Following the rising trend of shows and movies based on podcasts, The Dropout is based on the 2019 podcast of the same name, hosted by journalist Rebecca Jarvis. The all-new drama miniseries follows the real-life story of Elizabeth Holmes, played by Amanda Seyfried, and her healthcare technology company, Theranos. Elizabeth became the world’s youngest self-made billionaire who raised billions of dollars with a breakthrough technology that would revolutionize the healthcare system. But her findings are proven false when they put millions of patients at risk, thus making her lose everything. The miniseries focuses on the rise and fall of the entrepreneur as well as her newfound business empire.
Amanda Seyfried also serves as a producer on the show. The Dropout is executive produced by Elizabeth Meriwether, who also serves as showrunner. Liz Heldens, Liz Hannah, Katherine Pope, Michael Showalter, and Jordana Mollick, also serve as executive producers, along with Rebecca Jarvis, Taylor Dunn, Victoria Thompson, who are the producers of the original podcast.
The Dropout will explore the real-life corporate disaster of Theranos, through a dramatic narrative.
Sounds like quite a project, doesn’t it? While you wait for the series to release, here’s a handy guide for you, with all the details about the plot, cast, characters, trailer, release date, and more of the all-new miniseries.
How Many Episodes Are There in The Dropout?
The Dropout has eight episodes in total. The first three episodes will premiere together on Hulu on March 3, 2022. The following episodes will release on the streaming service on a weekly basis. Here is the list of expected episodes:
Episode 1: "I'm in a Hurry" - March 3, 2022
Episode 2: "Satori"- March 3, 2022
Episode 3: "Green Juice"- March 3, 2022
Episode 4: "Old White Men" - March 10, 2022
Episode 5: "Flower of Life" - March 17, 2022
Episode 6: "Iron Sisters" - March 24, 2022
Episode 7: "Heroes" - March 31, 2022
Episode 8: “Lizzy” - April 7, 2022
Watch The Dropout Trailer
On February 7, 2022, Hulu released the official trailer for The Dropout. The trailer reveals an ambitious Elizabeth as a biotech student at Stanford University. Inspired by some personal experiences, she comes up with a revolutionary idea of testing blood at home, with only a drop. But when her ideas get dismissed by her friends, peers, and mentors, Elizabeth becomes more determined to start her own healthcare company, even if it means violating health and safety measures, ethics, and morals. Money soon gets to her head, and she doesn’t stop reaching for the sky until everything comes crashing down.
When Is The Dropout’s Release Date?
The Dropout premieres on Hulu on March 3, 2022, in the United States. In other countries, the series will release on Disney+, wherever available.
Who Is in The Dropout Cast?
Besides Amanda Seyfried, The Dropout also features Naveen Andrews in a lead role. The ensemble cast of the series includes, but is not limited to, William H. Macy, Laurie Metcalf, Elizabeth Marvel, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Kate Burton, Stephen Fry, Sam Waterston, Michel Gill, Michael Ironside, Bill Irwin, Josh Pais, Dylan Minnette, Alan Ruck, Bashir Salahuddin, May Lynn Rajskub, Hart Bochner, James Hiroyuki Liao, Nicky Endres, Camryn Mi-Young Kim, Andrew Leeds, Kurtwood Smith, Anne Archer, LisaGay Hamilton, Michaela Watkins, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Kevin Sussman, Sam Straley, and Shaun Brown, in various recurring roles.
Who Are the Confirmed Characters in The Dropout?
All the major characters in The Dropout are based on real-life people and their roles/involvement in the story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. Let’s take a brief look at who plays who in this drama series:
Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes – Elizabeth is a young entrepreneur, and the owner/founder of Theranos, who defrauds her investors and patients with false claims about inventive blood testing methods.
Naveen Andrews as Sunny Balwani – Sunny is an American businessman and CEO of Theranos. He is also Elizabeth’s boyfriend and business partner.
William H. Macy as Richard Fuisz – Richard is an American physician, inventor, and entrepreneur, who is connected to the United States military and intelligence. He is known to hold more than 200 patents in various products and services.
Laurie Metcalf as Phyllis Gardner – Phyllis is a Professor of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
In other roles, we’ll see Elizabeth Marvel as Noel Holmes, Utkarsh Ambudkar as Rakesh Madhava, Kate Burton as Rochelle Gibbons, Stephen Fry as Ian Gibbons, Michel Gill as Chris Holmes, Michael Ironside as Don Lucas, and Bill Irwin as Channing Robertson.
When Was The Dropout Filmed?
There isn't a lot of information on the filming dates for The Dropout. But we do know that it was filmed in 2021 in California and is now ready for release.
When Is The Dropout Set?
Theranos was founded in 2003 and after the company was discovered to be fraudulent, it was dissolved and declared defunct in 2018. Considering the story of The Dropout is directly inspired by real-life events, the plot of the miniseries will also likely be set in the same timeline.
What Is The Dropout’s Story?
Here’s what the official synopsis by Hulu says:
“Money. Romance. Tragedy. Deception. Hulu's limited series The Dropout, the story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos is an unbelievable tale of ambition and fame gone terribly wrong. How did the world's youngest self-made female billionaire lose it all in the blink of an eye?”
The Dropout is a fictional take on the true story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. 19-year-old Elizabeth founded the biotech company, Theranos, which she claimed could reinvent blood testing methods and yield fast results with as little as a drop of blood. It was an idea that aimed to revolutionize how blood testing works, and therefore, the entire healthcare system. A lot of people bought into the idea and invested in the company. Theranos managed to raise $10billion within a decade of inception. Soon, things started to take a downturn for Elizabeth and her medical empire. Scientists started proving her claims to be invalid and that no science like what Theranos claims actually exists in reality. Gradually, the company started facing more complaints and challenges from patients, the public, medical authorities, and stakeholders. Eventually, the company was declared defunct and dissolved in 2018, with Elizabeth Holmes being convicted of fraud. The drama miniseries recounts the events in Elizabeth’s life and career, and how a brilliant biotechnology enthusiast became a young billionaire, only to then become a convicted felon.