The Crime of the Century

The Crime of the Century was directed by Alex Gibney and premiered on HBO in 2021. Gibney is a prominent documentary filmmaker known for his in-depth examinations of corporate and political misconduct. The series specifically investigates the origins and escalation of the opioid crisis in the United States.

The documentary examines the United States opioid epidemic by investigating pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, and regulators. Through its two parts, it details how various corporate and political institutions contributed to the public health crisis. It relies on internal documents and interviews to expose the practices of these entities.

No, Alex Gibney's documentary is an original investigative work rather than a direct adaptation of a single book. However, it explores similar subject matter as Patrick Radden Keefe's "Empire of Pain" and Beth Macy's "Dopesick." The HBO miniseries uses its own journalists and insider interviews to present the narrative.

The HBO miniseries consists of two feature-length parts. Each episode runs for roughly two hours, thoroughly dissecting different aspects of the pharmaceutical industry's role in the opioid crisis. It originally aired on television in May 2021.