Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

      View All
      Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Limited Series – Painkiller

      2023 Drama TRAILER for Painkiller: Limited Series Trailer List
      50% 54 Reviews Tomatometer 59% 250+ Ratings Audience Score The origins of the opioid crises in the United States, as seen through the eyes of perpetrators, victims, and truth-seekers. Read More Read Less

      Where to Watch

      Painkiller — Limited Series

      Netflix

      Watch Painkiller — Limited Series with a subscription on Netflix.

      Painkiller — Limited Series

      What to Know

      Critics Consensus

      Painkiller honors the victims of the opioid crisis with effective dramatic beats but is undermined by its stale satirical flourishes, resulting in a tonally confused bit of muckraking.

      Read Critics Reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (156) audience reviews
      Larry J Exposing the barbarities of the system. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/14/24 Full Review Rhianna J Unfortunately the good content gets lost in this messy and chaotic series. Choppy cinematography, aggressive soundtrack and grimy editing. This could have been better. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/24 Full Review Legion A Fictional characters everywhere, a laughable score or music, childish, ghetto undertones. The director tried to do a "Wolf of Wall Street" style approach and failed."There is some entertainment value. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/09/24 Full Review Diane H I learnt so much from watching this series. I thought it was well acted, moving and that it told an important story which highlighted the role lack of knowledge, morals and greed has played in exploiting huge swathes of society. Shocking and sad but I believe a must see series. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/01/24 Full Review Dan S Made up characters not representative of truth. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 12/31/23 Full Review inta k okay, but not too interesting Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 12/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Episodes

      Episode 1 Aired Aug 10, 2023 The One to Start With, The One to Stay With Seizing an opportunity, Richard bets on an opiate that relieves pain; college graduate Shannon takes a job at Purdue: Glen suffers a workplace injury. Details Episode 2 Aired Aug 10, 2023 Jesus Gave Me Water A patient using OxyContin attends a Purdue conference; Edie witnesses the drug's adverse effects; Richard faces roadblocks in his pursuit of profit. Details Episode 3 Aired Aug 10, 2023 Blizzard of the Century Glen is forced to detox when his addiction lands him in the ER; Edie struggles to convince her new boss, the U.S. attorney, to build a case against Purdue. Details Episode 4 Aired Aug 10, 2023 Is Believed Edie works to expose Purdue; Shannon enjoys the perks of her job but faces a moral dilemma; pushed to the brink, Glen starts losing control at work. Details Episode 5 Aired Aug 10, 2023 Hot! Hot! Hot! Glen hits rock bottom; Shannon attends a raucous work after-party; Edie uncovers damning evidence in her case against a pharmaceutical giant. Details Episode 6 Aired Aug 10, 2023 What's In a Name? Glen starts sobriety; Shannon reevaluates her role; using new evidence, Edie and the team take Purdue to court as the case comes to a stunning end. Details

      Critics Reviews

      View All (54) Critics Reviews
      Emily Zemler Observer The show raises a lot of good questions and makes important points, but occasionally it feels like details are omitted in favor of visual flair. Oct 20, 2023 Full Review Judy Berman TIME Magazine The facts that Painkiller spoon-feeds viewers are readily available elsewhere... Aug 17, 2023 Full Review Amber Dowling Globe and Mail For viewers with a vague awareness of the crisis, the series is a somewhat digestible watch that brings you up to speed with good music, acting and characters. Aug 14, 2023 Full Review Pallavi Keswani The Hindu Painkiller relies heavily on dramatisations and heightened emotional sequences, rendering it more of an angry gesture aimed at Purdue Pharma than a fictional account of a horrific truth. Jan 23, 2024 Full Review Joanne Laurier World Socialist Web Site Any honest, observant viewer is likely to extend the condemnation to the profit system as a whole, which is entirely willing to sacrifice untold numbers of lives in exchange for cash flow. Sep 22, 2023 Full Review Jim Schembri jimschembri.com There’s no love for Big Pharma here, a fast-paced, factually inspired drama that takes a deep dive into the opioid crisis...big-screen veteran Peter Berg does an excellent job maintaining focus on the many story threads without ever letting the pace sag. Rated: 3.5/5 Sep 7, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

      Season Info

      Director
      Peter Berg
      Executive Producer
      Eric Newman, Peter Berg, Alex Gibney, Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster, Patrick Radden Keefe
      Screenwriter
      Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Boo Killebrew, Noah Harpster, Will Hettinger
      Network
      Netflix
      Rating
      TV-MA
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date
      Aug 10, 2023
      More Top TV Picks Netflix