Chernobyl (2019)
What is the cost of lies?
The true story of one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history: the catastrophic nuclear accident at Chernobyl. A tale of the brave men and women who sacrificed to save Europe from unimaginable disaster.
| Type | TV series |
|---|---|
| First aired | 6 May 2019 |
| Status | Ended, last episode 3 June 2019 |
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | Craig Mazin |
| Starring | Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård and Emily Watson |
| Seasons | 1 season, 5 episodes |
| Episode length | about 66 min |
| Time to watch it all | about 6 hours |
| Rated | TV-MA |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 8.9/10 · Metacritic 82/100 · Rotten Tomatoes 95% · TMDB users 8.7/10 |
Where to watch Chernobyl
Chernobyl is streaming on Max ($18.49 a month) in the US. At ten hours a week, all of the series takes about 1 month of Max, or $18.49 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 1 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
What kind of watch this is
Craig Mazin crafted a 2019 drama that treats a historical catastrophe with the pacing of a thriller. The series runs 5 episodes and clocks in at roughly 6 hours, a tight window for a story that refuses to let you look away. It is not a documentary, but it leans on the raw testimony of survivors to ground its tension. The hook is simple: what does a lie cost when the alternative is annihilation? The answer arrives slowly, then all at once.
What the critics said
Critics did not merely like it; they were held hostage. Rotten Tomatoes reports a 95% approval rating as of January 2026, with an average score of 8.9/10. Metacritic, more measured, sits at 82 out of 100. The consensus is that the show rivets with creeping dread. Sophie Gilbert of The Atlantic called it a "grim disquisition on the toll of devaluing the truth." Hank Stuever of The Washington Post noted it showcases "what happens when lying is standard and authority is abused." Not everyone bought the ticket. Aaron Giovannone of Jacobin argued the series merely reinforces the status quo. He is the odd note in a very loud chord.
How it did with audiences
The data here is sparse. There is no box office figure, no budget line, and no audience score list to parse. What remains is a single number: 8.7 on TMDB. It is a clean score, uncluttered by competing metrics.
Awards
Chernobyl collected 16 awards. That is 16 wins against 1 nomination, a ratio that defies standard arithmetic. It took home the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Limited Miniseries. The Golden Globe for Best Limited or Anthology Series was another. The British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series joined the pile. It swept the technical categories, too, including cinematography and sound mixing. The numbers are absurd, but the radiation was real.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Chernobyl.
Sources
- Chernobyl on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q48741246 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Chernobyl (miniseries)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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