IsDoca True Story? Meet the Real Doctor Who Lost Over a Decade of Memories After a Car Accident — and How His Story Inspired the Fox Show

Mar. 15, 2025

Molly Parker in the Fox show ‘Doc.'.Photo:Christos Kalohoridis/FOX

Christos Kalohoridis/FOX

Warning:Docspoilers ahead!

Fox’s new medical dramaDocfollows Dr. Amy Larsen (Molly Parker), who wakes up with no memory of the past eight years after a brain injury — and it’s not a farfetched story.

In the series, which premiered on Jan. 7 and airs on Tuesday nights, Amy is forced to navigate a vastly unfamiliar reality. At home, Amy’s husband is now her ex, her son has died, and she and her daughter are estranged. Meanwhile, Amy doesn’t remember her colleagues or former patients at work, who haven’t forgotten her harsh bedside manners.

“I was a very cold … guy, very bad,” he told PEOPLE. “Colleagues of mine gave me a nickname: I was the ‘prince of bastards.’ ”

To this day, he has been unable to rescue more than a decade of lost memories, and a part of him is okay with that. Instead, Piccioni is creating happier ones with his family and peers.

“When you lose [your] memory, you lose the good and bad. Of course, I [would] like to have back the beautiful memories. But life is a bit of both, and I’m not sure I want back the bad memories and emotions,” he explained. “I saw videos, slides, pictures … that doc was another kind of person, and I didn’t recognize myself.”

Now, the Fox showDocis captivating audiences. The premiere episode amassednearly 16 million viewersin its first 11 days — making it the network’sbest series debut in five years.

Here’s everything to know about the Fox medical drama and the real-life doctor who inspired it.

What isDocabout?

Molly Parker in the Fox show ‘Doc.'.©2025 FOX Media LLC.

©2025 FOX Media LLC.

Doctells the story of Dr. Amy Larsen, chief of internal and family medicine at Westside Hospital in Minneapolis, who suffers a brain injury in a horrific car accident. After waking up from a brief coma, doctors discover that Amy has partial retrograde amnesia and has no recollection of the past eight years.

Amy quickly learns that her life is nothing as she remembers it: She’s divorced, her son is dead and she’s estranged from her daughter. On top of that, Amy has lost nearly a decade of medical knowledge.

“There’s [almost] more than two characters I’m playing,” Parker toldWTHR. “We see her in the present day. We see who she remembers herself as in the past, but throughout the show, we get these glimpses of who she became.”

IsDocbased on a true story?

Molly Parker and Omar Metwally in the Fox show ‘Doc.'.©2025 FOX Media LLC.

Yes!Docis loosely based on the life of Italian doctor Pierdante Piccioni, who suffered a brain injury in a car accident on May 31, 2013. He later awoke from his coma, believing it was Oct. 25, 2001, and was caught off guard when he saw his adult kids.

“They weren’t my guys. I expected to see two children, 8 and 11, and these adults [20 and 23] came to me,” Piccioni told PEOPLE. “I had two cheerful children and these others came in saying, ‘Hi Papa’ and I was like ‘Who are you?’ ”

To understand who he was, Piccioni read over 65,000 emails he’d either sent or received. After realizing that he came across as “cold” in his exchanges with others, he took it as an opportunity to be kinder moving forward.

According to Piccioni, the brain damage he sustained caused “a change of character, a change of personality, a change of way of life.”

“I hope when people watchDoc, they feel like they should never give up. It’s a story of hope,” hetold Fox.

How did Pierdante Piccioni’s real-life accident become a show?

A scene on the Fox show ‘Doc.'.©2025 FOX Media LLC.

While in recovery, Piccioni kept a diary, which evolved into his 2016 memoirMeno Dodici(orMinus Twelvein English), giving a nod to his 12 years of forgotten memories.

He continued, “She’s getting off work late at night. She’s a workaholic. She’s too tired, distracted, and she can’t resist checking her phone for the incoming message.”

Where is Pierdante Piccioni now?

Pierdante Piccioni attends the photocall for Italy’s version of ‘Doc’ on March 21, 2022 in Lille, France.Sylvain Lefevre/Getty

Sylvain Lefevre/Getty

After his 2016 memoir, Piccioni releasedIn prima linea(On the Frontlinein English) about his experience working as a doctor during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also dabbled in fiction with his bookColpevole di amnesia(which translates toGuilty of Amnesia).

While he set out to be a better doctor and colleague, Piccioni was determined to make new memories with his family as well.

He recreated childhood moments through past activities they once enjoyed together. Piccioni also fell in love with his wife Maria for a second time, an experience he calls “lucky.”

“Everybody tells me I’m more empathetic. Not more clever, but a more beautiful person,” he told PEOPLE. “The trauma gave me a second chance.”

Where can I watch and stream the Fox showDoc?

New episodes ofDocair every Tuesday at 9 p.m. ETon Fox. Episodes are available to stream the next dayon Hulu.

source: people.com