3 series and a movie to stream when pandemic fatigue gets you down

After two years living through the global Covid-19 pandemic, even viewers who’ve been lucky enough to have escaped the worst of its impact are experiencing symptoms like stress, compassion fatigue, information overload and a darkened outlook on humanity’s behaviour.

But with Covid showing no sign of going away any time soon, it’s time to take a fresh look at the pandemic, and to find a little hope.

The award-winning micro-budget indie film I’m Fine (Thanks for Asking) was funded largely through Coronavirus stimulus cheques, and is now streaming on Showmax. It’s about a widow and mother who ends up on the street with her daughter during the Covid-crunch, and follows her journey to finding them a roof over their heads while keeping her daughter’s spirits up.

Variety said, “The directors, their crew and ensemble do sweet work capturing the weight of a moment that has most everyone stretched thin” – so you know it’s a relatable remedy for your pandemic fatigue.

But that’s not the only title on Showmax that illuminates many different sides of people’s Covid-19 experiences. The latest seasons of popular series explore the effect the pandemic has had on hospitals, frontline workers, emergency rooms – and … comedians?

New Amsterdam Season 3

Reflecting what the pandemic is like in a hospital is a huge task that the producers of this medical drama took on. “The show was originally filmed in real hospitals in New York such as Bellevue and Kings County, where 70% of our stages were set up,” says showrunner David Schulner. “It quickly became clear with the pandemic we couldn’t film in these hospitals anymore, so we had to build an entire hospital from scratch.”

And on these newly built stages, they played out the stories from the pandemic – influenced by accounts from real-life frontliners – placing a focus on the effect it had and continues to have on medical personnel.

Dr Max Goodwin (Ryan Eggold) and his team at New Amsterdam are exhausted and even have bruises on their faces from the masks they wear daily. The tensest part of this COVID-19 storyline plays out when one of their own, Dr Vijay Kapoor (Anupam Kher), is struck down with the virus and his life hangs by a thread because of the way it has ravaged his heart muscles. Max calls on their best cardiovascular surgeon, Dr Floyd Reynolds (Jocko Sims), to help – but is it too late?

Chicago Med Season 6

In Chicago Med, most of the storylines focus on the Emergency Department (ED) of the Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, the trauma-emergency surgeries and the patients who’re treated there. At the start of Season 6, the Covid-19 pandemic is addressed as it spreads throughout the world and the first responders must adjust to a new normal at the hospital.

The main theme in Season 6 is the protocols that need to be followed on (and off) screen. “We had a big learning curve this year, because this was something completely new to humankind,” says showrunner Diane Frolov. “We spent a lot of time talking to doctors, to foresee what was going to happen and learn all the protocols that had to be in place, which was very different. And the protocols in real life are affecting our storytelling as well, because we can’t have as any people in a scene, we can’t have big intakes, you can’t have bunches of people waiting in the waiting room. So, it was not only the disease itself, but it was also the protocols around it that changed our storytelling.”

In the first episode, Dr Choi (Brian Tee) and nurse April Sexton (Yaya DaCosta) are put in charge of the Covid-19 unit and have their hands full as more and more patients come in seeking help. It paints a realistic picture of the lengths these medical professionals go to save lives.

Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 11

Life after the Covid-19 pandemic is also something you can look forward to when you tune into the latest season of the comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Set in a post-pandemic world that has returned to normalcy, the 11th season tackles elements of Covid-19 in its improvised, fictional universe – such as a man who is a Covid-hoarder and has closets full of hand sanitiser and toilet paper, which will have you in stitches!

Creator and star of this series Larry David says the pandemic didn’t change much of his original vision for this season’s plotline. As for his own experience in pandemic lockdown, David said he didn’t mind the isolation, not unlike his character on the show. “I didn’t have to socialise, which was a benefit,” David jokes, “I didn’t mind staying in the house”

Now viewers can imitate Larry’s stay-cation as they binge these pandemic-inspired episodes, which bring a little light comedy to the tragedy.

If you’re looking for a more fact-based take on the pandemic, there are loads of doccies on Showmax. See how the pandemic spread on a luxury cruise liner in The Last Cruise, and how the pandemic impact both China and New York in In The Same Breath. There’s also Zero to Zero, which features unprecedented footage from ICU units and other hospital wards during the pandemic right here in South Africa.

It’s all here for your eyes to feast on, as the Showmax treatment and treat for your ongoing pandemic stress.