" | Lauren Wolkstein | Miriam Battye | April 21, 2023 (2023-4-21) |
| 5 | "Five" | Karyn Kusama | Susan Soon He Stanton | April 21, 2023 (2023-4-21) |
| 6 | "Six" | Sean Durkin & Lauren Wolkstein | Alice Birch | April 21, 2023 (2023-4-21) |

## Production
### Development

In August 2020, it was announced Amazon Prime Video had given a straight-to-series order to a television series based upon David Cronenberg's 1988 film Dead Ringers, with Annapurna Television set to produce, and Alice Birch set to serve as head writer and executive producer. Sean Durkin, Lauren Wolkstein and Karyn Kusama will direct episodes of the series.

### Casting

Upon the initial announcement, it was revealed Rachel Weisz would star in the series. In July 2021, it was announced Michael Chernus had joined the cast as a series regular. In August 2021, it was announced Poppy Liu and Britne Oldford had joined the cast as series regulars, with Jeremy Shamos, Jennifer Ehle and Emily Meade set to recur.

### Filming

Principal photography began by August 2021 in New York City.

## Release

The series had its world premiere at the 2023 Canneseries on April 15, competing for Long Form competition. All six episodes of the series were released on April 21, 2023.

## Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 85% of 87 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "If Dead Ringers doesn't wield as cutting a blade as David Cronenberg's original chiller, it's not a pale imitation either, thanks to Rachel Weisz putting on a clinic in doppelgänger duplicity." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 79 out of 100 based on 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
The series was included in several mid-year lists of the best TV shows of 2023, such as The Guardian, Time and Variety. Alison Herman of Variety wrote, "Rachel Weisz has the dual role of a lifetime as the Mantle twins. [ . . . ] Gender-swapped reboots too often carry a whiff of sanctimony, but [the series] is as perverse and profane as any great Cronenberg homage. [ . . . ] Dead Ringers is more than a gimmick; it’s a cerebral spin on a nightmare."

### Accolades

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 2023 | Peabody Awards | Entertainment | Dead Ringers | Won |
| 2024 | Astra TV Awards | Best Actress in a Streaming Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Rachel Weisz | Nominated |
| 2024 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film | Rachel Weisz | Nominated |
| 2024 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Jody Lee Lipes (for "One") | Nominated |
| 2024 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Miniseries, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television | Rachel Weisz | Won |