HBO’s 5-Part Masterpiece That Paved The Way For The Last Of Us Returns With Worldwide Streaming Success

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The HBO series that was crucial to The Last of Us‘ success is in the spotlight again.

HBO is known for its excellent dramas, having produced iconic shows like The Sopranos, The Wire, and Game of Thrones. More recently, they’ve had success with series like The Penguin, IT: Welcome to Derry, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. However, The Last of Us – a critically acclaimed adaptation of a popular video game set in a post-apocalyptic world – stands out as one of their biggest hits. Now, the show that helped pave the way for The Last of Us‘s success is gaining popularity again through streaming.

The historical drama Chernobyl is currently the ninth most popular show on HBO Max worldwide, according to FlixPatrol. It’s surpassed the French series Privileges in viewership on the platform. Leading the charts are other HBO hits like Euphoria, which is currently number one as new episodes of season three are released each week, along with shows like the comedy Rooster, the medical drama The Pitt, and the thriller The Idol. While Chernobyl is trending in 16 countries, it isn’t the top show in any of them.

HBO Max’s series Chernobyl is currently a top 3 hit in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. However, it’s not currently appearing on the most-watched list in the United States. Here, viewers are tuning in to shows like Euphoria, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, DTF St. Louis, and 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing. Chernobyl, which originally aired its five episodes weekly from May 6 to June 3, 2019, is still available to stream in full on HBO Max.

This historical drama series tells the story of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, covering the events leading up to it, the disaster itself, and its aftermath. It shares a creator, Craig Mazin, with HBO’s The Last of Us. Mazin’s success with Chernobyl is what led to him being chosen to adapt the popular video game. In fact, The Last of Us might have been a very different show if Chernobyl hadn’t been so well-received. Critics and viewers alike loved Chernobyl, giving it a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and an even higher 97% audience score.

HBO’s The Last of Us has been very well-received by critics, earning a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes – just slightly below the score of Chernobyl. While the show’s audience score is a respectable 62% after a somewhat controversial second season, it’s still positive. Neil Druckmann, the creative director of The Last of Us video game, previously praised Chernobyl as a “tense, harrowing, emotional masterpiece” (according to Variety), which influenced his decision to partner with HBO and Craig Mazin for the The Last of Us series. Now, seven years after it first aired, Chernobyl is once again gaining popularity worldwide, becoming a major hit on HBO Max.

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2026-04-30 01:00