We’re getting the first look at Painkiller, Netflix’s upcoming limited drama series about the origins of the opioid crisis and the role of Purdue Pharma.
Matthew Broderick stars as Richard Sackler, scion of the billionaire Sackler family and senior executive at Purdue Pharma and Uzo Aduba portrays Edie, an investigator leading the case against Purdue.
Taylor Kitsch, Dina Shihabi, and West Duchovny also star in the six-episode series which premieres Thursday, August 10 on Netflix.
Based on Barry Meier’s book Pain Killer and the New Yorker Magazine article ‘The Family That Built an Empire of Pain’ by Patrick Radden Keefe, Painkiller explores some of the origins and aftermath of the opioid crisis in America, highlighting the stories of 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.
In the trailer, Broderick’s Richard touts OxyContin, which became the No. 1 opioid in the country, and how people “run from pain, run toward pleasure… if we place ourselves right there, between pain and pleasure, we will never have to worry about money again.”
Uduba’s Edie asks “How can something legally prescribed be killing so many people? … It doesn’t just kill people. It destroys the families and friends. They are doing the exact same thing as every crack dealer in America, except they are getting rewarded for it.”
Painkiller was created by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, who also serve as showrunners. Eric Newman, Fitzerman-Blue, Harpster, Alex Gibney and Pete Berg executive produce and Berg directs all episodes.
Newman explains in an interview with Netflix’s Tudum that the story continues to be urgently relevant. “The story is still going on. It’s playing out in real time, and I imagine that it will continue to play out long after us. 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.”
Watch the trailer above.
