Netflix drops trailer for limited series ‘Painkiller’ that premieres August 10
Netflix this morning dropped the official trailer for the six-part limited series “Painkiller” starring Uzo Aduba, Matthew Broderick, Taylor Kitsch, Dana Shihabi and West Duchovny that premieres August 10 on the streamer. The scripted series – inspired by real events and based on the book “Pain Killer” by Barry Meier and the New Yorker magazine article “The Family That Built an Empire of Pain” by Patrick Radden Keefe, both of whom are consultants on the series – surrounds America’s opioid crisis and the Sackler family. All six installments are directed by two-time Emmy nominee Pete Berg, who also serves as an executive producer. See the official trailer above.
The series will highlight “the stories of the perpetrators, victims and truth-seekers whose lives are forever altered by the invention of OxyContin.” “Painkillers” also examines “the crime, accountability and the systems that have repeatedly failed hundreds of thousands of Americans.” Writers Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster are the creators/showrunners, while Eric Newman and Oscar and Emmy winner Alex Gibney serve as exec producers.
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Similar themes to those tackled in “Painkiller” were addressed in “Dopesick,” the 2021 Hulu limited series that won a pair of 2022 Emmys (including one for star Michael Keaton).
“A tragedy decades in the making, the opioid crisis has become one of the most devastating public health crises of our time,” Newman said. “Unlike other drug epidemics, born from underground manufacturing and covert smuggling, this epidemic began by prescription – dispensed by doctors, approved by government regulators, and promoted by a family-owned pharmaceutical giant that made billions while betraying the trust of patients and the public. It’s a story that’s so big and so awful that it deserves to be told as often and as loudly as it can be.”
Added Berg: “I am really charged to be a part of such an in-depth exploration of the genesis of the opioid travesty. Companies that profit off of death and addiction are fair game to me when it comes to illuminating the realities of how they go about their business.”
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