The show follows individuals suffering from various chronic diseases and illnesses, seeking treatment and cures.

[1] Since its release, the show has received backlash for its portrayal of chronic illnesses as psychosomatic or psychiatric disorders.

[5][6][7] A group of physicians, scientists, filmmakers, writers, and others, including Sini Anderson, Jennifer Brea, Mario R. Capecchi, Ronald W. Davis, Lena Dunham, Maya Dusenbery, H. Craig Heller, Judith Heumann, Porochista Khakpour, Deborah Hoffmann, Monica Lewinsky, Abby Norman, Meghan O'Rourke, Frances Reid and Maysoon Zayid, have petitioned Netflix to remove the series from its platform, identifying misrepresentation of subjects and questionable tactics as well as medical and scientific flaws as key problems.

[8] In 2019 seven of the participants in the series sued Netflix and the producers for defamation, false-light invasion of privacy, unjust enrichment and fraud over the way they were depicted on screen.

In a unanimous decision from the appellate court, the panel ruled that the consent releases the subjects signed aren’t enforceable because the participants were lied to and pressured to waive their rights not to be defamed.