Painkiller: Addiction is a scourge that destroys not only the individual who is addicted but also those who care about them. This persistent dependence eats away at one’s soul, making it more difficult to overcome in later phases, and the guilt and sadness make life excruciatingly agonizing. Thousands of individuals and their families were enslaved in the late 1990s as a result of corporate avarice, which makes the situation even worse.
The enormous opioid epidemic that has affected everyone since 1996 is the subject of the upcoming drama series Painkiller on Netflix. Painkiller will explore the origins and aftermath 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 novel Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic. The new drama provides a more in-depth examination of criminal behavior, liability, and the systems that have consistently failed hundreds of thousands of Americans for years.
Eric Newman (Narcos) and Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) are executive producers of the brand-new Netflix drama, which will soon premiere. Before you prepare to binge-watch the upcoming limited series, Painkiller, let’s take a look at the release date, plot, cast, and trailer, as well as everything else we currently know about it.
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When and where will Painkiller Release?
On Thursday, August 10, 2023, all six one-hour episodes of the limited series will make their debut. Typically, Netflix releases its content at 3 a.m. ET and 12 a.m. PT. As this is an original Netflix series, a Netflix subscription is required to view the new series.
Is There Trailer of Painkiller?
On July 11, 2023, Netflix released the official trailer for Painkiller, in which an investigator for the US Attorney’s office questions the distribution of the so-called “miracle drug” OxyContin. Along with the premiere date, five first-look photos for the impending drama series were released on May 8, 2023.
What Is the Storyline in Painkiller?
The new Netflix series Painkiller investigates the origins of America’s opioid crisis, with a focus on the controversial actions of Purdue Pharma, the company that manufactured OxyContin, and company founder Richard Sackler (portrayed by Matthew Broderick). The series will focus on the early stages of the drug’s creation and distribution, including the Sacklers, those attempting to bring them down, such as Uzo Aduba’s Edie, and those negatively affected by the drug, such as Taylor Kitsch’s Glen, a mechanic who suffers a debilitating back injury at work.
Painkiller also follows the lives of a few medical sales representatives or the people Purdue paid well to persuade doctors to prescribe more of their (highly addictive) medication, as well as those who became addicted to opioids after their doctor told them it was okay to do so because the doctors believed it to be safe.
Cast of Painkiller
The cast of Painkiller comprises a number of well-known actors and actresses. Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) plays Richard Sackler, head of the affluent Sackler family and Purdue Pharma’s top executive. Uzo Aduba, star of Orange Is the New Black, will portray Edie Flowers, a prosecutor at the US attorney’s office investigating the new Purdue narcotic OxyContin. Peter Berg described Edie as “our guide as we unravel the complexities of what Purdue did and how the opioid epidemic began and then spread” in a statement released via Netflix Tudum.
The cast of Painkiller comprises a number of well-known actors and actresses. Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) plays Richard Sackler, head of the affluent Sackler family and Purdue Pharma’s top executive. Uzo Aduba, star of Orange Is the New Black, will portray Edie Flowers, a prosecutor at the US attorney’s office investigating the new Purdue narcotic OxyContin. Peter Berg described Edie as “our guide as we unravel the complexities of what Purdue did and how the opioid epidemic began and then spread” in a statement released via Netflix Tudum.
Shannon Shaeffer is portrayed by West Duchovny (The Magicians), a former collegiate athlete who recently joined the Purdue sales team, while Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights) will portray Glen Kryger, a dedicated family man and mechanic whose life is upended by a crushing back injury. Kitsch will also reunite with Peter Berg and Netflix for American Primeval, a limited series. Carolina Bartczak (Moonfall) will portray Lily Kryger, the widow of Glen. Dina Shihabi (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan) will play Britt Hufford, an experienced sales representative and Shannon’s mentor. Tyler Ritter (The McCarthys) portrays US Attorney John Brownlee, Edie Flowers’ new supervisor, while John Rothman (One Mississippi) portrays Purdue Pharma co-owner and Richard Sackler’s relative Mortimer Sackler (Purdue Pharma).
Who is Producing Painkiller?
Painkiller is directed by Peter Berg, known for his work on The Leftovers and Friday Night Lights. Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster serve as the series’ showrunners and writers. Executive producers for the program are ‘The Family That Built the Empire of Pain’ author Keefe, series director Berg, Eric Newman, and Alex Gibney. The author of Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origins of America’s Opioid Epidemic is also the consulting producer. Gibney’s documentary about the American opioid pandemic, The Crime of the Century (2021), was released before Painkiller. The new series greatly benefited from Gibney’s experience on the film.
When and where was the film Painkiller shot?
Painkiller, a forthcoming limited drama series on Netflix, began filming in Toronto, Canada in April 2021 and concluded in November 2021.
