Behind the Scenes

I Have a Great Idea for a TV Series

Idea: A 1920s/30s crime drama on Alexander Gettler and Charles Norris.

I recently watched a documentary called American Experience: The Poisoner's Handbook. Based upon the book of the same title written by Deborah Blum, the documentary follows medical examiner Charles Norris and his chief toxicologist Alexander Gettler in solving cases involving poisons in the 1920s and 30s. In that time, forensic science was undervalued, so a poisoner could get away with murder. Because of Norris and Gettler's passion for toxicology and their drive to protect the people of New York, forensic science became vital to investigations and it became impossible to get away with poisoning.

I came across this documentary due to my United States History class. A few weeks ago, we discussed the Roaring 20s, including the Prohibition. In the Prohibition section, my professor included several clips from The Poisoner's Handbook. Immediately after the laws against alcohol were placed, people were breaking it. To get liquor, people would drink pretty much anything distilled, and most of it was poisoned. While I had learned about the Prohibition before, I had no idea the bootlegged alcohol people were drinking in speakeasies was poisoned and that thousands died. I was morbidly fascinated.

Scrolling through Amazon Prime Video one day, I found The Poisoner's Handbook documentary and put aside my homework to watch it. I discovered that not only did Norris and Gettler fight the Prohibition, but also solved murders through forensic science. They fought opposition from law enforcement and New York's mayors to flawlessly prove their science to those that didn't fully understand it. They made sure the innocent were released and the guilty were caught.

Normally, I find documentaries boring, but this one had acting in it and it was about poisons. If my chemistry class was about poisons, I would have been much more interested.

I would have to do more research, but the series could start with the mayor of New York, John F. Hylan, reluctantly giving Charles Norris the Chief Medical Examiner position at Bellevue Hospital in 1918. Norris would hire Alexander Gettler on the spot and their first case would be the Jackson case. A husband and wife was found dead in their apartment, all signs to have been poisoned by cyanide. Gettler used forensic science to prove that though unintentional, the owner of the building and the fumigator killed Fremont and Annie Jackson. However, science was new in investigations and Gettler was unable to convince the jury and was humiliated. They lost the case and the murders walked free.

The season would progress through different poisons and mysteries. Gettler will meet Mary "Fanny" Creighton. Police, New York's mayors, coroners, and corporations would challenge them. Each episode would be titled after the cause of death, such as arsenic, radium, and methanol.

The Prohibition would take several episodes, and would either be the first season final, or the mid season final.

The series would end with the death of Charles Norris and the return of Fanny Creighton. By this time, Gettler's testimony was so trustworthy, no one dared to question his knowledge, an obvious contrast to the first episode. Forensic science finally has a voice and a weight in the courtroom. Police worked with and trust forensic scientists. It is a new era of protection in New York and America.

Norris and Gettler would be portrayed with a strong partnership and friendship. But we could also add an almost fatherly attitude towards Gettler. There's such a contrast between the two. Norris came from a wealthy family, Gettler came from Jewish immigrants. Yet, they are unified by the same cause and drive.

What do you guys think of this idea? I'd like to flesh it out more on paper. In the meantime, I highly recommend reading and watching The Poisoner's Handbook.