HBO’s no.1 most-popular show is worth tracking down – John Cena is great

Superheroes have rarely been this funny and engaging

Peacemaker
(Image credit: HBO)

This show broke HBO Max's record for the highest single-day viewership of an original episode – and its gone from strength to strength.

When you take a superhero story and add in lots of laughs, it's going to be a potent mix, and this DC spin-off show appears to have achieved a near-perfect balance. But with Guardians of The Galaxy's James Gunn at the helm, did you expect anything less?

In the fight to become one of the best streaming services it looks like HBO has now landed a real winner in Peacemaker. Now it's in season 2, it continues to offer more delights for fans.

Peacemaker trailer

Peacemaker | Official Trailer | HBO Max - YouTube Peacemaker | Official Trailer | HBO Max - YouTube
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Where can I watch Peacemaker?

If you're not in the States and don't have HBO then, fret not, as both Sky and Now have got you covered from a UK perspective, with the latter available as a per-month sign-up if that's your preferred way of signing on.

Peacemaker is set in the DC universe, which is why the character – played by former wrestler, John Cena – first appeared on screen in the The Suicide Squad movie.

The Peacemaker character's origins are from the Charlton Comics era, back in 1966. When DC bought them in the 80s, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons wanted him for Watchmen. But DC said no, hence them creating the similar Comedian character.

Peacemaker was then reintroduced after 1988, where his brand of hyper-violent, unhinged and morally compromised patriotism started to get attention.

This show tries to stay accurate to the character's roots, while exploring the idea of vigilantes, humour and heart – with all the silly helmets and more that come with the territory.

What are Peacemaker's ratings like?

Thanks to some great team members involved here – including Emmy-nominated Leota Adebayo of Orange Is The New Black fame, and sci-fi legend Robert Patrick, who played the T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgement Day – this is an addictive watch.

As such, Peacemaker was met with great reviews both from critics and viewers, giving the show a 96% and 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively.

Thus far, the show has been nominated for a Primetime Creative Arts Emmy, an Annie Award, Critic's Choice Super Award, MTV Movie & TV Award, and more. It's clearly popular – but won't necessarily be easy for everyone to track down. It's worth finding the streaming service that offers it, though, whether HBO, Sky/Now, or another in various regions.

Luke is a freelance writer for T3 with over two decades of experience covering tech, science and health. Among many things, Luke writes about health tech, software and apps, VPNs, TV, audio, smart home, antivirus, broadband, smartphones and cars. In his free time, Luke climbs mountains, swims outside and contorts his body into silly positions while breathing as calmly as possible.

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