Enjoyable and educational story of the life work of New York's first medical examiner Charles Norris, and his head toxicologist Alexander Gettler. Before Norris, New York coroners (as in many places) weren't doctors, and often had absolutely no scientific training. It was more a give-away, political patronage job, and forensic evidence wasn't taken very seriously by juries, judges, or lawyers.
But Norris and Gettler dragged New York, and ultimately other places into the age of science in the courtroom. For this show it specifically focuses on the issue of poisonings and how Gettler and Norris got ever better at exposing the truth behind these killings – to the point where intentional poisonings went from hundreds of cases a year to only one or two. That's how good they were. It was no longer worth the risk.
Unlike most American Experience films, this relies heavily on reenactments. That usually means cheesy and unimpressive. But here the acting is first rate, and it makes the device work surprisingly well. One could imagine a fascinating series about these two – a sort of real life Holmes and Watson.