Painkiller

:

Season 1
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Aug 10, 2023
User Score
5.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 13 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 13
  3. Negative: 5 out of 13

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User Reviews

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  1. JLuis_001
    Aug 13, 2023
    5
    The miniseries doesn't exactly miss the mark when it comes to the quality of its production, but it's its lack of narrative depth that ultimately relegates it to the realm of forgettable content.

    Considering the magnitude of the problem at hand – a genuinely serious crisis – Painkiller merely skims the surface without any sincere intent to delve into the heart of the matter. This approach    The miniseries doesn't exactly miss the mark when it comes to the quality of its production, but it's its lack of narrative depth that ultimately relegates it to the realm of forgettable content.

    Considering the magnitude of the problem at hand – a genuinely serious crisis – Painkiller merely skims the surface without any sincere intent to delve into the heart of the matter. This approach not only diminishes the significance of the issue but also comes across as exploitative rather than enlightening.

    It's hard not to feel that Painkiller was fundamentally a convenient theme chosen to shape a show, offering something fresh for the Netflix catalog. Beyond this purpose, it struggles to carry any substantial weight or true sense of significance.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

43
#43 Most Discussed TV Season of 2023

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
56

Mixed or average reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 29
  3. Negative: 4 out of 29
  1. The Observer (UK)
    Reviewed by: Barbara Ellen
    Sep 10, 2024
    60
    There are times that Painkiller feels like a cover version of the more atmospheric Dopesick. Nevertheless, it’s thought-provoking, with strong performances (especially from Aduba) and a firm narrative grip on a catastrophe that never stops sounding a grim, shrill alarm.
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  2. Slate
    Reviewed by: Laura Miller
    Aug 17, 2023
    10
    Glib, garish, and ham-fisted. .... Each episode of Painkiller opens with a real person explaining that, while the events in the show have been fictionalized, opioids’ effects on their own lives have been genuinely tragic. They hold up photos of their dead children. Some of them cry. This only manages to make the rest of the show seem even more grotesque.
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  3. ABC News
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    Aug 14, 2023
    40
    Fictionalized takes on true stories are a plague. And this overkill of a series starring Matthew Broderick as a Big Pharma drug dealer exaggerates like hell for dramatic purposes. What feels real is the rage over the ongoing opioid crisis.
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