Smithsonian Channel Commissions The Curious Life and Death of…

Smithsonian Channel has ordered The Curious Life and Death of…, which follows Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris as she uses science, tests and demonstrations to shed new light on famous murders, suicides and freak diseases.

Working alongside a variety of experts and eyewitnesses, Fitzharris will uncover the secrets of icons ranging from drug lord Pablo Escobar to Hollywood starlet Brittany Murphy to magician Harry Houdini. The series will premiere on Smithsonian Channel in 2020.

Each hour-long episode will follow Fitzharris as she tackles a death shrouded in mystery. Sometimes she will seek to discover the exact cause of death—and sometimes the mystery is the “why” behind the death itself. Using her lab to perform virtual autopsies, experiment with blood samples, interview witnesses and conduct real-time demonstrations, Fitzharris will put everything about these mysterious deaths to the test. Along the way, she’ll be joined by a revolving cast of experts, including Scotland Yard detectives, medical examiners, weapons gurus and more.

The series is produced by Blakeway Productions, a Zinc Media company for Smithsonian Channel.

Fitzharris is a bestselling author and medical historian with a doctorate from the University of Oxford. She is the creator of the popular blog “The Chirurgeon’s Apprentice,” as well as the host of the YouTube series Under the Knife.

“The Curious Life and Death of… will transport our viewers into a world of mysterious deaths and shadowy figures, and investigate the fascinating and often strange lives of the deceased,” said David Royle, chief programming officer at Smithsonian Networks. “Lindsey Fitzharris brings a unique blend of personality, wit and expertise—and is the perfect person to explore these historic personalities through the lens of morbid science.”

“For many famous departed, death was just the beginning of their extraordinary afterlife,” said Roy Ackerman, executive producer for Blakeway Productions. “The Curious Life and Death of… combines biography, forensics and true crime to explore and unravel the buried mysteries of these well-known figures. We’re thrilled to be partnering with Smithsonian Channel and can’t think of a better host for this series than Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris, a modern-day historian of the medical and macabre.”