Summary
- Painkiller director Pete Berg acknowledges the coincidental timing between his show and Dopesick, but believes both can coexist with their own unique tones.
- Painkiller may suffer in comparison to Dopesick due to the latter’s critical acclaim and success, which could result in the copycat effect affecting Painkiller’s reception.
- Although Painkiller faces unfavorable ratings compared to Dopesick, it should be noted that there are other media pieces, such as HBO’s Euphoria, that also cover the opioid crisis, highlighting its vastness and potential for multiple shows.
With the two shows covering the same topic, Painkiller director and executive producer Pete Berg has addressed the coincidental timing between his show and Hulu’s Dopesick. Like the latter miniseries, Painkiller takes a look at the opioid crisis in its early days, namely Purdue Pharma’s ties to the drug epidemic. Dopesick was released just two years ago to critical acclaim, winning Michael Keaton an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Painkiller recently released to more mixed reviews from critics, primarily for its inconsistent tone.
Speaking to TheWrap, Painkiller’s Berg now addresses the concurrence of the two shows’ timing. According to Berg, Painkiller and Dopesick “were sort of moving at the same pace” in development. In Berg’s opinion, this is not a detriment to either show given the “complicated big issues” that is the opioid crisis, giving Painkiller a lot of additional content to cover. Check out the full quote from Berg below:
“We were sort of moving at the same pace. Both shows were in development around the same time, which happens every once in a while and our business. They went first. I think we have a very different tone, and we can exist nicely with a really outstanding show. It’s a really complicated big issue that can support multiple content.”
How Dopesick’s Success Hurts Painkiller
Even with Berg’s explanation of their concurrent development in mind, it is unfortunate for Painkiller that Dopesick “went first.” Painkiller will unfortunately be subject to the copy cat effect, or at minimum suffer by comparison. That is, whatever Painkiller does, it will undoubtedly be compared to Dopesick, especially because of the former show’s widespread acclaim.
It seems that Painkiller is already experiencing that suffering only two days after its release. Looking at the Rotten Tomatoes scores for the two shows, Dopesick has maintained a certified fresh score of 89 percent, whereas Painkiller is suffering at a 44 percent. Painkiller may have two seasoned stars at its helm in Matthew Broderick and Uzo Aduba, but that seems not to be enough to keep Painkiller’s ratings in check.
However, the constant comparison that Painkiller will undoubtedly receive does not seem entirely fair. In fact, Painkiller and Dopesick are far from the only two pieces of media covering the opioid crisis in recent years. Opioid use is at the heart of HBO’s Euphoria, for example, which takes a more intimate look at the crisis through the lens of drug-addicted Rue. There is truth, then, to what Berg is saying surrounding the opioid’s crisis vastness and ability to spawn multiple shows, but unfortunately, this logic is not seeming to help Painkiller thus far.
Source: TheWrap
#Painkiller #Addresses #Coincidental #Timing #Opioid #Crisis #Story #Dopesick #Defends #Netflix #Show #Tone
