''Dead Ringers'' is an American

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a Film genre, genre combining the thriller (genre), thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

television

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

developed by

Alice Birch Alice Birch (born 1986) is a British playwright and screenwriter. Birch has written several plays, including ''Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.'' for which she was awarded the George Devine Award, George Devine Award for Most Promising New Playwr ...

. It is based on the 1988 film of the same name by

David Cronenberg David Paul Cronenberg (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He is a principal originator of the body horror genre, with his films exploring visceral bodily transformation, infectious diseases, and ...

, itself adapted from the 1977 novel ''Twins'' by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland. The series premiered on

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

on April 21, 2023. The series won a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

at the 84th ceremony in June 2024.

Cast and characters

Main

Rachel Weisz Rachel Hannah Weisz (; born 7 March 1970) is an English actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Rachel Weisz, several awards, including an Academy Award, ...

as Beverly and Elliot Mantle, twin gynecologists. They are gender-flipped versions of the characters portrayed by

Jeremy Irons Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards, ...

in the 1988 film. *

Britne Oldford Britne Oldford is a Canadian-American actress best known for a variety of roles, including portraying Cadie Campbell on '' Skins'', Alma Walker on '' American Horror Story: Asylum'', Remy Beaumont on '' Ravenswood'', Regan on ''Hunters'', Missy i ...

as Genevieve Cotard, an actress and Beverly’s love interest *

Poppy Liu Poppy Liu ( zh, c=柳波, p=Liǔ Bō) is a Chinese-American actress known for her roles in '' Sunnyside'', '' Hacks'', ''iCarly'', and '' Dead Ringers''. Early life and education Liu was born in Xi'an, China. Her family moved to Minnesota whe ...

as Greta Leung, the Mantles' assistant and housekeeper *

Jennifer Ehle Jennifer Anne Ehle (; born December 29, 1969) is an American actress. She received the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the BBC miniseries ''Pride and Prejudice'' (1995). Ehle started her car ...

as Rebecca Parker, an investor in the Mantles' birthing center and laboratory *

Michael Chernus Michael Louis Chernus (born August 8, 1977) is an American actor who has acted on film, television, and the stage. He is best known for his role as Cal Chapman on the Netflix original comedy-drama series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019) ...

as Tom, Elliot’s lab assistant

Recurring

Jeremy Shamos Jeremy Shamos (born February 22, 1970) is an American actor. Early life Shamos was born in New York City but raised in Denver, Colorado. He has a M.F.A. from New York University. Career Shamos is an Obie Award-winning, Tony Award-nominated ac ...

as Joseph *

Emily Meade Emily Meade (born January 10, 1989) is an American film and television actress. She has appeared in films such as '' Twelve'' (2010), ''My Soul to Take'' (2010), ''Gimme Shelter'' (2013), ''That Awkward Moment'' (2014), ''Money Monster'' (2016), a ...

as Susan Parker * Natalie Woolams-Torres as Heather

Guest

Susan Blommaert Susan J. Blommaert (born October 13, 1947) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Mr. Kaplan on the drama series The Blacklist, and for her recurring role as Judge Rebecca Steinman in ''Law & Order'', '' Law & Order: Special V ...

as Agnes * Liza Fernandez as Lenka * Andrew Garman as the grief support group leader *

Suzanne Bertish Suzanne Bertish (born 7 August 1951) is an English actress. Educated at Woldingham School, Bertish joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and appeared in many of its productions, including its marathon eight-and-a-half-hour version of Charles Di ...

as Linda * Maryann Urbano as Sasha * Aaron Dean Eisenberg as Jeremy * Kevin R. McNally as Alan * Tony Crane as Nick *

Michael McKean Michael John McKean (; born October 17, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, singer, and musician. Over his career he has received a Grammy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. ...

as Marion *

Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine (born 1967) is an American-Ugandan stage and film actor, playwright, photographer and documentarian. He was credited as Ntare Mwine until 2008, and by his full name thereafter. Background Mwine was born in Hanover, New Ham ...

as Silas Jordan *

Erica Sweany Erica Sweany is an American actress, dancer, singer and multi-instrumentalist. She has performed on Broadway, in film and on television. Biography Born and raised in Colorado, she is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado (UNC). Caree ...

as Florence

Episodes

Production

Development

In August 2020, it was announced

had given a straight-to-series order to a television series based upon

's 1988 film '' Dead Ringers'', with Annapurna Television set to produce, and

set to serve as head writer and executive producer.

Sean Durkin Timothy Sean Durkin (born December 9, 1981) is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Durkin is known for directing the critically acclaimed independent films ''Martha Marcy May Marlene'' (2011), ''The Nest (2020 film), Th ...

Lauren Wolkstein Lauren Wolkstein is an American film director, writer, producer and editor. She is known for directing, writing, and editing the 2017 film '' The Strange Ones'' with Christopher Radcliff and serving on the directorial team for the third season o ...

Karena Evans Karena Evans (born December 17, 1995) is a Canadian director and actress. She garnered recognition for directing the music videos for Drake's 2018 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart-topping singles, " God's Plan", " Nice for What", and " In My Feelin ...

and

Karyn Kusama Karyn Kiyoko Kusama (born March 21, 1968) is an American filmmaker. She made her feature directorial debut with the sports drama film ''Girlfight'' (2000), for which she won Best Director and the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival an ...

directed episodes of the series.

Casting

Upon the initial announcement, it was revealed

would star in the series. In July 2021, it was announced

had joined the cast as a series regular. In August 2021, it was announced

and

had joined the cast as series regulars, with

and

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 The 6th Cannes International Series Festival is a television festival that took place from 14 to 19 April 2023 in Cannes, France. This year marks the debut of the Documentary section. The Best Series award went to the Norwegian political comed ...

on April 15, competing for Long Form competition. All six episodes of the series were released on April 21, 2023.

Reception

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, 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 ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' and ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

''. 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 he seriesis 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

References

External links

* {{Amazon Video original series 2020s American drama television miniseries 2020s American LGBTQ-related drama television series 2020s American medical drama television series 2023 American television series debuts 2023 American television series endings Amazon Prime Video original programming American English-language television shows American thriller television series Lesbian-related television shows Live action television shows based on films Psychological thriller television series Television series about sisters Television series about twins Television series by Amazon MGM Studios Television series by Morgan Creek Productions Television shows about human pregnancy Television shows filmed in New York City Television shows set in Manhattan