Watch Painkiller

Painkiller is a dramatic thriller series that premiered on Netflix in 2023. The show centers around Patrick Melrose, a young doctor struggling with opioid addiction in the midst of the opioid crisis. After a painful personal tragedy, Patrick becomes dependent on oxycodone and rapidly spirals into addiction. He manages to hide his growing problem from his coworkers and girlfriend initially, continuing to work as an emergency room doctor and maintain the facade of having his life together. However, as his addiction intensifies, it becomes increasingly difficult for him to keep up appearances.

Patrick’s excessive oxycodone use impacts his work and strains his relationships. He starts making medical mistakes that put patients’ lives at risk. His girlfriend Sasha notices him becoming distant and unreliable. Desperate to feed his addiction, Patrick resorts to illegal means to obtain more pills, including stealing prescription pads to forge prescriptions. His life unravels further when a patient dies under his watch due to a critical error he made while impaired by oxycodone.

Wracked with guilt over the patient’s death, Patrick finally admits to Sasha and his boss Dr. Kate Bennett that he is addicted and needs help. They insist he go to rehab, which he reluctantly agrees to do after realizing how out of control his life has become. At the rehab center, Patrick goes through the painful process of detoxification and intensive therapy. He discovers many of his fellow patients also became addicted after being prescribed opioids for injuries and illnesses. Patrick begins to confront his inner demons, including grief over his sister’s death from cancer which initially triggered his drug use.

Through group counseling and private therapy sessions, Patrick starts to get to the root of why he turned to opioids to numb emotional pain. He works hard to get sober, making progress in stopping his cravings and destructive behaviors. But when Patrick returns to work at the hospital, he finds himself tested by old triggers. He continues to attend NA meetings and lean on the support system he built in rehab. But his addiction constantly threatens to pull him back in.

Painkiller explores the all-too-common trajectory of how an everyday person gets trapped in the opioid epidemic. Patrick’s story sheds light on the challenges faced by those struggling with opioid addiction, as well as the factors that have fueled this public health crisis. The show offers a raw, unflinching look at how addiction hijacks lives while still conveying the hope that recovery is possible. Through Patrick’s character arc, Painkiller aims to build empathy and understanding for those caught in addiction’s inescapable grip.

Painkiller is a series that ran for 1 seasons (6 episodes) between August 10, 2023 and on Netflix