Painkiller: Netflix release date, trailer, and cast with Matthew Broderick, Uzo Aduba, and Taylor Kitsch

Painkiller, a new drama about the opioid epidemic in the US, has arrived on Netflix.

The series, which stars Orange is the New Black’s Uzo Audba and Daybreak’s Matthew Broderick, charts the impact of OxyContin on communities around the US - and subsequent efforts to bring the company that produced it to justice.

Here’s everything you need to know about Painkiller before watching it on Netflix.

What is it about?

The official Netflix synopsis explains that Painkiller “explores some of the origins and aftermath of the opioid crisis in America, highlighting the stories of the perpetrators, victims, and truth-seekers whose lives are forever altered by the invention of OxyContin. An examination of crime, accountability, and the systems that have repeatedly failed hundreds of thousands of Americans.”

The series includes a number of overlapping plotlines, following the Sackler family as they first develop OxyContin, a mechanic who begins using OxyContin to manage pain after an injury at work, and a district attorney who begins investigating OxyContin use when she starts to suspect the Sacklers are lying about how addictive it is.

Who stars in Painkiller?

Uzo Aduba plays Edie Flowers, a district attorney who begins investigating Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family. Aduba is best known for playing ‘Crazy Eyes’ in Orange is the New Black, but you might also recognise her from television roles in Mrs. America and the In Treatment revival.  

Matthew Broderick plays Richard Sackler, head of Purdue Pharma. Broderick is perhaps best known for a run of film roles in the 1980s and 1990s, including Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, War Games, Godzilla, and as the voice of Simba in The Lion King. More recently, he’s starred in the Netflix zombie series Daybreak and the Jennifer Lawrence comedy No Hard Feelings. 

They’re joined by Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights) as mechanic and OxyContin user Glen Kryger, Clark Gregg (Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD) as Richard’s uncle Arthur Sackler, and West Duchovny (The Magicians) as Purdue Pharma sales rep Shannon Schaeffer among others.

Who writes and directs Painkiller?

Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster developed and wrote Painkiller. Prior to their work on the series, they wrote the screenplays for the Mr. Rogers biopic A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood and the Disney+ sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. 

Is there a trailer for Painkiller?

Yes, there is! You can watch it right here.

When and how can I watch it?

Painkiller will arrive on Netflix on Thursday 10 August, with every episode available to stream as part of a boxset. 

How many episodes are there?

Painkiller is a six-part drama, with each episode running to around 50 minutes in length.

Is Painkiller based on a book?

Yes, it is. Painkiller draws heavily on both Barry Meier’s book Pain Killer, and Patrick Radden Keefe’s New Yorker article ‘The Family That Built an Empire of Pain’. Both are themselves non-fiction accounts of a true story.

Why should I watch Painkiller?

It’s one to watch if you enjoyed dramas like Five Days at Memorial, The Dropout, or Dopesick, with Painkiller set to dramatise a true crime story of corruption and corporate abuse of power in a similar way.