“Painkiller: The Tylenol Murders” to Premiere on Paramount+ on Tuesday, October 10
Paramount+ today announced that its five-part docuseries PAINKILLER: THE TYLENOL MURDERS will premiere exclusively on the service, beginning Tuesday, October 10.
It’s a story that captivated the nation in 1982 when seven people, mostly in and around Chicago, died suddenly and without explanation.
The victims included three people from one family and a child from another. Today marks the 41st anniversary of the first victim’s death – 12-year-old Mary Kellerman.
Eventually, a nurse quickly saw a common thread between the deaths; the victims all took the common pain reliever Tylenol, but their capsules were laced with cyanide.
The deaths were soon dubbed the “Tylenol Murders” and started a frenzy to find the person responsible as fear spread across the country and store owners pulled Tylenol from their shelves.
PAINKILLER takes viewers inside the chaos of that time as police search for answers to one of the most notorious unsolved crimes. The case tortured families, a city and a nation for decades.
PAINKILLER follows as investigators focus on a key suspect: James Lewis. In real-time, the five-part docuseries unravels the dark, complicated mystery of the crime, exploring the various police missteps and the madness that consumed Lewis, who lived in plain sight for more than 40 years.
The series meticulously pieces together other crimes to which Lewis was connected, including extortion, dismemberment and another murder. Four decades later, the grieving families carry the horror of the heinous crime.
Past clues and new technology raise the question: Could DNA evidence finally nail the killer?
PAINKILLER: THE TYLENOL MURDERS is produced by WBBM Films/CBS Chicago for See It Now Studios. For WBBM, Jeff Harris is executive producer; and Samah Assad, Rebecca McCann and Kara Olney are supervising producers.
For See It Now Studios, Susan Zirinsky and Terence Wrong executive producers, and Aysu Saliba and Cara Tortora are supervising producers.
About Paramount+
Paramount+, a direct-to-consumer digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service, combines live sports, breaking news and A Mountain of Entertainment(TM). The premium streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel. Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, the service’s cornerstone plan, is also home to SHOWTIME(R) content, including scripted hits, critically acclaimed nonfiction projects, SHOWTIME SPORTS(R) (including industry-leading SHOWTIME BOXING(R)) and films. This premium plan includes unmatched events and sports programming through the local live CBS stream, including golf, basketball and more, plus streaming access to CBS News Network for 24/7 news and CBS Sports HQ for sports news and analysis.
For more information about Paramount+, please visit www.paramountplus.com and follow @ParamountPlus on social platform.
About See It Now Studios
See It Now Studios develops and produces original documentaries and docuseries for Paramount+, CBS, the Paramount Global television networks, international providers and third-party platforms. Since launching in September 2021, See It Now Studios has produced such projects as News and Documentary Emmy nominees 11 MINUTES and WATERGATE: HIGH CRIMES IN THE WHITE HOUSE, along with SUPERPOWER co-directed by Sean Penn, the Mandy Patinkin-narrated series INDIVISIBLE: HEALING HATE, and FBI TRUE, NEVER SEEN AGAIN, THE GIFT: KINDNESS GOES VIRAL WITH STEVE HARTMAN, RACE AGAINST TIME: THE CIA AND 9/11, THE 26th STREET GARAGE: THE FBI’S UNTOLD STORY OF 9/11, SECRETS OF THE OLIGARCH WIVES, and GHISLAINE: PARTNER IN CRIME, and interview specials with Halle Berry, Chris Rock and Prince Harry. Susan Zirinsky is the president of See It Now Studios. Follow See It Now Studios on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin.
