The Netflix miniseries dramatizes the story of OxyContin's rise, but the beginning frames of each episode start with a disclaimer read by the families of real victims of the opioid crisis.
Premiering August 10 with a cast led by Matthew Broderick, the six-part series zeroes in on the death and destruction wrought by OxyContin on a community in western Virginia
Covering the same terrain as “Dopesick” in too-precious fashion, “Painkiller” is a semi-fictionalized look at the opioid crisis and how Purdue Pharma cashed in on OxyContin at the expense of those who became hooked on the drug. Yet the tonal excesses and wild dramatic devices undermine this Netflix limited series in a way even its sobering opening sequences can’t salvage.