The Queen's Gambit
A seven-episode Netflix miniseries following fictional chess prodigy Beth Harmon from her orphaned childhood through her rise as a world-class competitor, with substance addiction as the central dramatic engine across every episode. The series is sophisticated, period-detailed adult drama rated TV-MA.
Episodes to know about
The orphanage's practice of giving children daily tranquilizers is established, and a young Beth (around age nine) steals the pills, swallows a large number, and collapses unconscious in front of peers and staff.
Beth begins hoarding her pills for recreational use rather than swallowing them as directed; tranquilizer-induced hallucinations are shown in stylized sequences on the ceiling of her dormitory room.
Beth's mother dies in a car crash; the crash itself is shown briefly and results in Beth being orphaned -- no graphic gore.