Five Days at Memorial

In the aftermath of a devastating flood, a New Orleans hospital becomes a pressure cooker where time, heat and fear collide. As power fails and resources run thin, exhausted doctors and nurses struggle to keep patients alive while orders, protocols, and the clock all push in opposite directions. Against a backdrop of collapsing infrastructure, staff members must make rapid, heartbreaking choices that test their training, loyalties, and beliefs about who deserves care. The human cost of crisis care unfolds through intimate scenes at bedside and in the hallways, revealing the grit, doubt, and sorrow that accompany life and death decisions under extreme strain. Tension builds as ethical lines blur and the clock keeps ticking.

Directed by Wendey Stanzler, the series is adapted from Sheri Fink's nonfiction book and created by John Ridley, Carlton Cuse, and Sheri Fink. It premiered in 2022 and presents a tight, character driven look at how a hospital grapples with chaos and accountability.

The show prompts reflection on disaster medicine and the ethics of care under pressure. By centering clinicians under siege, it invites conversations about triage, accountability, and how systems respond when resources evaporate and seconds count. It also highlights the toll on staff and families as choices ripple through hospital life.

Critics praise the performances by Vera Farmiga and Cherry Jones and the series for its look amid crisis. Farmiga's portrayal anchors drama and Jones adds gravity to ensemble. It blends personal stories with systemic failure to probe duty, leadership, and the gray zones that emerge when resources are stretched.

Awards: No major award nominations are listed in the provided data, and the show does not have documented wins. It remains a high profile adaptation with notable talent but without confirmed award recognition in the materials provided here, a status that may change as more time passes.