So, I remember watching a few episodes of the Good Doctor when COVID and the responses to it were presented. I began reliving certain times of my life where I thought to myself, “That happened me…that is what happened to my friend or colleague…I heard about that happening to someone else.”

I am now watching Superstore and the advent of COVID is peaking through in the current episode I am on. With it are floods of memories and emotions, which in some way are asking me to relive vicariously through the characters and their experiences. So, I can’t wait to watch more…and then, I can’t wait to watch other episodes of TV shows and other movies that deal with COVID directly or inadvertently. Using AI, I generated two lists below to watch, which you can too.

TV SHOWS

1. Grey’s Anatomy: The show dedicated its season 17 premiere to COVID-19, with the storyline focusing on the pandemic’s impact on healthcare workers.
2. This Is Us: The show featured COVID-19 in its season 5 premiere, which explored how the pandemic affected the Pearson family.
3. Superstore: The show’s final season included episodes that addressed the pandemic and its impact on essential workers.
4. The Good Doctor: The show’s season 4 premiere tackled the COVID-19 pandemic, with the storyline focusing on how the virus affected the hospital’s staff and patients.
5. The Resident: The medical drama series explored the pandemic in its season 4 premiere, depicting the impact of COVID-19 on the staff and patients of the fictional Chastain Park Memorial Hospital.
6. Law & Order: SVU: The show’s season 22 premiere featured a storyline that revolved around the pandemic’s impact on the criminal justice system.
7. Black-ish: The show included a COVID-19-themed episode in its seventh season, exploring how the pandemic affected the Johnson family.
8. The Conners: The show’s season 3 premiere addressed the pandemic and its impact on the Conner family.
9. Shameless: The show’s final season included a COVID-19-themed episode that showed how the pandemic affected the Gallagher family and their community.
10. NCIS: The show included a COVID-19-themed episode in its 18th season, which explored the pandemic’s impact on the naval community.
11. Station 19: The show’s fourth season explored the pandemic’s impact on firefighters and first responders.
12. Chicago Med: The medical drama series addressed the pandemic in its season 6 premiere, depicting the challenges faced by the staff at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center.
13. Modern Family: The show’s final season included a COVID-19-themed episode that explored how the pandemic affected the Dunphy and Pritchett families.
14. All Rise: The legal drama series dedicated an episode to COVID-19, focusing on how the pandemic affected the criminal justice system.
15. The Bold and the Beautiful: The long-running soap opera included a COVID-19-themed storyline in its episodes, which depicted how the pandemic affected the fashion industry.
16. The Handmaid’s Tale: The show’s fourth season includes references to the pandemic and its impact on the dystopian society depicted in the series.
17. The Blacklist: The show included a COVID-19-themed episode in its eighth season, which explored how the pandemic affected the FBI’s ability to track down criminals.
18. Grown-ish: The show included a COVID-19-themed episode in its fourth season, exploring how the pandemic affected the lives of college students.
19. The Good Fight: The legal drama series dedicated several episodes to COVID-19, focusing on how the pandemic affected the legal profession.
20. This Week Tonight with John Oliver: The news satire program has frequently addressed the COVID-19 pandemic in its episodes, highlighting its impact on society and government response.
21. Mythic Quest: The comedy series included a COVID-19-themed episode in its second season, exploring how the pandemic affected the gaming industry.

