A new Netflix series called Painkiller is taking a deep-dive into the origins, affects, and aftermath of America’s opioid crisis. Here’s everything you need to know about the series, including release date, cast, and plot.
In 2021, Hulu tackled the opioid crisis via their star-studded drama Dopesick. Now Netflix is examining the same national disaster via their own high-profile series, Painkiller.
The pedigree is good, with the likes of Eric Newman (NARCOS) and Alex Gibney (Going Clear) executive producing alongside Peter Berg (Fright Night Lights), who also directs.
So here’s everything we know about the eagerly anticipated drama, including release date, cast, and plot.
Painkillers release date: When’s it out?
Painkiller debuts on Netflix on August 10, 2023.
The show consists of six episodes, all of which are expected to drop that day. Every instalment is directed by Berg.
“My goal was to capture the DNA that lives deep in the soul of the opioid crisis,” Berg tells Netflix. “A very dense and complex tragedy fueled by greed, corruption, human fragility and more greed.”
Painkiller cast: Who’s in it?
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Here’s the cast of Painkillers, including main characters, and the actors who play them:
- Uzo Aduba as Edie
- Matthew Broderick as Richard Sackler
- Sam Anderson as Raymond Sackler
- John Rothman as Mortimer Sackler
- Taylor Kitsch as Glen Kryger
- West Duchovny as Shannon Schaeffer
- Dina Shihabi as Britt Hufford
- Carolina Bartczak as Lily Kryger
- Tyler Ritter as John Brownlee
- John Ales as Dr. Gregory Fitzgibbons
- Ron Lea as Bill Havens
- Ana Cruz Kayne as Brianna Ortiz
- Jack Mulhern as Tyler Kryger
Here’s your first look at Uzo Aduba, Matthew Broderick and Taylor Kitsch in Painkiller, a new limited series inspired by real events based on America's opioid crisis premiering August 10 pic.twitter.com/ex6jRGk73L
— Netflix (@netflix) May 8, 2023
Painkiller plot: What’s it about?
Here’s the official Netflix synopsis for Painkiller: “The series explores some of the origins and aftermath of the opioid crisis in the US and offers an examination of crime, accountability and the systems that have repeatedly failed hundreds of thousands of Americans.”
The show is based on two sources: ‘Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic’ by Barry Meier, and New Yorker article ‘The Family That Built an Empire of Pain’ by Patrick Radden Keefe. Though the streamer is quick to point out that “Painkiller is a fictionalized retelling of events.”
Painkiller launches on August 10, 2023, while for more TV and Movies coverage, check out the below previews:
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