Painkiller opening credits explained: Who reads out the disclaimers in the Netflix series?

As well as featuring thoughtful performances from Uzo Aduba, Matthew Broderick and Taylor Kitsch, the series also reminds you of the very real opioid crisis that continues to plague America to this day.

While Painkiller is based on Barry Meier's book Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America's Opioid Epidemic, and the New Yorker magazine's The Family That Built an Empire of Pain, by Patrick Radden Keefe, the events in the series have been fictionalised for TV.

That doesn't mean, though, that the reality of the drug epidemic is any less harrowing - and it's something you're reminded of at the start of every episode of Painkiller.

But who are the people reading out the disclaimers each time? Read on to find out more about Painkiller's opening credits.

Painkiller opening credits explained: Who reads out the disclaimers in the Netflix series?

Painkiller may be a fictionalised drama, but it is based on real events - and never are you more reminded of that fact than at the start of each episode.

The series doesn't open as you would think - say, with the main characters in a tense scene - but rather begins with a disclaimer read out by a real-life person or people impacted by the opioid crisis in America.

The disclaimer that is read out by all the people featured is the same and reads: "This programme is based on real events. However, certain characters, names, incidents, locations and dialogue have been fictionalised for dramatic purposes."

In the first episode, the woman featured is wearing a T-shirt with the name Christopher Trejo on it and an accompanying picture.

After taking a deep breath, she says: "What wasn't fictionalised is that my son, at the age of 15, was prescribed OxyContin. He lived in years and years of addiction, and at the age of 32, he died all alone in the freezing cold in a gas station parking lot. And we miss him."

Similarly in episode 2, Jesus Gave Me Water, the official disclaimer is read once more by another woman who says: "But what is not fictionalised is my story."

She is wearing a badge and holding a picture of her daughter, Cassie, who she explains died at 42 years old "after becoming addicted to OxyContin" and describes how hard it is living without her.

Episode 3, Blizzard of the Century, features another older woman who reads the disclaimer before saying: "However, the death of my son, Patrick, isn't fiction. He died at age 24 after having ingested just a single OxyContin. And I will tell you that time does not heal all wounds. Grief is not a process; it's a lifelong weight on our heart and on our soul."

Similarly, episode 4's disclaimer is read by another woman who talks about her daughter Elizabeth, who she says "died because of opioid addiction" and is holding an image of them together.

Episode 5, Hot! Hot! Hot!, features another woman who says that her story has not been fictionalised and presents an image of her son, Matthew Stavron.

"He was addicted to OxyContin and he is no longer here with us – I miss him," she says.

The final episode, What's In a Name?, features a couple - with the woman reading out the disclaimer and the man continuing to say that their story is not fiction, holding up a framed image of their son Riley. He's visibly upset talking about their child, and pauses before saying that they "lost him aged 28 years old".

He continues: "He became addicted to OxyContin from a back injury. He tried his hardest to get right and get straight again and get sober and he just couldn't do it. He was a wonderful kid, he had the biggest heart you ever saw and our lives will never be the same." He finishes by whispering "I can't" and cries, before being comforted by his wife.

While the stories of these people haven't been used in Painkiller, it's clear to see that there are similarities between some of these real-life tragic events and some of the characters and scenes featured throughout the Netflix drama.

But why does Painkiller feature these people and their stories? Well, as executive producer Eric Newman revealed to Netflix, it's all part of underlining the reality that this series is based on.

He explained: "The show begins with a disclaimer which clearly spells out that, while based on real events, we’ve taken creative licence to tell this story. That disclaimer is being read by the loved ones of victims of America’s opioid crisis, which drives home just how real this story is.

"Some of our characters are clearly versions of real people. Other characters, like Edie Flowers, are composite characters – a fictional amalgamation of a few different people."

He continued: "But even the fictionalised elements of this show are grounded in the knowledge that the painful repercussions of opioid addiction are playing out across America every day. That’s what lies at the heart of Painkiller; trying to understand how this all started, so that we can maybe finally stop it.”

Painkiller will be released on Netflix on Thursday 10th August 2023. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV guide and Streaming Guide to see what’s on tonight.

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