It’s hard to say how “Painkiller,” a fictionalized Netflix limited series based on America’s opioid crisis, would play had one never seen the similarly themed and structured – and vastly superior – 2021 Hulu limited series “Dopesick.”
The new show’s misuse of lead actors Uzo Aduba, who plays a crusading U.S. Attorney’s office investigator, and Matthew Broderick, who plays real-life former Purdue Pharma head Richard Sackler – would be evident either way. So would director Peter Berg’s (“Hancock,” the film “Friday Night Lights”) overuse of early aughts-style rock ‘em sock ‘em shaky camera work, quick edits and blue light.
But “Painkiller” likely would not seem so wholly unnecessary if “Dopesick” did not exist.