Dopesick : TV Review
Depicting the damage opioids can inflict on individuals and communities is nothing new for television. Two Showtime series come to mind: “Nurse Jackie,” which spotlighted a pill-popping medical professional, and “American Rust,” the locally shot crime drama with a story set amid Western Pennsylvania’s opioid crisis.
Rarely, though, does a show attempt such a sweeping examination from multiple perspectives of how so many Americans got addicted to opioids in the first place. That thoroughness in its approach to this nationwide issue is what sets “Dopesick” – a Hulu series premiering Wednesday – apart from other entertainment-industry efforts to portray the dangers of opioid abuse.
The show, which stars Robinson native Michael Keaton, is an eight-episode adaptation of Beth Macy’s 2018 book, “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America.” Hulu provided the Post-Gazette with seven of the eight episodes, all of which jump around in time and space to paint a comprehensive portrait of OxyContin’s origins, how it grew into a household name and why it has proven to be so difficult to regulate.
It focuses on OxyContin developers Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, the sales representatives who helped convince local doctors that it was a safe painkiller, and the residents of a small Virginia mountain town that is slowly devastated by the drug. “Dopesick” also makes time to show how hard certain Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Administration officials worked in their efforts to manage the problem.
Michael Keaton has never been better. He is at the top of his game as he brings Dr. Finnix to life. Thanks to the roving timeline throughout the episodes, audiences get to see a broad range from Keaton as he first encounters OxyContin, and then the treatment of his patients and the side effects of this extremely addictive drug. Keaton is perfect as Finnix bringing gravitas to a role that could be a minimally important character. Instead, Keaton elevates his performance by playing such a complicated character with wit, charm, and a broken heart. Dr. Finnix is what everyone dreams of when they think of a small-town doctor. The audience will ache at the pain and suffering Finnix experiences because of Keaton’s talent. Michael Keaton should get his awards speech ready for the coming year.
Dopesick is a poignant tale of corporate greed run amok. In this unflinching look at the opioid crisis that devastated small towns and countless lives across America. Viewers will watch aghast at the horror that takes hold in the lives destroyed and families shattered in this compelling must-see event of the fall. The eight-episode series is a brilliant look at multiple storylines as they all come to share one common thread, OxyContin
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
October 13 only on HULU
