Apr 6, 2026 4:11am PT

‘Narcos’ Director Fernando Coimbra Talks Becoming Netflix Global No. 1 With Brazilian Real-Life Catastrophe Series ‘Radioactive Emergency’

'Radioactive Emergency' was the most-watched non-English series on Netflix over March 23-29, reaching Top 10 charts in more than 55 countries: ‘There’s an interest from the world in what we’re doing in Brazil,' Coimbra says

Rafa Sales Ross

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Rafa Sales Ross

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'Radioactive Emergency¡ Courtesy of Netflix

Fernando Coimbra (‘Narcos,’ ‘Perry Mason’) was 11 years old when his country came to a halt to watch an unfolding tragedy that would come to be known as the “Brazilian Chernobyl.” Four decades later, the director landed the top spot on Netflix’s highly competitive global chart with “Radioactive Emergency,” a fast-paced series retracing the nuclear catastrophe.

“Radioactive Emergency” is based on the real-life cesium-137 tragedy that took place in Goiânia, central Brazil, in 1987, when two men opened an abandoned cancer therapy machine while scavenging for metal. Inside, there was a puzzling, almost magical blue powder that glowed in the dark. Fascinated by their discovery, the men began sharing the substance among themselves, unaware that they were handling highly radioactive caesium chloride. Their discovery resulted in one of the world’s worst radioactive incidents not stemming from a nuclear power plant, with four direct fatal victims and over 100,000 screenings.