Painkiller showrunner wants viewers to be "filled with fury" by last episode
A showrunner on the new Netflix drama Painkiller has revealed the incentive behind its concluding episode.
Inspired by a true story, the six-part series focuses on a family who fueled the opioid crisis in the United States with their aggressive marketing of the drug OxyContin.
Through their company Purdue Pharma, the Sacklers sparked a nationwide crisis – a move that is certain to enrage viewers, according to showrunner Noah Harpster.
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Commenting on the series, Harpster explained that viewers are expected to be "filled with fury" by the last episode.
"We want the audience to be entertained, of course, but we also hope that, by the last episode, they're filled with fury," he said. "We want people to realise that there were moments when this could have been stopped – that it could have gone a different way."
OxyContin, a highly addictive drug, was marketed in 1996 as the number-one solution for pain management, which resulted in patients becoming hooked.
Adding further insight, Harpster concluded: "We don't want this show to feel like something you're supposed to watch, rather than something you want to watch.
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"We've taken great effort to help you get to know these characters on a deep level, and so, hopefully, you'll grow to love and hate them over the course of six hours."
Painkiller sees Matthew Broderick portray Richard Sackler, the disgraced former president of Purdue Pharma.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Broderick said of the case: "I think the original intent to develop the drug is not inherently evil. It's only when you get people hiding the evidence of how addictive it is that it becomes an awful story."
All episodes of Painkiller are available to watch now on Netflix.
For more on drug addiction and dependency, including information and support, please visit FRANK or Action on Addiction.
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