‘The Sopranos’ star joins Apple TV’s wild new medical drama
Paul Schulze (Father Phil Intintola on ‘The Sopranos’) has joined Apple TV’s upcoming medical dramedy ‘Beat the Reaper,’ according to Deadline. Schulze and Tony Macht (‘The Comeback’) will star in recurring roles, and further details on both characters are under wraps. ‘Beat the Reaper’ is an adaptation of Josh Bazell’s 2009 debut novel of the same name, which Apple TV ordered on December 18, 2025. Will Poulter (‘The Bear’) will star as Dr. Peter Brown, an intern at a Boston hospital who has hidden a dangerous past from his colleagues. When one of his patients recognizes him, Brown must navigate a single eight-hour shift while evading federal agents and mob hitmen.
Poulter also serves as an executive producer, while Apple Studios and New Regency are the co-studios. Sam Catlin (‘Breaking Bad’) adapted the book for television and runs the show under his overall deal with Apple TV. Notably, Tim Van Patten (‘Masters of the Air’) will direct the pilot and executive produce the project, marking another connection to ‘The Sopranos.’ He directed 20 episodes of the HBO series, the most of any director.
Additionally, J.K. Simmons (‘Whiplash’), who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2015, will play Dr. Friendly, a surgeon at the same hospital as Brown. Damon Herriman (‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’), Stephanie Nur (‘Lioness’), Artoun Nazareth (‘The Promised Land’), and Molly Price (‘Elsbeth’) joined the recurring cast on October 6. Price spent six seasons on NBC’s ‘Third Watch,’ and Herriman most recently played Lawrence Cole in the ‘Reacher’ spinoff ‘Neagley.’ Nur appeared opposite Anthony Hopkins in the Netflix film ‘Mary,’ and Nazareth’s credits include ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ and ‘Dumb Money.’
Interestingly, Schulze wasn’t the first actor to play Father Phil on ‘The Sopranos.’ Michael Santoro portrayed the priest in the series pilot, with Schulze taking over the role in the Season 1 episode ‘College,’ which aired on February 7, 1999. He played the character through 2006 and later starred for three seasons as CTU director Ryan Chappelle on ‘24.’ He followed that with a role as the pharmacist, Eddie Walzer, on ‘Nurse Jackie’ and recently played a few recurring roles on ‘The Expanse,’ ‘The Lincoln Lawyer,’ and Apple TV’s ‘Sugar.’ ‘Sugar’ is also part of Catlin's resume, the showrunner of ‘Beat the Reaper.’ Apple TV will stream ‘Beat the Reaper,’ but the platform has not yet announced a premiere date.
