The Dropout
This series based on the Rebecca Jarvis-hosted ABC podcast of the same name first premiered on Hulu March 3, with the eighth and last episode going up April 7.
It tells the story of Elizabeth Holmes’ ill-fated health-tech startup Theranos. The company claimed it was manufacturing rapid blood tests, but it became apparent a decade later, after defrauding hundreds of millions from investors, that much of their operation was just smoke and mirrors. The team even went so far as to create a fake lab when then-Vice President Joe Biden visited their space. The series was named by the fact that Holmes dropped out of Stanford in 2003 to follow up on her idea for a wearable drug delivery patch.
The show’s part “based on a true story” drama and part black comedy, though not all aspects completely mesh as well as it could throughout the hour-long runtime for each episode. If you’re interested in more about the Theranos story, there’s a book available and a movie in the works starring Jennifer Lawrence as Holmes. It’s being directed by Don’t Look Up’s Adam McKay.
