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The new drama series Painkiller on Netflix chronicles the real-life experiences of everyone impacted by the severe opioid problem that began after 1996. Painkiller will shed light on the causes and consequences of America’s largest opioid epidemic, drawing inspiration from Patrick Radden Keefe’s New Yorker article “The Family That Built an Empire of Pain” and Barry Meier’s book Painkiller: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic. A closer examination of criminal activity, responsibility, and the systems that have continually failed hundreds of thousands of Americans for many years is provided by the new drama. It takes into consideration the fact that numerous families have still been traumatized by decisions made as a result of self-serving motivations, falsehoods, and cover-ups that have shielded those in charge for almost ten years.
Here’s everything more we know about this upcoming Netflix series.
Painkiller: Cast
According to the reports, following is the potential cast of the series.
- Uzo Aduba as Edie
- Matthew Broderick as Richard Sackler
- Sam Anderson as Raymond Sackler
- Taylor Kitsch as Glen Kryger
- 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
- West Duchovny as Shannon Schaeffer
- Jack Mulhern as Tyler Kryger
- Dina Shihabi as Britt
- John Rothman as Mortimer Sackler
- John Murphy as Michael Friedman
- Noah Harpster
Furthermore, it is possible that there could be an addition to the above mentioned cast of the series.
Painkiller: Plot
The Sacklers, as well as those attempting to bring them down, like Uzo Aduba’s Edie, and those who were negatively impacted by the drug, like Taylor Kitsch’s Glen, a mechanic who sustains a crippling back injury at work, are some of the characters whose stories will be covered in the series.
Painkiller also follows the lives of some medical sales representatives, or the people Purdue paid well to persuade doctors to prescribe more of their (highly addictive) drug, as well as individuals who became addicted to opioids after receiving approval from their doctor because the medical professionals were also persuaded that it was safe to use.
Moreover, the official synopsis of the series reads, “A fictionalized retelling of events, Painkiller is a scripted limited series that explores some of the origins and aftermath of the opioid crisis in America, highlighting the stories of the perpetrators, victims, and truth-seekers whose lives are forever altered by the invention of OxyContin. An examination of crime, accountability, and the systems that have repeatedly failed hundreds of thousands of Americans, Painkiller is based on the book Pain Killer by Barry Meier and the New Yorker Magazine article ‘The Family That Built the Empire of Pain’ by Patrick Radden Keefe. Executive produced by Eric Newman, Pete Berg, Alex Gibney, and showrunners/creators Micah Fitzerman-Blue & Noah Harpster. Starring Uzo Aduba, Matthew Broderick, Taylor Kitsch, Dina Shihabi, and West Duchovny.”
Painkiller: Release Date
The limited series’ first six one-hour episodes will air on Thursday, August 10, 2023. Normally, Netflix releases new material around 3 a.m. ET and 12 a.m. PT.
Painkiller: Official Trailer
Check out the official trailer of Painkiller below:
