Published Feb 9, 2026, 3:30 PM EST
After joining Screen Rant in January 2025, Guy became a Senior Features Writer in March of the same year, and now specializes in features about classic TV shows. With several years' experience writing for and editing TV, film and music publications, his areas of expertise include a wide range of genres, from comedies, animated series, and crime dramas, to Westerns and political thrillers.
Among the generous selection of psychological thrillers on offer for subscribers to Amazon’s Prime Video service, Dead Ringers rarely gets a mention. Yet, this intense and wickedly witty adaptation of David Cronenberg’s chilling 1988 big-screen classic is the perfect single-evening treat for fans of horror-inflected thriller series.
Among the best horror TV shows out there based on a book, Dead Ringers actually originates from the 1977 novel Twins by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland, but it borrows heavily from Cronenberg’s seminal adaptation of the work. Still, this Prime Video miniseries is wildly original, with Rachel Weisz leading from the front superbly in her dual role as the Mantle twins.
Along with an array of excellent supporting performances, Weisz helps to frame Dead Ringers in an entirely new light. Developed by Succession and Normal People script writer Alice Birch, this Prime Video show deserves far more recognition than it gets. Anyone who gives it a chance won’t regret unearthing one of the streaming giant’s hidden gems.
What Is Dead Ringers About?
Dead Ringers is essentially a remake of the David Cronenberg movie released in 1988, only with a major twist in its premise. It tells the story of Beverly and Elliot Mantle, identical twins who work together as gynecologists, and frequently trade places in their social lives while leaving friends – and even lovers – none the wiser.
Their dangerously entangled lives begin to unravel, though, especially when business becomes increasingly intertwined with their personal dealings. Elliot and Beverly find themselves trading personality traits as well as romantic partners and secret identities, in a psychotic downward spiral that threatens to ruin them both.
How Prime Video's Dead Ringers Is Different From The Movie
The most obvious difference between Prime Video’s Dead Ringers and David Cronenberg’s movie version is that the show’s central doppelgangers are women – played by Rachel Weisz – as opposed to men played by Jeremy Irons. Making the Mantle twins a pair of female gynaecologists brings a whole different dynamic to the story.
It’s also worth noting that the ending for the Dead Ringers TV show is dramatically different from what happens in the final moments of the movie. The TV version is an ingenious curveball ending that will shock fans of Cronenberg’s original screen adaptation. Prime Video’s iteration might not be quite as gruesome, but it’s arguably even more disturbing.
Why Dead Ringers Is Perfect For A One-Night Binge
Consisting of six one-hour episodes, Dead Ringers is the perfect one-season show to binge on Prime Video, particularly if you’re after something dark and disturbing to watch on a cold winter’s evening. This series has been criminally underviewed in the three years since its release. If you’ve already seen it, count yourself in the minority ahead of the curve.
As much as the show leans into elements of horror, though, it remains a relatively light and entertaining watch for a psychological thriller featuring graphically anatomical scenes in a surgical clinic. The dialogue sparkles with humor, especially in tense exchanges between the twin sisters where Weisz effectively argues with herself.
Dead Ringers is ultimately as lively and enjoyable as it is intense and unsettling. Don’t expect an easy watch, but one you’re hooked it’s impossible to look away, as much as you might want to at some points.
Release Date 2023 - 2023-00-00
Network Prime Video
Directors Sean Durkin, Lauren Wolkstein, Karyn Kusama
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Christina Brucato
Francesca
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Rachel Weisz
Elliot Mantle / Beverly Mantle
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Tia Barr
Kimberly Swansel
English (US) ·