Five years have passed since the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a halt, yet the unique effects of the virus continue to shape lives globally. Initially, TV shows incorporated the pandemic through Zoom-themed episodes and story arcs during the peak of the crisis. However, as time went on, mentions of the coronavirus dwindled onscreen. By 2022, the pandemic seemed to vanish from television narratives altogether, leading publications like The New York Times to announce the pandemic’s end in the TV world. However, the year 2025 brought a shift, with several shows revisiting and reflecting on how COVID-19 has altered professional, personal, and societal dynamics.

Medical dramas were among the first to address the pandemic. Shows like The Good Doctor and Grey’s Anatomy initially wove COVID-19 into their plots, with characters facing direct impacts, such as Meredith Grey’s coma due to the virus. However, these series quickly transitioned away from pandemic-related stories. Post-November 2020, mask usage and COVID testing rarely appeared, and both Grey’s and The Good Doctor adopted a narrative stance of a “post-pandemic world,” omitting lasting changes caused by the virus.

In contrast, The Pitt centers entirely on the aftermath of COVID-19. The series delves into the challenges faced by healthcare workers, such as staffing shortages and strained patient relationships, directly linking these issues to the pandemic. The first season, set on the five-year anniversary of a key character’s death due to COVID-19, explores the deep emotional and operational scars left on the hospital and its staff.

Similarly, in Ryan Murphy’s Doctor Odyssey, Dr. Max Bankman, portrayed by Joshua Jackson, deals with post-COVID PTSD. His character, having been severely affected by the virus early on, chooses a life change post-recovery, moving away from the high-stress hospital environment to work on a cruise ship, seeking a more carefree lifestyle.

This ongoing impact of COVID-19 is not just a narrative for dramatic shows but also features in comedies like Long Story Short, created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. The series uses a non-linear timeline to compare pre-and post-pandemic life, often highlighting the Schwooper family’s continued caution (such as wearing masks) which starkly contrasts with others who downplay the pandemic’s severity.

The theme of ongoing trauma and adjustment is also central to Paradise, a Hulu series set in a post-apocalyptic bunker. This setting serves as a metaphor for the societal memory of catastrophic events, including pandemics. The characters in Paradise grapple with the illusion of normalcy and the underlying, unhealed traumas of their past lives.

As television continues to evolve post-2025, these shows illustrate a shift towards acknowledging and exploring the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting a landscape where the virus’s effects continue to resonate, challenging the notion of a “post-pandemic” world and instead presenting a nuanced view of our new reality.