How to Watch the Harrowing Hurricane Katrina True Story 'Five Days at Memorial'
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Five Days at Memorial chronicles the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on Memorial Hospital in New Orleans.
One of, if not the defining moment of 2005, Hurricane Katrina was a horrific event, not just as a natural disaster, but also in terms of the response to those suffering from it. Five Days at Memorial chronicles some of the most harrowing stories to come out of the tragedy, specifically New Orleans' Memorial Medical Center.
Read on for the Five Days at Memorial release date, cast, synopsis, episode count and more. If you're unfamiliar with the true story behind Five Days at Memorial, do note that there may be spoilers ahead.
Where can I watch Five Days at Memorial?
Five Days at Memorial will exclusively be on Apple TV+. Check out our guide here to streaming services and everything you need to know about Apple TV+.
Related: Get to Know Apple TV+'s Best Foot Forward Star Josh Sundquist
Is the Hurricane Katrina miniseries on Apple+ based on a true story?
Five Days at Memorial is, heartbreakingly, based in a very stark reality. Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans was flooded and without power, leading hospital staff and medical workers to make decisions that would haunt them for years to come.
Who wrote Five Days at Memorial?
Released in 2013, the book Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital is by journalist Sheri Fink. The book expands on Fink's 13,000-word article "The Deadly Choices at Memorial" featured in The New York Times Magazine four years earlier.
The Apple TV+ adaptation was penned by Oscar winner John Ridley and Emmy winner Carlton Cuse. Cuse told ScreenRant of the project, "I love the story, and that was really the driving force. I read Sheri Fink's book, and it just got in my head, and it just wouldn't leave my head. And I had to outwait two big producers, Scott Rutan and Ryan Murphy, to finally get the rights. And then I enlisted John Ridley to work with me on it and we collaborated on the telling of the story. It's a little more dramatic than other stuff that I've done, but I don't know."
He added, "One of my idols is Steven Spielberg, who makes a lot of genre storytelling, but then will do Lincoln, or Schindler's List, or more serious, dramatic fair. And I think it also fits into what I love to do, which is cross-genre storytelling. So I sort of see this as a disaster thriller crossed with a medical ethics drama; and so it may be a little bit different in form, but I think it is connected to things that I've done in the past."
Related: Is the Apple TV+ Show The Shrink Next Door Based on a True Story?
What happened to Memorial Hospital in New Orleans?
Memorial Medical Center was flooded and without power, working plumbing and sewage, and necessary supplies and equipment following Hurricane Katrina. Medical staff at the hospital had to prioritize evacuations, and over five days, their plans shifted from saving as many lives as they possibly could to euthanizing patients with "do not resuscitate" orders and those unlikely to survive critical illnesses. A total of 45 patients died before the hospital was successfully evacuated, and 23 of those patients had high concentrations of morphine and other drugs in their bodies when they passed.
A doctor and several nurses were charged with second-degree murder in the aftermath.
Is Five Days at Memorial a movie?
Five Days at Memorial is a mini-series, not a movie.
How many episodes is Five Days at Memorial?
Five Days at Memorial will have a total of eight episodes. The first three episodes are titled "Day One," "Day Two" and "Day Three," respectively. While the rest of the episode titles haven't yet been revealed, we can assume that we'll see a "Day Four" and a "Day Five," though they may be split into multiple episodes each.
Related: 65 Best Movies Based on True Stories
Who is in the Five Days at Memorial cast?
The Five Days at Memorial cast includes:
Vera Farmiga as Dr. Anna Pou
Robert Pine as Dr. Horace Baltz
Molly Hager as Virginia Rider
W. Earl Brown as Dr. Ewing Cook
Sharron Matthews as Cheri Landry
Cherry Jones as Susan Mulderick
Adepero Oduye as Karen Wynn
Cornelius Smith, Jr. as Dr. Bryant King
Julie Ann Emery as Diane Robichaux
Michael Gaston as Arthur "Butch" Schafer
Stephen Bogaert as Rene Goux
Jessica B. Hill as Dr. Kathleen Fournier
JD Evermore as Mark LeBlanc
Monica Wyche as Sandra LeBlanc
Darrin Baker as Dr. Martin Bisley
Ted Artherton as Richard Deichmann
Malube Uhindu-Gingala as Tarika Hill
Jessica Greco as Sandra Cordray
Ma-Anne Dionisio as Jane DiMaapi
Damon Standifer as Emmett Everett
When is the Five Days at Memorial release date?
The first three episodes of Five Days at Memorial will drop on Friday, Aug. 12. There will be one more episode released each Friday through Sept. 16.
