Is The Good Nurse Based on a True Story
The film The Good Nurse is based on a true story involving serial killer Charles Cullen and nurse Amy Loughren. The movie adapts the book The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber. It focuses on Cullen's crimes across multiple hospitals and the investigation that exposed him.
The Good Nurse premiered on Netflix in 2022 and stars Jessica Chastain as Amy Loughren and Eddie Redmayne as Charles Cullen. The production was led by Netflix and Defiant Studios, with director Tobias Lindholm adapting the screenplay from Graeber's reporting. The film draws directly from documented court records, hospital records, and law enforcement files.
True Events and Real People Behind The Good Nurse
Charles Cullen admitted to killing up to 40 patients while working as a nurse in New Jersey and Pennsylvania hospitals between 1998 and 2003. He pleaded guilty in 2004 and received multiple life sentences. His crimes were uncovered after hospital staff and investigators connected unexplained patient deaths to his shifts.
Amy Loughren, the nurse who helped expose Cullen, worked with detectives at Somerset Medical Center and later at other facilities. She faced personal risk and professional retaliation while cooperating with law enforcement. Her role is documented in court testimony and in the book by Charles Graeber, who reported on the case for publications and true crime outlets.
Where The True Story of The Good Nurse Took Place
The events in The Good Nurse occurred primarily at Somerset Medical Center in Somerville, New Jersey, and at St. Luke's University Hospital Network in Pennsylvania. Cullen held nursing licenses in multiple states, and his movements across hospital systems allowed him to continue working despite earlier warnings.
Regulatory and legal responses to Cullen's case influenced hospital hiring practices and patient safety protocols across the United States. Investigative reporting by Charles Graeber and outlets including Forbes helped reveal how Cullen moved between institutions. The story also draws attention to broader issues in health care workforce screening and oversight.