‘Dopesick’: Will There Be a Season 2 of the Hulu Drama? Creator Danny Strong Sees Potential for It
Hulu‘s Dopesick Finale Episode 8 drops on Nov. 17; many viewers want to know about the potential for a Dopesick Season 2. The storyline in Finch Creek, Virginia, with Dr. Samuel Finnix (Michael Keaton) and his addiction to OxyContin, wraps up in the finale. Plus, Rick Mountcastle (Peter Sarsgaard) and Randy Ramseyer (John Hoogenakker) closed their case into Purdue Pharma with events in 2007.
However, Richard Sackler (Michael Stuhlbarg) and Purdue Pharma continued to sell OxyContin long after the series’ events end, so there’s plenty of potential for another story. Showbiz Cheat Sheet spoke with creator, showrunner, and executive producer Danny Strong about a possible Dopesick Season 2.
Will there be a ‘Dopesick’ Season 2?
Showbiz Cheat Sheet spoke to Danny Strong via a phone conversation on Nov. 15, 2021, about a potential Dopesick Season 2. The good news is that the EP is open to creating another season after the 8-episode series ends.
“I’m not sure yet,” Strong told the outlet when asked if there might be a season 2. “I’m not closed-minded to it. I don’t know. There haven’t been any discussions about it yet, but there’s certainly a lot of events that occurred post-2007 that could potentially be a season 2. I haven’t deep-dived into it enough to know if I can even pull it off. But we’re just still kind of waiting to see how this goes.”
Since the story ended in 2007, there’s more to explore with Purdue Pharma and the Sacklers. Although the company paid a $600 million settlement, misdemeanors against the top executives, and felony charges against the company, they continued to sell OxyContin. At the time, it was the highest amount a pharmaceutical company ever paid out. In the years that followed, the sales of OxyContin continued to climb, so there’s a lot more to explore.
Who might the ‘Dopesick’ Season 2 cast include?
As for a potential Dopesick Season 2 cast, Michael Stuhlbarg would have to return as Richard Sackler.
“It would be new characters except for the Sacklers,” Strong explained in the same interview. “It would probably be somewhere else. But I still want to do some more true stories in one of the departments, you know, maybe follow one of the cases or litigation.”
Since the Sacklers continued to be on the board and part of Purdue Pharma for many years after the 2007 plea deal, the family would have to return for Dopesick Season 2. However, Strong explained that he’d need new characters to dive into another one of the many lawsuits filed against Purdue in the years following the end of Dopesick Season 1.
What is creator Danny Strong pursuing next?
As an actor, film, and television writer, director, and producer, Danny Strong could go in any direction he chooses after Dopesick. He’s currently a recurring character in the Showtime series Billions as Todd Krakow. The 47-year-old wrote the screenplays for Recount, Game Change, and The Hunger Games two-part finale Mockingjay — Part 1 and Mockingjay — Part 2. What’s in store for Strong next?
“I’m not sure,” he tells Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “I’ve got this TV company, and I’m producing a number of projects that I’m not writing, so hopefully, one of those will get across the finish line and get made. And then I’ve got a few new projects that I’m tinkering with. But there’s nothing there, nothing yet. And still kind of early in those.”
It sounds like viewers will see something coming from Strong soon. In the meantime, Dopesick is currently available for streaming on Hulu.
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