Netflix has unveiled the first look images for “Painkiller,” a new series that explores the origins and aftermath of the opioid crisis in America through a fictional retelling of events.
The six-part limited series, which stars Uzo Aduba, Matthew Broderick, Taylor Kitsch, Dina Shihabi, John Rothman and West Duchovny, will premiere on Netflix Aug. 10.
Billed as an “examination of crime, accountability, and the systems that have repeatedly failed hundreds of thousands of Americans,” the series will spotlight stories of the perpetrators, victims, and truth-seekers whose lives are forever altered by the invention of OxyContin,” per the official logline.
The scripted series is based on the book of the same name by Barry Meier as well as Patrick Radden Keefe’s article in the New Yorker Magazine titled “The Family That Built the Empire of Pain,” which exposes the Sackler Dynasty’s pivotal role in the opioid epidemic.
Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster serve as creators, showrunners, writers and executive producers alongside EPs Eric Newman, Peter Berg and Alex Gibney. Berg also directs the series, which was filmed in Toronto. Radden Keefe assumes the role of executive producer while Meier also serves as consulting producer.
Guest stars for the series include Clark Gregg, Jack Mulhern, Sam Anderson, Ana Cruz Kayne, Brian Markinson, Noah Harpster, John Ales, Johnny Sneed and Tyler Ritter.
“Painkiller” premieres Thursday, Aug. 10 on Netflix.
