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Is 'DTF St. Louis' based on a true story? Truth explored as a complicated love triangle turns deadly

The series focuses on a love triangle as Clark Forrest (Jason Bateman) has an affair with Carol Smernitch (Linda Cardellini)

'DTF St. Louis,' HBO's latest dark comedy series, focuses on the malaise of midlife and explores themes of desperation, loneliness, secret desires, and existential dread. Steven Conrad has created, written, and directed all seven episodes of the series, which premiered on March 1 and will air its finale on April 12. It focuses on local weatherman, Clark Forrest (Jason Bateman), who has an extramarital affair with Carol Smernitch (Linda Cardellini). Carol is married to Clark's colleague, Floyd Smernitch (David Harbour), who dies under mysterious circumstances a few weeks later. As Clark is arrested for his close friend's murder, hidden secrets threaten to upend the lives of everyone involved. Given the premise of the series, many fans have wondered if the story is fictional or based on true events. Conrad let fans know that 'DTF St. Louis' is a combination of different elements from true-crime stories, his personal experiences with middle-aged friends, and pure fiction.

When talking about his real-life inspiration, Conrad told People on March 5 that he decided to tackle the subject of midlife crisis after watching his friends make terrible life choices at that stage of life. He said, “I’m in my middle age, and most of my friends are too, and, somehow or another, it’s another phase of life where people make terrible decisions… The first one’s 14, and no one wants to live through that again. But that same misguided, desperate need to fit in or to find someone to feel safe, it comes back around in middle age, and it can lead to bad decision-making. I had friends who were in that phase of life deciding to quit their jobs or leave their families.”

A few days later, on March 9, Conrad told Town & Country that Harbour sent him a 2017 article from The New Yorker titled, 'My Dentist's Murder Trial,' that piqued his interest. Written by James Lasdun, the story centered on an upstate New York dentist, Gilberto Nunez, who had an affair with his friend and physical therapist, Thomas Kolman's wife, Linda. However, after she ended the affair to work on her marriage, Nunez reportedly resorted to desperate means to win her back. Things took a deadly turn when Kolman's body was found in a Planet Fitness parking lot in November 2011 with traces of midazolam, a "sedative used only by doctors and dentists." Although it's not clear if he committed the murder, Nunez wasn’t convicted of the crime, but was charged with forgery and insurance fraud. 

Conrad insists that he used the Nunez story as only a starting point to base his suspense story in a suburban setting. 'DTF St. Louis' also features Wynn Everett as Clark's wife, Eimy;  Arlan Ruf as Floyd and Carol's son, Richard; Joy Sunday as the special crimes officer, Jodie Plumb; and Richard Jenkins as Detective Donoghue Homer. Watch the story unfold on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.