Documentary

Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife

2023★ 7.2

DocumentaryCrimeHistory

Dr. Paolo Macchiarini is world famous for his revolutionary stem cell-infused windpipe transplants. There's just one problem: His patients keep dying.

Cast

EG

Erica Greene

Self

EG

Erica Greene

Self - Chris Lyle's Sister

DL

Dorne Lyles

Self

DL

Dorne Lyles

Self - Chris Lyle´s Mother

Benita Alexander-Noel

Self

JT

Julia Tuulik

Self

Cast

EG

Erica Greene

Self

EG

Erica Greene

Self - Chris Lyle's Sister

DL

Dorne Lyles

Self

DL

Dorne Lyles

Self - Chris Lyle´s Mother

Benita Alexander-Noel

Self

JT

Julia Tuulik

Self

JT

Julia Tuulik

Self - Patient #4

Oscar Simonson

Self

Oscar Simonson

Self - Surgeon

PM

Paolo Macchiarini

Self

Karl-Henrik Grinnemo

Self

Karl-Henrik Grinnemo

Self - Surgeon

Johannes Wahlström

Self

Johannes Wahlström

Self - Journalist

Johannes Wahlström

Self - Researcher

Sarah Alexander

Self

MA

Matt Alexander

Self

MA

Matt Alexander

Self - Benita Alexander's Brother

BL

Bosse Lindquist

Self

BL

Bosse Lindquist

Self - Journalist

MC

Matthias Corbascio

Self

MC

Matthias Corbascio

Self - Surgeon

Elton John

Self

Barack Obama

Self

Andrea Bocelli

Self

Michelle Obama

Self

Bill Clinton

Self

Vladimir Putin

Self

Trailer

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Comments

10 Comments

Megha_p1Jun 14, 2025

It is often said that the most extraordinary tales tend to be the true stories; undoubtedly, it would have been a genuinely imaginative mind to have conceived this tale. That's why I'm slightly surprised at some of the more negative reviews from people who didn't like the documentary's focus. The series does not detail the science behind the operation, how Dr Macchiarini landed the job in the first place and how he fooled so many of his peers. Dr Macchiarini falsified reports and did not follow proper procedures while performing surgeries on humans, a majority of whom died. He completed the surgeries without testing the procedure on animals first and was aware that the procedure was unlikely to work. However, the documentary's primary focus is how he fooled an investigative journalist he dated, which is fascinating as it is intriguing. The journalist, Benita Alexander-Noel, makes no attempts to hide her gullibility or paint herself in a particularly good light; she could have easily crawled under a rock and kept quiet, but she chose to tell her story. The procedure was dangerous and didn't work. I am curious to know more about the science and how he ended up at his post at Sweden's prestigious Karolinska University, but that doesn't make the documentary series uninteresting for what it did cover. While "Bad Surgeon" may leave some viewers wanting a deeper exploration of the science and Dr Macchiarini's background, as the series raises as many questions as it does answers., it undeniably captivates with its gripping narrative of deception. This extraordinary case could support multiple documentaries, each unveiling different layers, showcasing the complexity and intrigue. Despite its focused approach, the series remains mesmerizing and thought-provoking, leaving room for further exploration of this shocking tale. If you liked Netflix's Tinder Singer, then you'll probably like this; it kept me occupied for three hours as I watched it all in one go.

OUi6AMOct 2, 2024

documentary

katyMar 19, 2024

Thembisa Mdoda - NxumaloMar 19, 2024

OMG these women.... Embarrassed for my gender yet again. First there's the supposedly intelligent, accomplished journalist who lets herself get drawn into an insane web of lives, quits her career, pulls her kid out of school, and plans to move overseas without any idea where she's actually going. Smart, no?? Then there's the other dingbat in Italy whose son dies after being operated on by this psychopath of a surgeon. You would think she would sue the dude, and get the word out about his malpractice, right? Nope! She starts scruing him instead. What kind of woman starts a love affair with the sketchy psycho surgeon who killed her son? I mean, seriously? But he flew her first class and took her to nice restaurants, so that's what matters! UGH!!!!

