'Five Days at Memorial's Cornelius Smith Jr. on How Apple TV+ Series Asks Tough Question of Viewers
The new eight-part miniseries Five Days at Memorial, based on the best-selling book of the same name by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sheri Fink, drops Friday, Aug. 12 on Apple TV+ and will undoubtedly be a sharp study of how our modern U.S. healthcare system tackles disastrous situations. Chronicling the unbelievable mismanagement of Hurricane Katrina and how it affected one hospital in New Orleans that sparked national upset after the discovery of 45 bodies, the ensemble series pins systemic failure against human nature for a tale soaked in perpetual tragedy and guilt. Not to mention, parallels to our modern COVID-19 realities, which saw numerous healthcare workers making tough decisions on the frontlines.
But as the cross-genre series looks to answer how all of this happened and who exactly was responsible for the shocking discovery and its subsequent consequences, one rookie internist — Dr. Bryant King — played by Cornelius Smith Jr, arrived with a distinct set of ethics and did his best to speak up for the sake of patients. In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com host Tania Hussain to chat about the heartwrenching show, Smith admits Five Days at Memorial with its poignant tale carrying a heavy burden has the potential to transform our understanding of communities in crisis through a very astutely humane lens, crafted by showrunners Carlton Cuse and John Ridley.
