Where to watch Dopesick online in the UK

Greed has side effects. That’s the idea behind Dopesick, a new series that invites viewers to take an inside look at America’s opioid epidemic.

With an impressive cast led by Michael Keaton, Dopesick tells the story of painkiller addiction from multiple angles. At the centre of the narrative is the company that gained a (bad) reputation for hooking America on opioids. Dopesick shows how the company’s race for profit had a devastating impact across the whole country.

That makes for compelling television regardless of how little or how much you know about the opioid crisis. Settle in for a harrowing but insightful watch.

When does Dopesick come out?

The drama series arrives on streaming services in the UK on Friday 12 November as part of Disney Plus Day, which celebrates the 2-year anniversary of the streaming service.

How to watch Dopesick online in the UK

Disney Plus offers a generous collection of TV shows and movies, including titles from subsidiaries such as Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars and National Geographic. A big chunk of the library is family-friendly, but you can stream titles targeted to adults, such as Dopesick, via the Star channel. Other highlights on Disney Plus include Only Murders in the Building, Grey’s Anatomy, WandaVision, Nomadland and Free Guy.

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Dopesick preview

Dopesick tells a sprawling story, starting in the 90s and jumping at various points through time as the opioid crisis gets worse. The show aims to paint a comprehensive picture of how the crisis kicked off, who is responsible and how many people ended up suffering devastating consequences. Viewers get glimpses inside the boardrooms of “Big Pharma”, the hallways of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and at users who were prescribed the pills and became addicted.

It all starts with Purdue Pharma’s release of “miracle drug” OxyContin, with the Sackler family-owned company pushing the product with claims that it only causes addiction in fewer than 1% of patients. A few years later, government investigators and DEA agents take on the company after linking OxyContin abuse with crimes, overdoses and child abandonment. At the same time, Dopesick zooms in on a mining town in Virginia to show the damaging effects of opioid addiction on the communities ravaged by the crisis.

The series is inspired by Beth Macy’s non-fiction book Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America. It has a tremendous cast, including Keaton, Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg, Will Poulter, Rosario Dawson, Kaitlyn Dever and John Hoogenakker.

Dopesick premiered a few weeks ago in the US to positive reviews and currently has a 79% score on Rotten Tomatoes. This is a complex and intricate series, one that deserves the viewer’s full and undivided attention. In return, you’ll be rewarded with a compelling and often infuriating tale. The fact that it’s based on true events only makes it more devastating.

Dopesick trailer

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