neodorisMar 19, 2024

Doctor Paolo Macchiarini has devised a new live changing, life saving surgery for people needing artificial windpipes, stem cell infused transplants, unfortunately all is not as it seems. I'll be honest, I didn't exactly get captivated by the first twenty or so minutes of episode one, it seemed like it was going to be a domestic ding dong, however I'd urge you to stick with it, when the actual story breaks, it's a shocking watch. Episode three was absolutely shocking, as was the operation on Julia, I found that video actually quite upsetting, what a monster. I'm not quite sure how you'd describe Paolo, a sociopath perhaps? A man with a definite god complex, definitely a convincing and very dangerous man. You have to feel sorry for his intended wife, although choosing a journalist wasn't perhaps the brightest move, Benita was always going to uncover the truth. Very well made, and well put together, I liked that it was three episodes long, and that they didn't drag it out. 8/10.

maxzaheerMar 19, 2024

9 stars for exposing this story. This is a story about a man who is a sociopath, a highly skilled con man, who is also a surgeon. He has delusion of grandeur and his arrogance is off the scale. To summarize this all - he is mentally deviated. Now, the main question is how his fellow surgeons and assistants and nurses and other staff had remained oblivious of the true nature of his surgeries. Not a word is said about stem cell collection and its subsequent application to the plastic tracheas. Stem cells collection is not a simple process. So was it done or not? Documentary is silent about it. That is why it is unclear how the entire team of medical professionals at Karolinska (and in Russia) went along with assisting the implantation of plastic tubes, as if they were operating on dummies, not living and breathing human beings. I refuse to believe they didn't know what was happening. As for the women, nothing is new here.

Reabetswe.MMar 19, 2024

While this is better than the first doc, I still can't believe this woman is a competent journalist that fell for this blindly. Also, I remember thinking the first time I saw this story all I could think about was how he could've done better. Honestly, hot, wealthy, world-renowned, bad boy surgeon? That's the best he could do? He couldn't managed to land someone attractive? Even his first girlfriend was attractive when he conned her. I guess it probably made it easier to manipulate a woman when she's an unattractive narcissist appearing to be in it for the name-dropping and money. At least this version of the doc actually goes over the unethical aspect of medicine and lack of benevolence over malevolence and vanity.

Ashley KolokoMar 19, 2024

Netflix's "The Bad Surgeon" promises a deep dive into the twisted world of Dr. Paolo Macchiarini, a thoracic surgeon whose scalpel skills were matched only by his talent for deception. But amidst the expected chills and medical malpractice thrills, something unexpected emerges: a bizarrely erotic undercurrent. Buckle up, folks, because we're about to talk about a docuseries where the bad doctor isn't just bad at medicine, he's apparently bad in bed too (at least, according to one very vocal woman). Enter Benita Alexander, Macchiarini's former flame and self-proclaimed confidante. Forget scalpels and sutures, Benita's weapon of choice is the suggestive sigh and the lingering glance back at the camera. While recounting the doc's litany of lies and emotional manipulation, she throws in gratuitous descriptions of Macchiarini's "piercing eyes" and "chiseled jaw," painting him less as a monster and more like a misunderstoodo hunk. It's like watching a Lifetime movie where the stalker is also the secret object of your desire.

ZobyMar 19, 2024

I had previously listened to the podcast "Dr. Death" about the story of Paolo Macchiarini, and I was hoping for the same in depth coverage from this documentary. Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed. While I completely empathize with Benita, as she was conned by a narcissistic sociopath, this story isn't about her. But the series made it about her. This should have been a series that focused on the lives that were destroyed by Paolo and all of the collateral damage that he caused. It should have described the horrendous suffering and pain that his subjects endured before their inevitable demise. It should have highlighted the brokenness of our healthcare systems globally. What a missed opportunity. This is coming from a RN in the United States. Sorry Netflix. Missed the mark on this one.

uSBAHLEMar 19, 2024

You all really believe that everyone is innocent, it's just this one bad doctor and 3-4 guys from Karolinska Institute? This is the truth that Netflix wants you to believe. His team exactly knew what was going on. All those, who assisted him with dodgy absurd surgeries, who were also highly skilled surgeons, they never asked questions? Monkeys at the hospital, did what they were asked to do? Of course they knew more or less what was going on but didn't care enough. They started to care when everything began to collapse. Probably they got scared of consequences. That almost wife didn't figure out who was that guy? (not as surgeon) She just loved all those expensive holidays, hotels, presents, etc. Karolinska Institute board members are probably a different story. This is another Netflix "documentary" that tries to blur the truth.