Netflix's 'Painkiller' vs Hulu's 'Dopesick': How the OxyContin Shows Differ

The opioid epidemic and the sale of OxyContin have been dramatized by both Netflix and Hulu, but despite focusing on similar stories, there are some stark differences between the two shows.

While the fictionalized stories in Dopesick and Painkiller may appear similar on the surface, Netflix producer Eric Newman told Newsweek his new show is different in its point of view and tone.

A new six-part limited series, Painkiller is streaming on Netflix now, and stars Matthew Broderick, Uzo Aduba, Taylor Kitsch, and Clark Gregg. It details how the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma produced OxyContin and fueled an epidemic in America.

If that storyline sounds familiar, it's because, in 2021, Hulu launched Dopesick, which centered on a very similar story. The show and many of its leads, Michael Keaton, Will Poulter and Kaitlyn Dever, received Emmy Award nominations.

"I think the clearest response to any comparison is that this is a story that needs to be told as loudly and as often as possible," Newman told Newsweek. "It is our sincerest hope that there's another opioid show next year and the year after and the year after. It's that important."

There are inevitable similarities between Painkiller and Dopesick, as both tell a similar, fictionalized story from multiple perspectives. However, Painkiller steps up the story with surreal elements (mild spoilers for Painkiller from this point on).

"All shows are different and whether the subject might be the same, the point of view is different, the tone is different. What our goal was -- and my hope is we've accomplished it, I believe we have -- is to make the widest and the furthest-reaching version of this show," Newman said.

The journey of the show is different in Newman's opinion too, as he believes the seriousness and the absurdity of Purdue Pharma's behavior is reflected in Painkiller.

Acknowledging that the subject matter might be off-putting to some viewers, Newman said they played with the structure of the show "to be most relatable and most appealing ... to start with, tonally, a bit of fun and a little bit of satire. And it feels like it's a ride. And then it mirrors the effects slightly of OxyContin, at some point you realize you're in trouble and that this is going south. So that was very much in our design."

Richard Sackler, the billionaire businessman best known for his connection to the production of OxyContin, was portrayed in Dopesick by Michael Stuhlbarg and in Painkiller by Broderick. Painkiller's retelling shows the late Arthur Sackler (played by Clark Gregg) acting as an invisible advisor to nephew Richard.

Both Painkiller and Dopesick have different, but quite similar, origins. While Dopesick was based on Beth Macy's 2018 book Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America, Painkiller is based on both Patrick Radden Keefe's New Yorker article "The Family That Built an Empire of Pain" and Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America's Opioid Epidemic by Barry Meier in 2001.

Meier, as one of the first to report on the opioid epidemic crisis, told Newsweek about his journey with the story.

"As a person who wrote the first book about this, I've seen numerous subsequent books written; they've all added something to it," Meier said, furthering Painkiller's case. "I've gone from a journalist who wrote a book to a character in other books. And what I can say about this show is that it takes this crucial story and, from my perspective, illuminates it in a totally new and fresh way."

He continued, "I think that when people see this show, they will come to the end of it and not only be pulled in and enthralled by it, but more outraged than they've ever been before."

While Painkiller is a dramatization of events, there are a number of details included in the show that the producers want audiences to know actually happened -- and in some cases, they seem like the most absurd or unbelievable elements of the series.

"Some of the words that Matthew Broderick says as Richard Sackler actually exist in emails as things that Richard Sackler wrote. When you see them on paper, you go like, 'Wow, that was kind of weird.' Or, 'That was crazy.' When you see Matthew saying them in these party scenes or these rallies, you go, 'That was insane.' And to me, that's where the show and reality merged with one another," Meier told Newsweek.

All six episodes of Painkiller are available to watch on Netflix now.

Correction, 08/14/23, 5:09 a.m. ET: This article was updated to clarify that while OxyContin "fueled" the opioid crisis, it did not "spark" it.