At the 74th Television Academy Awards, Michael Keaton took home the trophy for Best Actor in a Limited Anthology Series for his work on Hulu’s critically lauded series Dopesick. He had to contend with actors like Colin Firth (The Staircase), Andrew Garfield (Under the Banner of Heaven), Oscar Isaac (Scenes from a Marriage), Himesh Patel (Station 11), and Sebastian Stan (Pam & Tommy). In the film, Keaton plays Dr Samuel Finnix, a small-town family doctor in a mining town who witnesses the catastrophic consequences of OxyContin firsthand after prescribing it to his patients for chronic pain. From the very first episode, viewers were captivated by the heartbreaking narrative that is all too real for many Americans (and the world).
Keaton’s Finnix represents the audience’s perspective as he witnesses the deadliest drug epidemic in American history, which was caused by Purdue Pharma’s promotion of their opioid medication while lying about how addictive it is. A sobering look at the opiate pandemic caused by Big Pharma, this limited series is based on Beth Marcy’s best-selling book Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America.
Specifically, the Sackler family. Danny Strong, who also co-created Empire and penned the scripts for Recount, Game Change, and Lee Daniels’ The Butler, is the brains behind Dopesick. As with Rain Man and Diner, Dopesick is helmed by Barry Levinson. The series includes a vast range of impressive performers, including Keaton, some of whom are also nominated tonight. The rest of the cast consists of Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg, Will Poulter, John Hoogenakker, Kaitlyn Dever, Rosario Dawson, Phillipa Soo, and Jake McDorman.