‘Painkiller’: Pete Berg & Taylor Kitsch on Why Opioid Crisis Drama Is Needed

Ileane Rudolph August 6, 2023, 1:00 pm

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Matthew Broderick in 'Painkiller' — Netflix

[This interview was conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike authorization.]

OxyContin was promoted as a nonaddictive pill that would end pain; instead, it brought agony. Netflix‘s six-episode limited series Painkiller (covering similar ground as Hulu’s Dopesick) dramatizes how the powerful prescription opioid, manufactured by drug company Purdue Pharma, led to a massive rise in addiction and deaths. It’s populated by real and composite players.

The Villains

Purdue’s owners, the Sackler family, especially cunning president and chairman Richard (Matthew Broderick, above center, with John Rothman and Sam Anderson).

“This is a conspiracy story,” says executive producer Eric Newman, comparing Purdue to the Mexican cartels in his hit show Narcos. Executive producer and director Pete Berg adds, “They knew they were basically mass-producing heroin.”

Netflix Takes on Opioid Crisis in 'Painkiller' Trailer

Young sales reps were sent out to charm doctors into buying their wonder drug, promising higher profits. “From a capitalist standpoint,” observes Berg, “it was a brilliant plan. For humanity, it was an absolute disaster.”

The Victims

Standing in for the millions who got hooked, Taylor Kitsch plays Glen Kryger, a family man who heroically tries to fight his addiction. Kitsch shares that he based him on personal experiences with friends, noting, “To destigmatize and shed light on this is very important.”

The Hero

U.S. Attorney’s office investigator Edie Flowers (Uzo Aduba) represents the law enforcement agents “trying to get an understanding of what OxyContin was before anyone knew,” Berg says. In real life, they uncovered the government, corporate and medical malfeasance that cost untold lives.

Painkiller, Limited Series Premiere, Thursday, August 10, Netflix

This is an excerpt from TV Insider’s August issue. For more in-depth, reported coverage devoted to streaming shows from the publishers of TV Guide Magazine, pick up the issue, currently on newsstands, or purchase it online here. You can also subscribe to TV Insider Magazine here now.