Summary4 min read

Podcast Summary: Hollywood & Crime – "New Season: Dr. Death: The Cowboy"

Host: Laura Beale (Dr. Death) for Wondery
Date: June 4, 2026

Episode Overview

This crossover episode from Hollywood & Crime introduces listeners to the chilling new season of Dr. Death: The Cowboy. Host Laura Beale previews the investigation into a charismatic but dangerously incompetent neurosurgeon, Dr. Schneider, whose unchecked medical malpractice left a trail of devastation in small western towns. The theme centers on misplaced trust, the failures of the medical oversight system, and the harrowing experiences of families seeking justice.

Listeners hear a tense, emotional story of one victim’s family—focusing on Christy and her mother—as they grapple with the aftermath of botched spinal surgeries, the search for answers with a new doctor (Dr. Nowadsky), and confrontation with Dr. Schneider himself.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Betrayal of Trust in Medicine

Intro by Laura Beale [00:00 – 01:10]:
Beale outlines the season’s central question:
"What happens when you put your life in someone's hands and they betray you?"
The episode promises a tale of "greed, betrayal, and a fight for justice," focused on a surgeon who cultivated trust only to exploit it.

2. Realization and Confrontation

Christy and her mother meet Dr. Nowadsky [01:10 – 03:19]:
- Dr. Nowadsky, a new surgeon, delivers devastating news that none of the previous spinal fusion surgeries performed by Dr. Schneider had healed.
- Christy describes being shocked, realizing her mother had "been walking around with a broken back all this time."
- Dr. Nowadsky offers a sober assessment—no promises, just an offer to remove the hardware and attempt a third fusion.
- Notable Quote [01:37]:
  Christy: "So my mom was walking around with a broken back all this time?"
  Dr. Nowadsky: "Yeah, none of it's healed."
Lingering Doubt and Fear [02:16 – 02:47]:
- Christy wrestles with whether to trust Dr. Nowadsky, haunted by Dr. Schneider’s warnings that further surgeries could paralyze her mom.

3. The Confrontation and Fallout

Emotional Confrontation with Dr. Schneider [03:28 – 04:35]:
- Christy, overwhelmed, tries to confront Dr. Schneider by phone—yelling in the parking lot, demanding answers.
- Schneider refuses to speak to her directly.
- Notable Quote [03:34]:
  Christy: "I told her I wanted to hear it from Schneider, that he lied to us all these years... she was walking around with hardware that's not even connected to her bones."
Dr. Schneider’s Response [04:35 – 05:17]:
- A letter from Dr. Schneider arrives, expressing indignation and warning against trusting Dr. Nowadsky.
- Notable Quote [04:35]:
  Schneider (via letter): "I was aghast that your daughter would intimate and accuse myself or my staff of medical error or ignoring your needs. I am very concerned you chose Dr. Nowadsky for your second opinion and would encourage you to be very, very careful before believing or letting this doctor treat you."
- Christy interprets this as Dr. Schneider being "an asshole" and trying to hide his mistakes.
Christy’s Decision [05:26]:
- Christy and her mother ignore Schneider’s warnings and pursue surgery with Dr. Nowadsky, but a second warning letter sends Christy into a panic.
- Notable Quote [05:53]:
  Christy: "I panicked. Completely panicked."

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

[01:37] Christy:
"So my mom was walking around with a broken back all this time?"
Dr. Nowadsky: "Yeah, none of it's healed."
[03:34] Christy (yelling on the phone):
"I told her I wanted to hear it from Schneider, that he lied to us all these years..."
[04:35] Dr. Schneider (in letter):
"I was aghast that your daughter would intimate and accuse myself or my staff of medical error..."
[05:17] Christy:
"What an asshole. At that point, you think he's like he doesn't want any other surgeon to see what he did to my mom inside her back."
[05:53] Christy:
"I panicked. Completely panicked."

Important Timestamps

00:00 – Laura Beale introduces the season’s theme: trust, betrayal, and a dangerous doctor.
01:10 – Christy and her mother consult Dr. Nowadsky.
03:19 – Christy, emotional, attempts to confront Dr. Schneider.
04:35 – Schneider's response via letter; Christy’s anger and decision to move forward.
05:53 – Christy receives a second warning letter; panic sets in.

Episode Tone & Style

The episode maintains the investigative yet deeply emotional tone characteristic of Wondery's true crime series, blending clinical details with raw personal testimony. Christy's voice is urgent, honest, and angry, juxtaposed with the measured but unnerving communications from Dr. Schneider.

Conclusion

This preview for Dr. Death: The Cowboy draws listeners into a story of medical betrayal and a family's relentless pursuit of answers. It sets the stage for a deeper exploration of how systems designed to protect patients can fail, and just how dangerous—and difficult—it can be to challenge those with power in the medical world.

