Luckily for Prime Video, Dead Ringers will surely be a hit because it places at the center some truly astounding acting from Rachel Weisz.


The current TV landscape is overrun with adaptations of recognizable and iconic films. There are almost too many to list, and even more to come. Dead Ringers falls into the camp of remakes/reboots that offer something different through fundamental casting changes. Trading in Jeremy Irons for Rachel Weisz, this version of David Cronenberg's original film is not the body/psychosexual horror about two men abusing their power over women and struggling with their symbiotic living. Prime Video's version of Dead Ringers retains much of the same narrative but is a radical yet nuanced story about two fiercely ambitious women in the healthcare field searching for the thing that completes them as individuals while existing as a duo. The series also tackles the callous and unfeeling nature of maternal healthcare — in a time when female bodies are objects and pregnancy and babies are currency — through the eyes of a primarily women-led cast and creative team. The six-episode series shares much of its DNA with the Cronenberg film, but it's an entirely new creature.

Dead Ringers season 1 follows Beverly and Elliot Mantle (both played by Weisz), star OB-GYNs working in the fictional Westcott Memorial Hospital in New York. Beverly is the “good” twin who is emotionally attached to her work as she desires to be a mother despite her body rejecting her dream. She is a good doctor, is kinder, and more in touch with her humanity. With these qualities, Beverly is a hands-on doctor, and she works with new mothers experiencing traumatic pregnancies. Elliot is the opposite; she seldom engages with patients, opting to work in the lab researching ways to create life outside the natural way. She is borderline nihilistic and cruel, leaning heavily into the wilder, more fictionally intriguing elements of having a twin. She experiences life in the most extreme forms. Elliot is the poster child for sex, drugs, and science, with little regard for consequences, more focused on the absolute thrill of it.


Dead Ringers is not the sort of story that demands a remake, let alone a series remake. However, what audiences are treated to is a double dose of an unhinged Rachel Weisz. For all that the series offers, which is plenty, the actress is the main attraction. Audiences have watched Weisz in similar roles before — from the underseen My Cousin Rachel and in the most beloved The Favourite. Here, Weisz is tasked with playing different yet equally vile characters. As plainly as their differences are in their choice of clothing and hairstyling, Weisz carries the burden of crafting two unique beings with a connection that is unmanageable and unthinkable. Weisz must portray the depravity and the genius with sincerity, moving away from the Bond-like villain archetype the Mantles read as in Cronenberg's film. This role demands great attention to detail and gravitas. Otherwise, much of what the Mantles do or say would become unintentionally funny.

The writing for the series, courtesy of Alice Birch and the all-women’s writing room, is precise and scathing. Dead Ringers is unafraid, with visuals that will upset many stomachs, and writing that is just as effective. Cronenberg’s film was a psychosexual horror strictly filtered through the male gaze. Iron’s Mantle twins carried with them a god complex that, in turn, made them have great contempt and disregard for women, immensely obsessed with conquering what the female body is capable of: Reproduction. The gender flip offers Birch and the rest of the series' writers ample material to explore the concepts of motherhood, bodily autonomy, and maternity through the female gaze and from the female voice. The social commentary is necessary, elevating this remake above others that are surface-level adaptations for modern audiences. The narrative of ego-driven women attempting to reclaim power through the female body is fascinating, especially considering the growing threat against bodily autonomy in the U.S. right now.

In addition to the more relevant topics, feminine desire, sexuality, workplace ambition, greed, and so much more is explored not just through Weisz’s characters but through the surrounding ensemble. Most notably, Jessica Ehle and Emily Meade play an uber-wealthy couple who seek out the Mantles not just for their genius and innovation in women’s health but for the profit that comes from their joint skills. Ehle’s saucy, seductive line delivery and monstrous persona adds an extreme layer that tactfully responds to the financial greed that has affected healthcare. Effectively mirroring Elliot and countering Beverly, Ehle gives Weisz a run for her money; she's just as much of a scene-stealer.


When one thinks of Dead Ringers or any Cronenberg project, the visuals are the standout, next to whatever wild concept Cronenberg is entertaining. The TV adaptation of Dead Ringers takes after its predecessor. It's a stylish and sleek affair. Borrowing some of the key aesthetics from the film, such as the use of red, both in the interior spaces and the constant use of blood. Seriously, this series is not for the faint of heart. However, one can appreciate how the Cronenberg film doesn’t necessarily dictate how the series looks. It’s merely connective tissue that adds to the show and isn’t the bulk of its visual narrative. Crucially, the visuals need to demonstrate the twins' narrative and their relationship with each other in ways the words of the text cannot.

The twin aesthetic is extreme, and on the cusp of overdone, but that is exactly what is needed. On their own, the Mantle twins feel incomplete, with clever camerawork insinuating that audiences are seeing half the picture. The extreme camera angles and techniques also go beyond the twins, as the series is constantly taunting its audience, edging them closer to chaos and tossing them headfirst into discomfort. The twins, the concept of reproduction, and all that comes with their work is depicted brilliantly onscreen.

Dead Ringers is not a unique specimen — there are many TV adaptations of movies out there. However, what makes this a must-watch (if one can stomach the gore) is Cronenberg's incredible ideas from the opposite perspective. Birch created a show that works harmoniously with the original film, mirroring it and also reacting to it. They work in tandem, offering a new perspective of the original work that brings forth a whole new viewing experience. Luckily for Prime Video, Dead Ringers will surely be a hit. It has some truly astounding acting work from Weisz and an ensemble cast, including Britne Oldford, that rises to her level. It’s hard to imagine Dead Ringers without Weisz's astute and vibrant performance.

Dead Ringers season 1 begins streaming on Prime Video Friday, April 21. The season consists of six episodes and is rated TV-MA.