The 2025 Netflix series Pulse is a medical drama set in Miami at Maguire Hospital, a level-one trauma center, focusing on the personal and professional lives of emergency and surgical residents during a hurricane crisis and a contentious race for Emergency Medicine Chief Resident.

The story begins with Dr. Danielle "Danny" Simms, a third-year resident, unexpectedly promoted to interim chief resident after Dr. Xander Phillips is suspended due to a sexual harassment complaint filed by Danny herself. The hospital is soon overwhelmed by trauma cases as a severe hurricane hits Miami, intensifying the pressure on the medical staff.

Scene by scene, the series unfolds as follows:

• Episode 1, "Abby": The hospital braces for the hurricane. Danny steps into her new leadership role, navigating the tension with Xander, whose suspension is under investigation. Flashbacks reveal moments from their complicated past, including the ambiguous circumstances around the harassment complaint. The emergency room begins to fill with patients affected by the storm.

• Episode 2, "Alone Time": Danny struggles with the weight of responsibility and the emotional toll of the ongoing investigation. The hospital staff deals with the influx of trauma victims. Danny and Xander’s interactions are fraught with unresolved issues, underscored by their shared history and professional rivalry.

• Episode 3, "Power": The hurricane’s impact worsens, causing power outages and complicating medical procedures. Danny must make critical decisions under pressure, balancing patient care with managing the hospital’s limited resources. The strained relationship between Danny and Xander continues to simmer, with moments of reluctant cooperation.

• Episode 4, "Treat ‘Em and Street ‘Em": The ER faces a surge of patients with severe injuries. Danny and her colleagues work tirelessly, often improvising treatments due to the storm’s disruption. The emotional and physical exhaustion of the staff becomes apparent. Danny’s leadership is tested as she tries to maintain order amid chaos.

• Episode 5, "Nothing Personal": Personal conflicts among the staff come to the forefront. Danny confronts the complexities of her relationship with Xander, while other residents face their own challenges. The hospital environment grows increasingly tense as the hurricane’s aftermath continues to affect operations.

• Episode 6, "Homestead": The hospital becomes a refuge for displaced patients and staff. Danny and her team work to stabilize the situation, dealing with shortages and emotional strain. Flashbacks provide deeper insight into Danny’s motivations and past experiences.

• Episode 7, "Choices": Critical decisions about patient care and hospital management arise. Danny faces ethical dilemmas, balancing her duties as chief resident with personal loyalties. The investigation into Xander’s conduct progresses, adding pressure to the already fraught atmosphere.

• Episode 8, "Retreat": The staff attempts to regroup and recover from the worst of the hurricane. Danny and Xander’s dynamic reaches a turning point, with moments of confrontation and tentative understanding. The hospital begins to return to a semblance of normalcy, though tensions remain.

• Episode 9, "The Last Shift": The final hours of the crisis see the staff pushing their limits. Danny makes pivotal choices about her future and leadership. The resolution of the harassment investigation impacts the hospital community. Relationships among the residents evolve as they prepare for what comes next.

• Episode 10, "Kennedy": The season finale wraps up the immediate aftermath of the hurricane and the chief resident race. Danny’s fate as chief resident is decided. The series closes with the characters facing uncertain futures but having grown through the ordeal. The main characters, including Danny and Xander, survive the events, though their professional and personal paths remain complex and unresolved.

Throughout the series, the emotional undercurrents are conveyed through flashbacks, dialogue, and the intense hospital environment, highlighting the challenges of balancing personal relationships with the demands of emergency medicine during a natural disaster.

Pulse was released on Netflix on April 3, 2025, and was canceled after one season on July 2, 2025.

During the hurricane in Pulse (2025), Danielle 'Danny' Simms, a nurse at a Miami trauma center, faces the challenge of managing an influx of injured high school athletes from a bus accident caused by the storm. She reluctantly accepts a temporary promotion to chief doctor due to staff shortages. Alongside treating multiple trauma cases, including the bus driver and the hospital director's daughter, she also deals with escalating flooding in Miami. Concurrently, she files a sexual harassment complaint against her former boyfriend, Dr. Xander Phillips, which causes tension and resentment among hospital staff, complicating her professional and personal life during the crisis.

The sexual harassment complaint filed by Danielle Simms against Dr. Xander Phillips leads to his suspension and causes significant tension among the hospital staff. The complaint is leaked, resulting in resentment and jealousy among Danielle's colleagues. The staff struggles with their personal feelings and the fallout from the complicated and illicit past relationship between Danielle and Xander. This interpersonal drama unfolds amid the high-pressure environment of the hospital during the hurricane crisis, affecting teamwork and professional boundaries.

The hurricane in Pulse (2025) serves as a central plot device that triggers a surge of trauma cases at the Miami trauma center, forcing the medical staff to work under extreme pressure. It causes a bus accident involving high school athletes, flooding large parts of Miami, and leads to a hospital lockdown. The disaster intensifies the personal and professional conflicts among characters, including Danielle and Xander, as they must navigate their complicated relationships while managing life-or-death medical emergencies. The hurricane's impact extends beyond the immediate crisis, influencing the characters' decisions and interactions throughout the series.

Danielle Simms and Xander Phillips have a complicated and illicit romantic history. They were previously in a relationship and essentially living together. This past relationship becomes public knowledge after Danielle files a sexual harassment complaint against Xander, which is leaked to the hospital staff. The revelation complicates their professional interactions and affects the dynamics within the hospital, as colleagues react to the personal drama amid the ongoing medical crisis.

During the hurricane crisis in Pulse (2025), key patients include a bus driver and several high school football players injured in a bus accident caused by the storm. Additionally, the hospital director's daughter is among the critical cases. The medical team, led temporarily by Danielle Simms, rushes these patients to the operating table to treat blunt trauma and other injuries resulting from the accident and the hurricane's impact on Miami.

The 2025 medical drama series Pulse is not family friendly and is rated TV-MA, indicating it is intended for mature audiences.

Potentially objectionable or upsetting content includes:

• Medical gore: graphic surgeries with visible incisions, blood, bones, and organs.
• Nudity: scenes showing patients and staff partially nude, including side views of female breasts and male nudity during medical procedures.
• Sexual content and harassment: depiction of sexual harassment allegations and some sexual situations, though described as complex rather than explicit.
• Strong language: occasional use of strong profanity such as the f-word and s-word.
• Emotional intensity: the show deals with heavy interpersonal drama and trauma among hospital staff, which may be distressing for sensitive viewers.

Overall, Pulse contains mature themes, graphic medical scenes, nudity, and strong language, making it unsuitable for children or sensitive audiences.