Netflix's Opioid Crisis Drama

Netflix's Opioid Crisis Drama "Painkiller" Set for August Debut

A powerful new limited series examining America's devastating opioid epidemic is coming to Netflix this summer. "Painkiller" offers viewers a fictionalized yet impactful exploration of how this national health crisis began and its far-reaching consequences.

The six-episode drama features an impressive cast led by Emmy winner Uzo Aduba, alongside veteran actors Matthew Broderick and Taylor Kitsch. Their performances promise to bring depth to this complex narrative about one of America's most pressing public health disasters.

Behind the camera, the series boasts an impressive creative team. Eric Newman, known for his work on the acclaimed series "Narcos," serves as executive producer alongside director Pete Berg of "Friday Night Lights" fame and documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney.

Mark your calendars for August 10, when all episodes of "Painkiller" will be available to stream. The series aims to shed light on the systemic failures and human costs behind the opioid crisis that continues to affect communities nationwide.

Aug. 28 — New behind-the-scenes photos have emerged from director Peter Berg’s upcoming feature, "The Mosquito Bowl."

Take a first glimpse at the set and the production's early moments.

Matthew Broderick delivers a chilling turn

as the calculating architect of catastrophe

Taylor Kitsch navigates a harrowing descent

portraying the devastating human cost of corporate greed

Uzo Aduba embodies relentless pursuit of justice

her character doggedly uncovering systemic failures

This ensemble drama dissects moral bankruptcy

through intertwined narratives of complicity and suffering

The series confronts the opioid epidemic's origins

exposing the fragile line between ambition and ruin

Aduba, Broderick, and Kitsch anchor the narrative

transforming into figures emblematic of a national crisis

Their performances illuminate the machinery of addiction

revealing the shadows lurking behind a public health disaster

'Painkiller' serves as a stark cultural indictment

using powerful performances to explore accountability

New Series Highlights

Uzo Aduba commands the screen in a fresh mystery series.

Titled 'The Residence', this new project features her prominent role.

Audiences have been able to stream the show since late March.

Matthew Broderick and Taylor Kitsch also feature in notable performances.

The limited series Painkiller takes its cues from Barry Meier’s book Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and Patrick Radden Keefe’s New Yorker investigation "The Family That Built an Empire of Pain".

Adapted for television, the show fictionalizes and dramatizes real events rather than serving as a strict documentary account.

Across its episodes it traces the roots of the opioid epidemic and the devastating aftermath experienced by communities across the United States.

Painkiller examines alleged criminal behavior, questions of accountability, and the institutional breakdowns that have harmed hundreds of thousands of people.

Watch the Painkiller trailer below.

The upcoming series draws its foundation from Barry Meier's investigative book, optioned by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster

while Alex Gibney simultaneously secured rights to Patrick Radden Keefe's Sackler-focused New Yorker exposé

Gibney's prior documentary 'The Crime of the Century' (2021) deeply informed the narrative approach to this dramatization

Executive producers Newman, Berg and Gibney collaborate with showrunners Fitzerman-Blue and Harpster on the project

Peter Berg directs all six hour-long episodes, aiming to dissect the opioid crisis' core DNA

"Business was pain and business was booming," Berg states about Purdue Pharma's ruthless commercialization

He characterizes the tragedy as a dense tapestry woven from greed, corporate corruption and human vulnerability

The series seeks to unravel pharmaceutical malfeasance through these multifaceted source materials

OxyContin Legal Drama

A new dramatisation centers on the legal and human fallout from the rise of OxyContin, following a U.S. attorney’s office lawyer who takes on the case and the people tied to Purdue Pharma.

Uzo Aduba headlines as Edie Flowers, the determined prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office leading the investigation into OxyContin.

Matthew Broderick portrays Richard Sackler, a senior Purdue Pharma executive and member of the Sackler family.

Taylor Kitsch plays Glen Kryger, a devoted family man and small-business owner whose life is jolted after an injury.

West Duchovny appears as Shannon Schaeffer, a former college athlete who joins Purdue’s sales force as a rookie rep.

Dina Shihabi is Britt Hufford, an experienced sales representative who takes Shannon under her wing.

John Rothman plays Mortimer Sackler, co-owner of Purdue Pharma and Richard Sackler’s uncle.

Tyler Ritter portrays John Brownlee, the U.S. attorney who becomes Edie Flowers’ new boss.

The cast also includes Carolina Bartczak among others, bringing together a mix of legal, corporate and personal perspectives on the opioid crisis.

Painkiller Premieres on Netflix

Painkiller arrives on Netflix on August 10.

Don’t miss the series premiere — streaming on Netflix beginning Aug. 10.

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