In a few days, Netflix subscribers could discover the series Painkiller, which recalls one of the biggest pharmaceutical scandals that has rocked the United States in recent years: OxyContin, a painkiller that has created a strong addiction among patients. Through the portraits of three people (a drug addict, an FBI agent and the head of a pharmaceutical company), it is told how this drug spread to the market and how it destroyed the lives of millions of people.
If this story tells you something, maybe it’s because you watched Dopesick, a mini-series released in 2021 and available to us on Disney +. It is also an adaptation of journalist Beth Mace’s investigative book titled Dopesick: The Dealers, Doctors, and Drug Companies That Made America Addictive.
If you haven’t yet found this AlloCiné viewer-rated little nugget, then here’s your chance. The series is praised by viewers for its impeccable casting, starting with Michael Keaton (Golden Globe winner for this role), who here meets the doctor who cheated Purdue Pharma and Caitlin Dever. A young woman who becomes addicted to OxyContin after a mine accident.
Here are some reviews you can read on Dopesick’s AlloCiné page:
“A special series on the OxyContin scandal in the US. An uncompromising portrait of the mercantile excesses of a family owner of a large pharmaceutical laboratory, the compromise of America’s health regulatory authorities, and the harm done to ordinary people. Michael Keaton is masterful, the production is top notch. We do not come out with the heart or the impression of having seen such a good series, not that successful.(September 24)
“I regret not watching this series. Indeed, from the first episodes, I saw Naglej in its genre. The proportion is controlled between the denunciation of the practices of large companies that seek only profit at the expense of the health of others and the investigation of history. You just have to get used to the different bounces a few times beforehand. I was not aware of the behind the scenes of the pharmaceutical field in the US and this makes me want to find out more. Healthcare system.(Clarice Red Jasper)
“Dopesick is one of the best series of the last 10 years. Like Chernobyl, it’s a must-watch series. It’s well done, it’s Michael Keaton, and the story is true. Its main drawback is the narrative structure, which proceeds with time jumps (we go from 1997 to 2007, then back to 2001, then jump to 2019, etc.) sometimes it fits well, but most of the time it loses us. Other than that, this series is a success… but a success to the point of human desperation. When you know that the events are authentic (the details and some of the “anonymous” characters are probably fictional) it honestly makes you shudder.“. (Alla.V)
“A quality series that only grows in emotional and scripted strength from episode to episode. This is clearly the highest quality series this year in 2021.” (Arkas A.)
Did these comments convince you? 8 episodes of Dopesick are waiting for you on Disney+.
Source: Allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
