The newest miniseries to launch on AppleTV+ is called Five Days at Memorial, an American crime thriller that explores Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath and repercussions on the Memorial Medical Center.
The limited series offers an honest look at the decisions made by medical personnel at a hospital in New Orleans as they struggle to deal with the aftermath of a potent storm. It is based on Sheri Fink’s nonfiction book of the same name.
Due to lost electrical power, ill-prepared evacuation preparations, and an inflow of critically ill patients seeking refuge within the hospital following Hurricane Katrina, the medical staff must make significant decisions with long-term legal ramifications.
What Is Five Days at Memorial About?
Five Days at Memorial reveals the difficult choices Memorial Medical Center staff members must make and the amazing lengths they must go to in the tragic wake of Hurricane Katrina. The medical drama television miniseries is based on Fink’s 2013 book Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital.
The factual book, which won the National Novel Critics Circle Award, recounts the exhausted medical staff as thousands of refugees seek refuge at the hospital. Around this time, the hospital rooms start to become overcrowded with very ill patients, and it was rumored that some of them were executed before being evacuated on the fifth day of the crisis.
Their lives after Katrina have been impacted by these employees’ decisions, which have long-lasting legal and political consequences. Five Days at Memorial also provokes a conversation on euthanasia and its use in healthcare, particularly in emergency cases.
When Is Five Days at Memorial Releasing?
Starting on August 12, 2022, Apple TV+ will show the premiere of Five Days at Memorial in every country.
The entire miniseries consists of eight episodes. The first three episodes of the show will be made available on the first day it airs. After thereafter, until September 16, 2022, one new episode will air every Friday.
Who Is in the Cast of Five Days at Memorial?
Dr. Anna Pou, played by Vera Farmiga, is the main character in Five Days at Memorial. Dr. Pou is a member of the medical staff at Memorial Medical Center in Uptown New Orleans. When Hurricane Katrina locks thousands of people in a hospital, Dr. Pou is forced to make difficult decisions for the wellbeing of the patients. As a star of the Bates Motel and The Conjuring film series, Farmiga is well-known in the entertainment industry.
The hospital’s I.C.U. nursing manager Karen Wynn and internist Dr. Bryant King, respectively, played by Adepero Oduye and Cornelius Smith Jr., joined the cast. Julie Ann Emery plays Diane Robichaux, a LifeCare Assistant Administrator and Incident Commander, and Cherry Jones plays Susan Mulderick, the Nursing Director and “Emergency-Incident Commander” for Katrina. In the supporting cast, Joe Carroll plays Michael Arvin, Michael Gaston portrays Arthur “Butch” Schafer, and Molly Hager plays Virginia Rider.
Watch the Official Trailer for Five Days at Memorial
On July 13, 2022, Apple TV+ aired the Five Days at Memorial trailer. The video begins with what seems to be an odd thunderstorm. The people of New Orleans received a barrage of destruction from Hurricane Katrina, including pounding winds, broken glass, and collapsed buildings. Huge ocean surges rise to devilish heights and swallow everything from massive electro poles to two-story homes.
The action then changes to Memorial Medical Center, which is still dealing with the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Without electricity, running water in the hallways, and of course, the alarmingly high number of people in need of emergency care despite limited resources. In these brutal circumstances, the staff at the medical facility is left to their own devices and compelled to make questionable judgments in the wake of the storm.