“Five Days at Memorial” is about as bleak as television gets. The series is meant to be that way; based on a non-fiction book by Sheri Fink, it’s set in a hospital during the direct aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
As a medical thriller, it’s extremely compelling. As a true story, it’s almost overwhelmingly punishing and nearly entirely devoid of hope.
Still, its suffocating mood isn’t purposeless: “Five Days at Memorial” forces viewers to bear witness to the realities of what being in New Orleans in 2005 likely felt like in a way few other pieces of media ever have before.
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