‘Chernobyl’s ‘Not Great, Not Terrible’ Line Continues To Be Memed Over Six Years Later

About

3.6 Roentgen, Not Great, Not Terrible is a catchphrase ^[1] taken from a memorable quote by the character Anatoly Dyatlov ^[2] (portrayed by British actor Paul Ritter) in the 2019 HBO mini-series Chernobyl^[3] about the nuclear disaster ^[4] in Soviet Ukraine in 1986. The line said by Dyatlov in the show takes place during the initial events of the nuclear power plant disaster when he asks his team of scientists about the radiation. A “roentgen” (or röntgen) is an antiquated unit of measurement for the exposure of gamma rays an individual receives. In the TV show, the reading of 3.6 was the maximum scale the dosimeter could show, not the true radiation level, which prompted his nonchalant response. After appearing in the series, the line became a reaction image ^[5] and GIF ^[6], as well as a reference ^[7] meme, with internet ^[8] users commonly using it to joke about disasters, nuclear incidents or things not being great but not terrible throughout 2019 and the 2020s.

Origin

The phrase originates from the first episode of the HBO miniseries Chernobyl, which premiered in the United States on May 6th, 2019, in which it is spoken by the character Anatoly Dyatlov (Paul Ritter). The series dramatizes the events surrounding the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the Soviet Union. The line is delivered during the early stages of the catastrophe, when Dyatlov receives an initial radiation reading from his staff, replying, “Not great, not terrible,” after he’s told the measurement is 3.6 roentgen.

A roentgen is a legacy unit formerly used to quantify exposure to ionizing radiation, particularly gamma rays. In the scene, the reported value of 3.6 roentgen corresponds not to the actual radiation level but to the maximum reading capacity of the dosimeter being used. Dyatlov’s dismissive remark reflects both the technical limitation of the equipment and his underestimation of the scale of the disaster.

A clip of the scene from Chernobyl was uploaded to YouTube ^[9] by user Khrabeet on June 28th, 2019, receiving over 100,000 views, 920 likes and 60 comments in six years.

References to the quote online appeared the same night as the series debut on May 6th, 2019, but the earliest known meme referencing it appeared on the 4chan ^[10] board /tv/ on May 8th by an anonymous user, which included the line in an edit of the reporting tool of the site featuring Dyatlov.

Report Post No.114336571 - Mozilla Firefox 2 https://sys.4channel.org/tvfimgboard.php?mode-report&no-114336571 Report type This post violates a rule L This user is delusional. This user is in shock get him out of here. This user is confused. This user has been exposed to feedwater. This user is delusional. Take this user to the infirmary. This post is tine ive seen worse This post is not great but not terrible ubn This user thinks there's graphite on the roof. Sul This post is maxed out at 200 roentgen. This user is asking questions that are not in his own best interest. This user is undermining the fruits of his own labour. This user is spreading disinformation This user is impersonating Chernobyl NPP Staff. This post appears to be a Kremlin spambot. This user won't give me water in my reactor core. 3.6 roentgen. This user refuses to go up on the roof to take a look. This user is under aged

The “3.6 roentgens” part from the show was then posted to the subreddit /r/ChernobylTV on May 21st, 2019, which featured the Sparrow character from Game of Thrones^[11]. The meme received over 2,400 upvotes and 40 comments in six years.

Plant workers: you understand that 3.6 roentgens is just the upper limit of the measuring device and not the actual measurement Chief Engineer Dyatlov: We understand nothing of the sort. TrialByMeme

Spread

The 3.6 Roentgen, Not Great, Not Terrible meme continued to spread in various forms over the following years as it became a common reference online.

For instance, on May 21st, 2019, X / Twitter ^[12] user @kalebprime posted a meme featuring Anatoly Dyatlov and the quote from the show, garnering over 30 likes in a similar timeframe.

Kaleb @KalebPrime "Hmm, 3.6 Roentgen-not great, not terrible." Q

On May 24th, Redditor ^[13] Jacknerik posted a This Is Fine ^[14] meme edit referencing the line to the /r/ChernobylTV subreddit, receiving over 2,000 upvotes and 30 comments in six years.

3.6 roentgen, not great, not terrible, about as much as a chest x-ray There is no graphite, how can a RBMK reactor explode It's a minor leak 00

On August 12th, 2022, a since-deleted Redditor posted a snow globe of the Chernobyl power plant to the /r/dankmemes subreddit with the quote as an image macro ^[15] meme, receiving over 3,000 upvotes and 30 comments in three years.

3,6 NOT GREAT, NOT TERRIBLE CHERNOBYL 26.04.1986 01:23 AM

On February 18th, 2025, Redditor LemurDaddy posted a “Rate My Gaming Setup” meme featuring characters from the series alongside the catchphrase, titled “3.6 roentgen, not great, not terrible,” to the /r/HistoryMemes subreddit, garnering over 13,000 upvotes and 90 comments in six months.

Anatoly Dyatlov @fourthreactor Rate my gaming setup 5:43 PM 27 Jul 19 Akimov @everythingRight 3.6 4104 . • 2s ✓

On August 20th, during the viral Radioactive Walmart Shrimp ^[16] story, the Facebook ^[17] page Domestically Dysfunctional posted a Photoshop ^[18] edit of a toilet glowing green with a caption referencing the quote, garnering over 10,000 reactions and 3,500 shares in five days.