The Dopesick series, which deals with the real crisis for prescription painkillers employed in the US. Netflix followed suit and recently released the new series Painkiller, which deals with the same topic around the so-called opioids.
The Netflix version of the topic failed in reviews. Nevertheless, Painkiller has already stormed the streaming charts and landed at number 1 on the service.
What is Netflix’s Painkiller about exactly?
Painkiller is all about the introduction of the new painkiller OxyContin, which also causes a strong addiction to the drug as a side effect in people with severe pain. While Richard Sackler (Matthew Broderick) drives the OxyContin marketing with his billionaire family, lawyer Edie Flowers (Uzo Aduba) wants to collect evidence against the pharmaceutical company.
Reviews of Painkiller advise against the series
On the Rotten Tomatoes review platform, Painkiller only gets an average of 47 percent. That’s not catastrophic, though negative voices dominate the professional opinion to the Netflix series. For example, in his Collider review, Chase Hutchinson writes:
More than anything, Painkiller feels needlessly flimsy. The characters are almost all portrayed superficially and there is a persistent lack of patience that dooms the actors to failure. When we get to the end it all comes together a little too much as the truth of this story is far more complicated.
It is also often criticized overstylized staging of the series and the inappropriately humorous tone, which should bypass the serious topic. Apparently, as a series, Dopesick is the more worthwhile alternative. In any case, the Moviepilot community has a very strong average of 8.2.
Podcast: The 20 Best Series Launches of August on Netflix, Amazon and More
Need more fresh streaming tips? You can find the most exciting August series, which you can stream on Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+, among others, here in the monthly preview:
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We have checked the long starting lists of the streaming services and present you the 20 big highlights of the month in the Moviepilot podcast stream trawl. Also included are Netflix’s highly anticipated One Piece series and Star Wars novelty Ahsoka. In addition to insider tips, there are also new seasons of Heartstopper, The Bear and Only Murders in the Building.
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