Based on the nonfiction book by Sheri Fink, the series chronicles the first five days in a New Orleans hospital after Hurricane Katrina made landfall. When the floodwaters rose, the power failed and the heat climbed, exhausted caregivers were forced to make life-and-death decisions that haunted them for years to come.
Ultimately, 40 dead bodies were found in the hospital. The book explores how and why that happened. On the surface, it is a disaster thriller, but at its core is an examination of difficult moral and ethical decision-making in a time of great crisis.
Ridley and Cuse will serve as co-showrunners, with Ridley also directing. Fink will serve as a producer. ABC Signature will produce.
The novel was originally optioned by Ryan Murphy to adapt into a season of FX's American Crime Story focusing on Hurricane Katrina. However, those plans were ultimately shelved and the rights to the novel became available again. Cuse picked them up and quickly partnered with Ridley for the new project.
