Editor’s note: This story contains quotes and information originally discussed during a Twitter Spaces event hosted by NPR TV critic Eric Deggans and featuring NPR addiction correspondent Brian Mann, Dopesick author Beth Macy, Dopesick series creator Danny Strong and more.
For the millions of Americans whose lives have been shattered by the opioid crisis, Hulu’s limited series Dopesick provides a cathartic piece of storytelling.
Based on journalist Beth Macy’s 2018 book Dopesick, the limited series tries to show just how hard it is to hold anyone — an individual or a company — accountable for the opioid crisis.
While the Sackler family has faced criticism for their role in fueling the opioid crisis, they deny any wrongdoing.
As far back as 2007, the Department of Justice saw Purdue Pharma marketing OxyContin in some very dangerous and illegal ways.
If that deal is confirmed on appeal, the Sacklers would also give up control of Purdue Pharma.
In the end, dramatizations like Hulu’s Dopesick provide a black and white moral clarity that may be immensely satisfying to many viewers.