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NBC is expanding its portfolio of medical shows with Dr. Wolf, a drama inspired by the life and work of renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks. Zachary Quinto will star in the show and bring to life the incredible tales of the doctor.
Who is involved in ‘Dr. Wolf’ and what is it about?
Dr. Wolf is based on Oliver Wolf, a larger-than-life neurologist, and his group of apprentices as they explore the final great frontier — the mind of man — while also struggling with their own relationships and mental health. It is inspired by Sacks’ books The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and An Anthropologist on Mars. The cast also includes Tamberla Perry, Ashleigh LaThrop, Alexander MacNicoll, Aury Krebs, Spence Moore II, and Teddy Sears.
The series is executive produced by Greg Berlanti and his Berlanti Productions partners Sarah Schechter and Leigh London Redman, as well as Fabel’s Henrik Bastin and Melissa Aouate, The Imaginarium’s Andy Serkis, Jonathan Cavendish, Will Tennant, and DeMane Davis. The endeavor, which was given the go-ahead to pilot in January, was already in the works since early 2018, when Serkis collaborated with Fabrik to construct the pair of volumes by the New York Times’ “poet laureate of contemporary medicine,” Oliver Sacks. The pilot was directed by Lee Toland Krieger.
What else did NBC have on it’s medical roster?
Dr. Wolf was NBC’s final remaining pilot in limbo, and it now joins the formerly approved “mockumentary” St. Denis Medical on the network’s roster. Last season, NBC only ordered four pilots and authorized one comedy and one drama, with Amber Ruffin’s multicamera Non-Evil Twin and Retta drama Murder by the Book both getting passed over earlier this year. Given the continuing actors’ strike, it’s uncertain when Dr. Wolf will air. The further the strike goes on, the less likely it is that broadcast networks will broadcast any scripted originals that haven’t already been filmed.