Mandy Moore on Why She Felt Tempted to Dip a 'Toe into the True Crime Pond' with “Dr. Death” (Exclusive)

The actress tells PEOPLE she loves how season 2 of the Peacock series follows a "deeply nefarious and terrifying" surgeon, played by Edgar Ramírez

After more than half a decade as matriarch Rebecca Pearson on This Is Us, Mandy Moore wanted to flex a different muscle, so she signed on for the second season of true crime series Dr. Death.

“Coming off of six seasons of a show, I wanted to deviate as much as possible and find something that didn't remind me of the past at all,” Moore 39, tells PEOPLE. “As an actor, that's where the challenge lies. That's exciting and fun.”

Dr. Death season 2, based on the real-life story chronicled in a podcast of the same name, follows Moore's investigative journalist Benita Alexander who became entangled professionally and personally with “Miracle Man” Paolo Macchiarini (Edgar Ramírez), a charming surgeon renowned for his innovative operations. As the pair grew closer, Alexander stumbled into shocking discoveries about Macchiarini's supposedly revolutionary methods.

Related: TV Producer Scammed By 'Bad Surgeon' Paolo Macchiarini Says 'Love Bombing' Should Have Been 'Red Flag' (Exclusive)

Moore enjoyed the first season of the Peacock show, which told the story of Dallas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, who left his patients maimed, paralyzed or dead.

So when the opportunity presented itself to join season 2, “I was like, ‘Yes, please,’” says the mother of two. “I love in this particular season how it follows the duality of somebody who's able to be somebody else in both sides of their life, professionally and personally, and how deeply nefarious and terrifying that is.”

The “Candy” singer wants viewers to be able to relate to her portrayal of Alexander.

“Hopefully I can be a conduit for the audience to see themselves in how somebody like that could still fall victim to this kind of manipulation,” Moore says of the TV news producer. “It is really, really fascinating to me.”

Related: Ex-Fiancée of Surgeon in Peacock’s Dr. Death: Cutthroat Conman Grateful 'Megalomaniac' Is Exposed (Exclusive)

Despite her fascination with Dr. Death, Moore doesn’t consider herself a true true crime junkie.

“I dip my toe into the true crime pond,” she says. “Maybe not as deeply as everybody else, but I love this specific podcast and story, because I think the innate trust we give doctors and surgeons and the medical field in general, that's a world that I find endlessly fascinating. It feels slightly different than your run-of-the-mill true crime stuff.”

The Emmy-nominated actress calls Dr. Death “truly bingey” because “you watch each episode, you're like, ‘How does the story ultimately unfold and does this guy get his comeuppance?’”

Overall, though, Moore likes “a healthy balance of some wholesome entertainment” with her true crime intake.

“So this with a side of Great British Bake Off is the perfect situation for me,” Moore says of Dr. Death.

Related: Mandy Moore Reflects on Filming Dr. Death 6 Weeks After Giving Birth: 'I Sort of Rolled with It' (Exclusive)

If Moore’s own life ever inspired a TV show or movie like Alexander Macchiarini’s did with Dr. Death, Moore hasn't decided who she’d want to play her.

“I don't know who I would want to portray me,” Moore says. “Maybe it's someone I just don't even know of yet.”

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All eight episodes of Dr. Death season 2 are streaming now on Peacock.

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