Hey, everyone! How’s it going? Today I’m here to review the drama Mary Kills People, which premiered on Global and Lifetime in 2017 and delivered one of television’s most controversial and thought-provoking examinations of assisted dying wrapped in dark comedy.
Mary Kills People premiered on Global in Canada on January 25, 2017, and on Lifetime in the United States on April 23, 2017. The series ran for three seasons from 2017 to 2019, with each season consisting of six episodes running approximately one hour each. Created by Tara Armstrong, this Canadian black comedy-drama tackled the sensitive subject of physician-assisted death while maintaining a surprisingly light tone that made complex ethical questions accessible to mainstream audiences.
Single mother Mary Harris is an ER doctor by day, but by night she and her partner Des, a former plastic surgeon, moonlight as underground angels of death who help terminally ill patients slip away on their own terms. The series combines medical drama with dark comedy elements, offering viewers both intense ethical dilemmas and surprisingly humorous moments. What makes this show particularly compelling is its refusal to provide easy answers about end-of-life choices while creating genuine sympathy for all characters involved in these morally complex situations.
The Double Life: When Healing Becomes Helping Die
Mary Kills People centers on Dr. Mary Harris, who works legitimate shifts at Eden General Hospital’s emergency department while secretly operating an assisted suicide practice with her partner Des Bennett. The central premise revolves around Mary’s attempts to balance her legal medical career, single motherhood, and underground practice while avoiding detection by law enforcement. The series doesn’t shy away from exploring the psychological toll of living multiple lives while dealing with the constant threat of exposure.
Each episode builds the tension between Mary’s compassionate motivations and the increasing risks of her illegal activities. The show expertly balances the serious subject matter with moments of genuine humor, creating a narrative that keeps viewers both emotionally invested and occasionally laughing despite the heavy themes.
Dr. Mary Harris: Caroline Dhavernas’ Compassionate Complexity
Caroline Dhavernas stars as Dr. Mary Harris, delivering a nuanced performance that captures both the medical professional’s competence and the secret practitioner’s vulnerability. Dhavernas, known from Hannibal, brings depth and authenticity to this character who genuinely believes she’s providing a necessary service while struggling with the moral and legal implications. Her portrayal makes Mary simultaneously admirable and concerning, never allowing viewers to feel completely comfortable with her choices.
Mary’s journey throughout the series demonstrates the evolution from someone with clear moral convictions to someone forced to make increasingly compromised decisions to protect her practice and family. Dhavernas’ performance anchors the show’s emotional core while making the controversial subject matter feel personal rather than political.
Detective Ben Wesley: Jay Ryan’s Undercover Investigation
Jay Ryan plays Detective Ben Wesley, who goes undercover as a terminally ill patient to investigate Mary’s activities. Ryan brings both intensity and unexpected vulnerability to this character who must balance his law enforcement duties with growing understanding of why people seek Mary’s services. His performance creates the series’ central cat-and-mouse dynamic while exploring how investigating this particular crime affects the investigator personally.
The relationship between Wesley and Mary drives much of the series’ tension, with Ryan’s portrayal emphasizing the detective’s growing moral confusion about whether he’s hunting a criminal or someone providing mercy.
Des Bennett: Richard Short’s Loyal Partner
Richard Short plays Desmond “Des” Bennett, Mary’s business partner and former plastic surgeon who provides both medical expertise and emotional support for their underground practice. Short brings warmth and reliability to a character who represents unwavering loyalty despite the increasing dangers. His chemistry with Dhavernas creates the foundation for exploring how partnerships can survive even the most stressful circumstances.
Des serves as both Mary’s anchor and her potential weakness, with Short’s performance capturing the complexity of someone who chose this path for altruistic reasons but must live with the consequences.
The Investigation Intensifies: When Law Meets Compassion
The series builds toward increasingly dangerous situations where Mary’s practice attracts attention from both law enforcement and criminal elements who want to exploit her services. Without spoiling specific details, the final season forces Mary to confront whether her compassionate goals justify the risks she’s created for everyone around her, including her teenage daughters who remain unaware of her secret life.
These climactic episodes successfully tie together the series’ themes about mercy, justice, and the sometimes impossible choices people make when trying to help others while protecting their families.
Success on Global and Lifetime
Mary Kills People holds a solid rating on IMDb and earned critical acclaim for its sensitive handling of controversial subject matter. The series was praised for Caroline Dhavernas’ performance and the show’s ability to find humor in serious situations without trivializing the underlying issues. While Lifetime chose not to air the third season, the complete series found international distribution and streaming availability, demonstrating the show’s appeal beyond its original markets.
The Perfect Ethical Drama
If you love medical dramas with dark comedy elements and complex moral questions, Mary Kills People was the perfect series to explore on Global, Lifetime, and later Netflix. The show successfully combined controversial subject matter with compelling character development while refusing to provide simple answers to complicated ethical dilemmas.
Tags: Caroline Dhavernas, assisted dying, medical drama, dark comedy, ethical dilemmas
Why This Series Sparked Important Conversations
Mary Kills People represented everything brave about television’s ability to tackle controversial subjects by combining authentic medical knowledge with genuine human emotion and unexpected humor. This wasn’t just another medical drama, it was a thoughtful exploration of end-of-life choices that encouraged viewers to think deeply about compassion, legality, and personal autonomy.
Series Details
Number of Episodes: 18 episodes across 3 seasons (6 episodes per season)
Platform: Global (Canada), Lifetime (US Seasons 1-2), Netflix (international streaming)
Release Year: 2017-2019
Current IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Genre: Dark Comedy, Medical Drama, Thriller
Status: Complete series (concluded 2019)
Protagonists: Dr. Mary Harris (Caroline Dhavernas), Des Bennett (Richard Short), Detective Ben Wesley (Jay Ryan)
Antagonist: Law enforcement investigation and criminal elements threatening Mary’s practice