Painkiller is an American drama television miniseries created by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster. Based on Patrick Radden Keefe's New Yorker article "The Family That Built an Empire of Pain" and Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America's Opioid Epidemic by Barry Meier, the series focuses on the birth of the opioid crisis, with an emphasis on Purdue Pharma, the company owned by Richard Sackler and his family. It documents Purdue's aggressive and unethical marketing tactics used to promote their 'blockbuster' drug OxyContin, an extended-release formulation of the opioid oxycodone. The Sackler family has been described as the "most evil family in America", and "the worst drug dealers in history".
Painkiller premiered on Netflix on August 10, 2023.
Contents
Cast and characters
Uzo Aduba as Edie Flowers
Matthew Broderick as Richard Sackler
Sam Anderson as Raymond Sackler
Clark Gregg as Arthur Sackler
Taylor Kitsch as Glen Kryger
Carolina Bartczak as Lily Kryger
Tyler Ritter as John L. Brownlee
John Ales as 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 as Curtis Wright
Trenna Keating as Deborah Marlowe
Production
Production began in Toronto in April 2021 and wrapped in November 2021. The series was directed by Peter Berg.
Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 50% of 54 critics gave the series a positive review, with an average rating of 6.0/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Painkiller honors the victims of the opioid crisis with effective dramatic beats but is undermined by its stale satirical flourishes, resulting in a tonally confused bit of muckraking." On Metacritic, the series holds a weighted average score of 59 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Writing for American Council on Science and Health, a pro-industry advocacy group, Cameron English criticized the series, alleging that it unfairly pins the blame for the opioid crisis on Purdue and the Sackler family.