The Hulu series Dopesick is a powerful drama looking at the opioid crisis and the devastating role OxyContin played in it. Through its various storylines, the series is able to have the feel of several different types of shows while also tackling an intense real-world topic.
Dopesick at times feels like a legal procedural while at other times feels like an intimate drama about drug addiction. If fans enjoy the many aspects that make Dopesick such an engrossing miniseries, there are a number of similar shows that they should check out next.
Justified (2010-2015)
On the surface, Justified might not seem to have much in common with Dopesick. It is a crime drama in the tale of U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens who returns to his home in Kentucky and encounters the various criminal elements there that make Justified an intense and violent story.
However, it is the setting of Justified that connects to Dopesick as it takes place in the same poor mining communities seen in that show while also addressing the opioid crisis there. In fact, Raylan's home of Harlan County is featured in Dopesick as is Kaitlyn Dever who has a recurring role on Justified.
The Conners (2018 -)
The Conners is another show that might seem quite different from the intense drama of Dopesick. However, when Roseanne Barr was fired from the show that was meant to be a revival of her 90s sitcom, they explained her absence in an unexpected way.
The show reveals that Roseanne died from an opioid addiction making it one of the only sitcoms to address this issue head-on. That aspect of the show brings to mind the devastating stories depicted in Dopesick and how addiction can affect anyone.
Euphoria (2019 -)
One of the most emotional stories in Dopesick focuses on the character of Betsy, played by Kaitlyn Dever. She is a bright young woman with so much potential, but her life is gradually destroyed by her addiction as she also deals with other tragic elements of her life.
Euphoria is another series that looks at the struggles of young people and how they can lead to drug abuse which can spiral out of control. It is a powerful show and one that is not easy to watch at times.
The Looming Tower (2018)
An issue with stories like Dopesick that tell real events that happened in modern history is that viewers often know how the story ends. However, when told in a compelling way, it still makes for an entertaining show.
Such is the case with The Looming Tower, a recent miniseries that looked at the rivalry between the FBI and the CIA in the 1990s that inadvertently may have led to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
The Wire (2002-2008)
So much of Dopesick is about characters putting in hard and dedicated work only to see the guilty escape justice. It is not necessarily a show about how the good guys always win and that was always a theme that was explored in The Wire.
Unlike other cop shows that focus on action, The Wire showed the mundane and time-consuming work that goes into drug investigations and the constant political roadblocks that are thrown in their way. It is also a show that deals with drug addiction in a very honest way. Its powerful story makes The Wire incredibly rewatchable all these years later.
Nurse Jackie (2009-2015)
Dopesick features an amazing performance from Michael Keaton as Dr. Sam Fennix. He is an intelligent and caring doctor in a small community who sees his life fall apart due to his own addiction to OxyContin.
The character shares certain similarities with the titular character in the underrated series Nurse Jackie. Edie Falco stars as a talented albeit somewhat unorthodox nurse in a busy emergency room who is also battling her own drug habit.
Mindhunter (2017-2019)
For fans looking for a lot of action and momentum in their show, Dopesick might not be for them. Instead, it explores the work of lawyers and law enforcement agents that is often not glamorous and is more about collecting information.
Mindhunter is a similar show that will be dull to some yet fascinating to others. It is a dark and engrossing look at the early days of the FBI's profiling department as agents conduct interviews with notorious killers.
Narcos (2015-2017)
The war on drugs is seen in a very different light in Dopesick, yet it still shares a lot in common with Narcos. Both shows center on the true stories of these massive drug issues with season 1 of Narcos exploring the reign of Pablo Escobar.
The shows span decades and tell very involved stories. They feature compelling albeit very different villains at the center of the crimes as well as the dedicated people seeking to bring them down.
Recount (2008)
Danny Strong, Dopesick's creator, seems to enjoy delving deep into modern history as he also wrote the entertaining television movie Recount. The movie explores the presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore that resulted in a contentious recount.
The movie is a lot lighter and funnier than Dopesick but Strong's style of various storylines looking at different areas of the same issue is quite clear. It is also a movie that has become quite timely again.
Dr. Death (2019)
Part of the terrifying nature of Dopesick comes from the fact that something that was meant to heal people ended up ruining and ending lives. This is also a sickening prospect explored in the series Dr. Death.
Based on the popular podcast of the same name, the series explores the true story of a neurosurgeon who was responsible for maiming several of his patients and killing two. It looks into the investigation that ultimately brought the doctor to justice.