series8.4 / 10.0
Drama / History2021
Dopesick
2021Danny Strong60 min1 Seasons8 EpisodesDrama / History
A limited series tracing the opioid crisis from a pharmaceutical boardroom to a mining town in Virginia.
Editorial tags
politicalessential
Why we selected it
Selected for its plain account of institutional harm and for Michael Keaton's restrained central performance.
Synopsis
Purdue Pharma launches OxyContin with the promise that it is rarely addictive, and the claim travels from the Sackler family's boardroom to sales reps to a small-town doctor in Appalachia. Danny Strong, adapting Beth Macy's reporting, follows patients, prosecutors and executives across several timelines. The structure can be crowded, but the series is clear-eyed about how a lie becomes policy. Michael Keaton's country doctor anchors it with quiet decency and shame.
Creators
- Danny Strong
Cast
- Michael KeatonDr. Samuel Finnix
- Peter SarsgaardRick Mountcastle
- Michael StuhlbargRichard Sackler
- Will PoulterBilly Cutler
- Kaitlyn DeverBetsy Mallum