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Painkiller

  • TV Mini Series
  • 2023
  • TV-MA
  • 48m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
34K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,703
80
Matthew Broderick in Painkiller (2023)
A scripted drama and limited series about the origins of the opioid crisis
Play trailer2:30
2 Videos
25 Photos
True CrimeCrimeDrama

The causes and consequences of America's opioid epidemic unfold in this drama following its perpetrators, victims and an investigator seeking the truth.The causes and consequences of America's opioid epidemic unfold in this drama following its perpetrators, victims and an investigator seeking the truth.The causes and consequences of America's opioid epidemic unfold in this drama following its perpetrators, victims and an investigator seeking the truth.

  • Creators
    • Micah Fitzerman-Blue
    • Noah Harpster
  • Stars
    • Uzo Aduba
    • Matthew Broderick
    • Taylor Kitsch
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    34K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,703
    80
    • Creators
      • Micah Fitzerman-Blue
      • Noah Harpster
    • Stars
      • Uzo Aduba
      • Matthew Broderick
      • Taylor Kitsch
    • 222User reviews
    • 23Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 3 nominations total

    Episodes6

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated1 season2023

    Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:30
    Official Trailer
    Painkiller
    Trailer 2:27
    Painkiller
    Painkiller
    Trailer 2:27
    Painkiller

    Photos25

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    + 19
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    Top cast99+

    Edit
    Uzo Aduba
    Uzo Aduba
    • Edie Flowers
    • 2023
    Matthew Broderick
    Matthew Broderick
    • Richard Sackler
    • 2023
    Taylor Kitsch
    Taylor Kitsch
    • Glen Kryger
    • 2023
    Dina Shihabi
    Dina Shihabi
    • Britt Hufford
    • 2023
    West Duchovny
    West Duchovny
    • Shannon Schaeffer
    • 2023
    Sam Anderson
    Sam Anderson
    • Raymond Sackler
    • 2023
    Carolina Bartczak
    Carolina Bartczak
    • Lily Kryger
    • 2023
    Jack Mulhern
    Jack Mulhern
    • Tyler Kryger
    • 2023
    Ana Cruz Kayne
    Ana Cruz Kayne
    • Brianna Ortiz
    • 2023
    Ron Lea
    Ron Lea
    • Bill Havens
    • 2023
    John Rothman
    John Rothman
    • Mortimer Sackler
    • 2023
    Clark Gregg
    Clark Gregg
    • Arthur Sackler, Sr.
    • 2023
    Brian Markinson
    Brian Markinson
    • Howard Udell
    • 2023
    David Tompa
    David Tompa
    • Conference Room Lawyer
    • 2023
    John Ales
    John Ales
    • Dr. Gregory Fitzgibbons
    • 2023
    Noah Harpster
    Noah Harpster
    • Dr. Curtis Wright
    • 2023
    Vivienne Markowski
    • Toddler Kaylee
    • 2023
    Olivia Markowski
    • Toddler Kaylee
    • 2023
    • Creators
      • Micah Fitzerman-Blue
      • Noah Harpster
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews222

    7.433.6K
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    Featured reviews

    hoet88

    Low grade version of the TV Show "Dopesick"

    Honestly we had Dopesick showing the same story about the opioid crisis in USA. And everyone thought that was fire !

    This garbage show is nothing more than a Netflix revisited story about opioids. And won't win any Emmy.

    This show is saved by Matthew Brodrick of course, that's enjoyable to see him back on the screen. But man the rest of the cast can't help the poor attempt of this show.

    I don't know if Netflix had the idea before or after Hulu to make this happen, but man they missed it with this one (again).

    Some plots are explained/shown as if the viewer had an IQ of an oyster.

    Better pass than waste your time people !
    8old52

    A Sackler Story, May They Burn in Hell

    This is a well done, dark journey into an American hell created by an evil family and their soulless minions. While it is disgraceful that the endless suffering of the victims and their families has been turned into entertainment, this is important. The world needs to see what happens when an evil family is allowed to destroy America for profit. This covers the same material as Dopesick but a different take. Same info and honestly I enjoyed both. The portrayal of the Sacklers in both is not flattering. Truly evil people. The actors were amazing. A list talent and great writing. Highly recommend this and every American should see it.
    8Francescabeebe

    A good show exposing different perspectives.

    I'm surprised by the low ratings and glad I didn't read before watching because I enjoyed the show.

    It showed various perspectives from the Sackler family and employees, the pharma reps, the doctors, the whistleblowers, the patients and then the addicts.

    I thought it was filmed well, there were comedic moments not to poke fun at the subject matter which is very sad but more at the impotence of the law makers and greed of the Sackler family and it's employees and those who jumped ship.

    I thought the ending was a bit rushed I'd have liked more epilogue but overall we binged over 2 days as it was very watchable.
    6privatechrisnylan

    Poor man's Dopesick

    It's not bad and quite enjoyable. The problem here for anyone who has taken the time to watch the massively superior Dopesick is that they have watched Dopesick. This version of events seems quite rushed and doesn't come close to the nuanced performances and detailed storytelling of Dopesick. It's hard to put your finger on the why this fails to be as impactful as Dopesick but it fails big time. After watching Dopesick I did quite a bit of research on the subject matter and found the storytelling to be quite accurate in that production. I feel so sorry for all the people whose lives have been ruined by this travesty and genuinely feel Dopesick does a much better job of telling this unfortunate story.
    6bvkqk

    As everyone has said...felt rushed and did not have the same impact as Dopesick

    I had high hopes for this show. I had read that it was going to focus on the family behind Purdue who have basically been unpunished for there part in the opioid epidemic. I think that is a story worth telling. At least I would like to see it. I have been personally effected by this crisis in so many ways. I myself became addicted to OxyContin. It kind of happens before you even realize it's a problem. I know that sounds ignorant now, but at the time there was not information about this drug for the masses. I had 3 surgeries within a 6 month period in 2010 and I was prescribed Oxy after each one. I can still remember not having a clue what was wrong with me the first time I experienced withdrawal. At the worst point of my 7 years of opiate addiction I was taking a minimum of five 80mg extend release OxyContin, plus I was on 10mg oxycodone at least 4 times a day for breakthrough pain. It was HELL!! And these were all prescribed by a Dr on a weekly basis. Thankfully I have been clean for 7 years last month. However my partner of 15 years, and my sister where not so lucky. They both died of overdoses 6 months apart from one another in 2021. So, this is my story and it is one of many...so so many. Dopesick on Hulu was an amazing retelling of the history. This one not so much. It starts out okay, and then the last couple of episodes it's like okay we need to finish so we will just put 10+ years worth of content in the after message of the show. I know I ranted and got off topic of the show a bit but it was all just to say as someone personally affected so much by this crisis I am always excited to see shows that are supposed to have an accurate retelling of how we got here. Painkiller did not hit the mark they way I had hoped it would.

    More like this

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    8.6
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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This series is based on Barry Meier's book Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America's Opioid Epidemic and the New Yorker article "The Family That Built the Empire of Pain," by Patrick Radden Keefe.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Coffee with Scott Adams: CWSA 12/10/23 The Hoax List Gets Longer & Trump Starts to Look Inevitable. Bring Coffee (2023)

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    FAQ17

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 10, 2023 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Netflix Site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Таблетка від болю
    • Filming locations
      • Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Blue Harp
      • Film 44
      • Grand Electric
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 48m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 16:9 HD

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