For more gripping details and the full story, listeners are directed to the new season of Dr. Death: The Cowboy.

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Transcript21 lines

[00:01]
A
Hi, I'm the host of Dr. Death, Laura Beale. In an all new season, I dig into the story of a surgeon who took advantage of a broken system and the fight to bring him to justice. There are people you're told to trust. Lawyers, teachers, especially doctors. But what happens when you put your life in someone's hands and they betray you? Dr. Death the Cowboy is the story of a charming neurosurgeon who rode into western towns selling a Persona of confidence and care. He wore cowboy boots in the operating room and became sought after by patients. He promised to heal them, to help them. Instead, he left a trail of broken bodies. This season is about a doctor who's never truly been held accountable for the patients whose lives he ruined. And a story of greed, betrayal, and a fight for justice that will leave you questioning who to trust. We're about to play a clip from Dr. Death the Cowboy. Listen to Dr. Death the Cowboy wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all episodes of Dr. Death the Cowboy ad free right now. Start your Audible subscription in the Audible app or on Apple podcasts.
[01:11]
B
When they were called in, he sat at the edge of the exam table. He was in his 60s, tall and wiry. And he began to lay it out for them. I would go over the films with them and say, here's the problem. And then he told them what it meant.
[01:25]
C
We're going to have to do surgery. We just need to fix the fusions that never healed. None of them healed.
[01:34]
B
Christy was speechless, trying to take it all in.
[01:38]
C
I said, the first surgery from Dr. Schneider? He said, no, none of the hardware has healed. None of it. And I'm picturing it in my head, all these screws and bolts in my mom's back just floating around. And I asked him, I said, so my mom was walking around with a broken back all this time? He said, yeah, none of it's healed. My mom didn't say anything. She was just listening in shock.
[02:05]
B
Dr. Nowadsky was clear that there were no magic fixes. The best he could do was to remove the hardware and fuse her spine for a third time.
[02:17]
C
My brain was just going in every which direction, like, do we trust this doctor? Does he know what he's doing?
[02:24]
B
And there was one question in particular that was weighing on her mind. The thought that Dr. Schneider had planted in her head.
[02:34]
C
I asked him if this was going to paralyze my mom.
[02:38]
D
I still believed that he was right. Dr. Schneider and anybody that touched her was going to paralyze her. There was nothing to be done.
[02:48]
B
Dr. Nowadsky told her that wouldn't happen.
[02:51]
C
He wasn't pushy at all. He said, think on it. Get back to me. Let me know what you think.
[03:01]
B
Christy walked out of Dr. Nowadsky's office, relieved. Finally, she'd found someone willing to take on one of Dr. Schneider's patients. But as she took her mom and her two toddlers back out of the building and into the parking lot, Kristi could feel her emotions rising.
[03:20]
C
I got the kids and my mom in the truck and I walked around the parking lot so they wouldn't hear me.
[03:28]
B
She pulled out her cell phone and punched in the number for the office of Dr. Schneider.
[03:34]
C
I asked to speak to him. He wouldn't take the call. So I told the secretary to give him a message for me. I told her I wanted to hear it from Schneider, that he lied to us all these years, that my mom had a broken back, that she was walking around with hardware that's not even connected to her bones. And I wanted to hear it from him, what his thoughts are. Did he know all these years that my mom's fusion didn't heal? That he put her through so much pain and agony? And I remember a few of the people in the parking lot looking at me because I was screaming on the phone, demanding him to get on the phone and talk to me and tell me what he thinks of this. She just kept saying, he's too busy. He's with patients. He cannot come to the phone, but I'll be sure to tell him.
[04:36]
B
A week later, her mom got a letter. It was from Dr. Schneider. He wrote, I was aghast that your daughter would intimate and accuse myself or my staff of medical error or ignoring your needs. He went on with a warning for her. I am very concerned you chose Dr. Nowadsky for your second opinion and would encourage you to be very, very careful before believing or letting this doctor treat you. I would be happy to sit down with your family and review these issues. As she scanned through the words, Christy could only think one thing.
[05:18]
C
What an asshole. At that point, you think he's like he doesn't want any other surgeon to see what he did to my mom inside her back.
[05:26]
B
So Christy and her mom did not take up Dr. Schneider's offer of a follow up appointment. Nor did she pay any attention to his warnings about Dr. Nowadsky. Instead, she moved ahead with her mom's surgery. But then, not long later, a second letter arrived in the mail with the warning that made her wonder what and who she was really dealing with.
[05:53]
C
I panicked. Completely panicked.
[06:03]
A
Binge all seasons of Dr. Death the Cowboy ad free right now on Audible. Start your Audible subscription in the Audible app or on Apple Podcasts.