Nurses Who Kill is one of those jobs that stays with you, because you are stepping into a real case where people were hurt, and the details are properly grim.
In 2019 I played Paul Novak in Nurses Who Kill (Season 3, Episode 3), a docu-drama reconstruction built around interviews and expert commentary.
Nurses Who Kill is the sort of credit that reminds me why screen work matters, because even a reconstruction can make you treat truth, story, and responsibility with real care.
The episode at a glance
The episode is titled “Paul Novak” and it sits in Season 3 of Nurses Who Kill.
It originally aired 15 August 2019 and runs at about 44 minutes
The show’s format mixes reconstructed scenes with contributors analysing motive, method, and how cases are proven.
My credit for the episode appears as Andy Pandini as Paul Novak. (imdb.com)
The production was made by First Look TV and directed by Nadia Dawber
Who was Paul Novak
Paul Novak was a New York EMT/paramedic whose estranged wife, Catherine Novak, died in a December 2008 incident in Narrowsburg, Sullivan County, New York, where her home was burned.
Novak was indicted on charges including murder, arson, burglary, larceny, and insurance fraud
He was later sentenced to life in prison.
Playing a real person in a reconstruction
This is not the kind of role where you “invent a backstory” for fun.
You are trying to serve the storytelling, but you are also aware that this is someone’s real life, and someone’s real death, sitting underneath the script.
The show frames the narrative through a true crime lens, with expert voices and a constructed timeline, and the recon scenes have to support that clearly and simply.
For me, the challenge was playing Paul Novak without turning it into a “villain performance”.
You are aiming for believable behaviour, not pantomime.
You also have to accept that viewers will come in with strong feelings, because they are watching a case where the outcome is already known
What I remember from filming
I remember arriving and feeling that specific reconstruction atmosphere. It’s calm, professional, and oddly intense, because everything is built around small details.
Wardrobe, props, blocking, and eyelines all have to land quickly, because you are telling story beats, not playing long scenes.
The trick with something like this is restraint. I had to keep it grounded enough that it felt real, but clear enough that it read on camera in short fragments.
Luckily, there were excellent performances by Jules Boddy (as Catherine Novak) and Tracey Rimell (as Michelle LaFrance) to help bring the part to life.
How it was received
This episode has had a long shelf life, mainly because the series keeps appearing on different platforms and channel bundles.
In the UK, the show has been available via services like Discovery+ and STV Player, and often gets repeated on UK TV channels. In other territories, it shows up on Prime Video and other streaming services.
Photos and videos
Here are the most useful public places to watch or find out more
- IMDb episode hub (credits and media links). (imdb.com)
- Discovery+ UK episode page for “Paul Novak”. (Discovery Plus)
- STV Player episode page (UK). (STV Player)
- Prime Video season listing showing date and runtime (territory dependent). (Amazon)
FAQs
Which episode is Andy in
Season 3, Episode 3, titled “Paul Novak”.
Who does Andy play
Andy Pandini plays Paul Novak in the reconstruction.
What is the show format
It’s a true crime docu-drama combining expert interviews with dramatised reconstruction.
What is the case background in one paragraph
Court records describe the death of Catherine Novak in December 2008, later arrests in 2012, and indictments including murder and arson, with the matter proceeding through trial, sentencing, and appeal.
Where can people watch it
Availability shifts by region and rights, but the episode has appeared on services including Discovery+ and STV Player in the UK, and via other streaming listings elsewhere.