Painkiller, a new Netflix limited series starring Taylor Kitsch, Matthew Broderick, Dina Shihabi, and Uzo Aduba, is one of our most anticipated upcoming limited series. Here’s all we know so far about Netflix’s Painkiller, which is set to premiere in 2022.
The show’s creators and showrunners are Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster. The two worked together as producers on Amazon Prime’s Transparent.
Following Painkiller, the showrunners are presently working on their next project, The United States of America vs. Vince McMahon, which will be produced by WWE and Blumhouse TV.
Eric Newman’s production business Grand Electric, Tim Berg’s Film 44, and Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Pictures are all involved in the project. The limited series will consist of six 60-minute episodes.
What is the plot of Painkiller on Netflix?
The limited series explores the beginnings of the opioid crisis, which is still wreaking havoc across the country. Here’s some background on the situation and the topics covered in the series.
The performance is based on true events that were chronicled in Patrick Radden Keefe’s in-depth New Yorker story from October 2017. Following that, Keefe’s book Empire of Pain was published. The article, headlined “The Family That Built an Empire of Pain,” delves into the Sackler dynasty in depth. Keefe works on the show as a consultant.
The series also incorporates material from Barry Meier’s book Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origins of America’s Opioid Epidemic. It’s not the first time the Sacklers’ story has been adapted for the big screen. They appeared in the HBO documentary Crime of the Century, as well as the Hulu/Star Original mini-series Dopesick, which will premiere in 2021.
What is the cast of Netflix’s Painkiller?
Let’s take a look at Painkiller’s outstanding cast. In July 2021, the majority of the cast was revealed.
- Uzo Aduba (Netflix’s Orange is the New Black) as Edie
- Matthew Broderick (Netflix’s Daybreak and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) as Richard Sackler
- West Duchovny (Vegas High) as Shannon Schaeffer
- Dina Shihabi (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan) as Britt Hufford
- Taylor Kitsch (21 Bridges and Friday Night Lights) as Glen Kryger
- Sam Anderson (Forrest Gump) as Raymond Sackler
- Carolina Bartczak (Moonfall) as Lily Kryger
- Jack Mulhern (Netflix’s The Society) as Tyler Kryger
- John Ales (Netflix’s True Story) as Gregory Fitzgibbons
- Ana Kayne as Brianna Ortiz
- Brian Markinson as Howard Udell
- Ron Lea as Bill Havens
- Tyler Ritter as John Brownlee
- John Rothman as Mortimer Sackle
Throughout its production, the series was known as “TAMARACK,” which is how we first learned about it before its official debut.
The series was filmed directly outside Lopresti Pharmacy on Concession Street and East 31st Street in Hamilton, with the pharmacy’s facade being replaced with “Value Pharmacy.” The show was also “filmed on Barton Street East, near Lottridge Street, and at the Sheraton Hotel,” according to the Spec.
Furthermore, according to ProductionWeekly, some of the filming was to take place in New York City. The series began filming on August 9th, 2021, and ended on November 5th, 2021. The original completion date was set for early October 2021.