--- title: "Chernobyl: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/chernobyl/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/chernobyl" critics_score: 79 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Chernobyl (2019): what the critics said Critics' score 79 from 11 reviews: 9 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics come away shaken and impressed. Nine of the eleven reviews are positive, and the praise clusters in two places: the central performances from Harris, Skarsgård and Watson, and the decision to show what radiation does to a body without flinching. Several reviews describe the series as horror rather than historical drama, with dread building steadily across the episodes, and most credit it for tracing the Soviet regime’s secrecy and buck-passing as carefully as the accident itself. The reservations are about tone more than craft. Even admirers call it relentlessly bleak, and a few find the exposition heavy-handed or the whole thing draining by the final hour. Consequence thinks it works better as a fable about lies than as history. The one outright dissent comes from The Guardian, which finds the storytelling confusing and chaotic despite the acting, and argues the series mirrors the disaster’s disorder too literally to grip. ## The i Paper — Adam Sweeting Rating ★★★★★. 28 May 2019. The critic calls it the most unmissable show on TV, praising how the filmmakers did not need to exaggerate the horrific events. It highlights the Soviet regime's secrecy and incompetence hampering relief efforts, with strong performances from Harris and Skarsgard adding warmth and humour amid the catalogue of horrors. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/chernobyl-channel-4-review-the-most-unmissable-show-on-tv-296007) ## The Times — James Jackson Rating ★★★★★. 8 May 2019. The series delivers a pulse-troubling depiction of the nuclear accident and an unsettling examination of political buck-passing, with grim intensity and magnificent performances that make for uncommonly bleak but compelling television. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/tv-review-chernobyl-trust-me-vbhmjq0kb) ## Variety — Caroline Framke Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 April 2019. Festival review. The series is a fittingly grave retelling of one of the worst human disasters, leaning into horror and building a steadily creeping unease to convey the scale of the atrocity. It praises the core trio of performances by Harris, Skarsgard and Watson for conveying determination to tell the truth against bureaucratic opposition. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2019/tv/reviews/chernobyl-hbo-review-tribeca-1203199222/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 6 May 2019. The critic finds the miniseries an unsparing and pessimistic account of the disaster and official response that is difficult to watch. It singles out the details of human pettiness, bureaucratic failure, and the graphic consequences of radiation for particular note. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2019/05/chernobyl-hbo-mini-series-review.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Tim Goodman Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 26 April 2019. Festival review. It is very difficult to watch but a solid, factually accurate retelling that succeeds by never wincing at the fallout and truth of the issue. The critic singles out the powerful cautionary tale of cover-ups and incompetence, though noting the relentless bleakness and some heavy-handed exposition. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/chernobyl-review-1205306/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 7 May 2019. The miniseries strands viewers in a confusing sprawl of unanswered questions and chaotic storytelling despite strong performances. It fails to deliver gripping realism or flair, reflecting the disaster's disorder too literally in the drama. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/may/07/chernobyl-review-chaos-reigns-in-confusing-nuclear-disaster-epic) ## Paste — Amy Glynn Rating 8.9/10. 3 May 2019. The series brilliantly and unbearably dramatizes the nuclear disaster in a devastatingly realistic way, with excellent performances from the lead cast and strong direction. It underscores the political and human costs of denial and corruption while being emotionally harrowing. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/chernobyl/hbo-chernobyl-review-stellan-skarsgard-jared-harri) ## Den of Geek — Andrew Husband Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 3 June 2019. The review presents the series as a gripping and terrifying docudrama that functions as horror by sticking close to the real events and lies surrounding the disaster. It singles out the performances, direction, and themes of truth versus deception for praise. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/chernobyl-is-more-terrifying-than-you-think/) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 May 2019. The miniseries is an intense and infuriating look at the disaster and the Soviet government's lies and willful ignorance surrounding it. It highlights strong performances, especially from Harris, Skarsgård, and Watson, and serves as a timely warning about ignoring truth. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/566163/chernobyl-review/) ## The Ringer — Michael Baumann Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 6 May 2019. The critic argues that Chernobyl is less about the initial accident than its lasting human and systemic consequences. The review highlights how the series uses the disaster to explore blame, cover-ups, and the dangers of complex technological systems. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2019/05/06/tv/chernobyl-hbo-miniseries-nuclear-accident) ## Consequence Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 7 May 2019. The miniseries is stronger as a political fable about lies and willful ignorance than as pure history, with effective thriller elements and horror in the radiation scenes, but it becomes draining and does not fully transcend its subject matter. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2019/05/tv-review-chernobyl/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/chernobyl.md