MOVIES

1. “Contagion” (2011) – This movie, directed by Steven Soderbergh, follows the spread of a deadly virus that kills millions of people worldwide. The film’s plot and themes are eerily similar to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the global spread of the virus, the race to develop a vaccine, and the social and economic impacts of the outbreak.
2. “Songbird” (2020) – This dystopian film, produced by Michael Bay, takes place in the near future during a COVID-23 pandemic. The movie depicts a world in which people are forced to live in quarantine, and the government uses extreme measures to control the spread of the virus.
3. “The Simpsons Movie” (2007) – In one scene of this animated movie, a CDC official mentions a new virus that has originated in China and is spreading rapidly around the world. While the scene is brief and played for laughs, it has led many to speculate that the show’s creators may have predicted the COVID-19 pandemic.
4. “The Last Man on Earth” (TV Series, 2015-2018) – While not specifically about COVID, this TV series follows the life of the last surviving human after a virus has wiped out nearly all of humanity. The show’s themes of isolation, survival, and the search for a cure may resonate with those who have experienced the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
5. “Outbreak” (1995) – This movie, starring Dustin Hoffman and Rene Russo, follows a team of medical experts as they race to stop the spread of a deadly virus that has originated in Africa and has made its way to the United States.
6. “Pandemic” (2016) – This action-horror movie takes place during a fictional outbreak of a deadly virus that has spread across the world. The film is shot in a first-person perspective and follows a team of researchers as they try to find a cure for the virus while fighting off zombies.
7. “Influenza” (2017) – This Korean film follows a group of people who are quarantined in a hospital during an outbreak of a deadly virus. The film explores the social and political implications of a pandemic and its impact on people’s lives.
8. “The Platform” (2019) – While not specifically about COVID, this Spanish-language film takes place in a dystopian world where people are trapped in a vertical prison and must survive by eating from a platform of food that descends through the levels. The film’s themes of scarcity, social hierarchy, and survival may resonate with those who have experienced the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
9. “The Flu” (2013) – This South Korean disaster film follows the spread of a deadly virus in a city and the efforts of medical professionals and government officials to contain it. The film explores the themes of sacrifice, heroism, and societal breakdown in the face of a pandemic.
10. “The Bay” (2012) – This found-footage horror film takes place in a small town in Maryland that is hit by a deadly virus that spreads through the water supply. The film depicts the panic and chaos that ensues as the virus rapidly spreads and people struggle to survive.
11. “Song of the Dead” (2021) – This Indian horror-comedy film takes place during a zombie outbreak caused by a mutated version of the coronavirus. The film satirizes the government’s response to the pandemic and explores the social and economic impacts of a pandemic.
12. “Social Distance” (2020) – This anthology series, created during the COVID-19 pandemic, explores the experiences of people during the quarantine period. The series depicts how people adapt to new technologies and social norms during a pandemic.
13. “Corona Zombies” (2020) – This low-budget horror-comedy movie parodies the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring zombies infected with the virus. The film was shot entirely during the pandemic and pokes fun at people’s reactions to the crisis.
14. “Before the Fire” (2020) – This post-apocalyptic thriller movie depicts a world where a pandemic has decimated the population. The film follows a young actress who returns to her hometown, only to find it overrun with chaos and violence.
15. “Love in the Time of Corona” (2020) – This romantic-comedy miniseries takes place during the COVID-19 pandemic and explores the lives of couples and families as they navigate quarantine and social distancing. The series portrays the challenges and opportunities that arise from being forced to spend more time at home.
16. “The Hot Zone” (2019) – This TV miniseries, based on a non-fiction book, follows the origins and outbreak of the Ebola virus in the 1980s. While not directly related to COVID, the series explores the science and politics of pandemics, as well as the personal sacrifices made by medical professionals in the fight against infectious diseases.
17. “12 Monkeys” is a science-fiction movie from 1995, directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt. The movie is not specifically about COVID, as it was made long before the current pandemic. However, it does deal with the theme of a deadly virus that has wiped out much of humanity.
    • In the movie, a man from a post-apocalyptic future is sent back in time to try and prevent the release of a virus that will kill most of the world’s population. While the virus in the movie is not identical to COVID, the idea of a pandemic that threatens the existence of humanity is a common theme in both the movie and in real life.
    • While “12 Monkeys” does not specifically predict or forecast COVID, it does explore themes that are relevant to the current pandemic, such as the importance of scientific research and the dangers of ignoring warnings about public health threats. The movie can also be seen as a cautionary tale about the consequences of failing to take action to prevent the spread of a deadly virus.

Any favorites?

Any you would add?