Surviving Ohio State: Release date & time, where to watch, and more

Based on victim testimonies and investigative journalism, Surviving Ohio State tells the tale of Dr. Richard Strauss' widespread sexual abuse at Ohio State University. From 1978 to 1998, Strauss served as Ohio State University's team physician. He was accused of sexually abusing hundreds of male students and athletes.

In May 2019, Perkins Coie's independent inquiry revealed that Strauss had sexually molested at least 177 boys and that the university management had been aware of the complaints since 1979 but had done nothing about it.

Surviving Ohio State is an HBO documentary directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Eva Orner and with prominent names like George Clooney and Grant Heslov attached as producers.

The film features first-hand experiences of former male athletes and other affected people between 1978 and 1998. It exposes a culture of silence and institutional failure that lasted decades, based on an October 2020 Sports Illustrated Magazine article by Jon Wertheim.

Surviving Ohio State's summary, as per HBO, reads:

"Surviving Ohio State tells the story of the victims of Dr. Richard Strauss, a sports medicine physician and serial sex abuser at Ohio State University from 1978 to 1998. Building on the work of whistleblowers and journalists who exposed the scandal in 2018, the documentary examines the culture that enabled decades of unchecked abuse of male student-athletes and follows the survivors' present-day fight to hold the school accountable."

The documentary is set to air on HBO on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, at 9 pm ET and will be available on Max streaming thereafter.

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Surviving Ohio State's release date, time, and streaming options: Explored

Surviving Ohio State will make its debut on June 17, 2025, airing on HBO at 9 pm ET, and will be available for streaming on Max immediately following the broadcast. The documentary previously premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York on June 9, 2025.

A subscription to HBO or Max is required to watch this documentary in the US. Max's subscription plan options are as follows:

• Basic with Ads plan at $9.99 per month
• Standard Ad-free plan at $16.99 per month
• Premium tier plan (with 4K and Dolby Atmos) at $20.99/month

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All about Surviving Ohio State

Surviving Ohio State is based on Sports Illustrated’s October 5, 2020, feature article “Why Aren’t More People Talking About the Ohio State Sex Abuse Scandal?” written by Jon Wertheim. The documentary focuses on Dr. Richard Strauss’ activities from 1978 to 1998, when he was the physician for various Ohio State University sports teams.

The film features interviews with several victims, including former wrestlers and athletes such as Mark Coleman, Al Nowakowski, and Stephen Snyder-Hill, who highlight their experiences and a culture of institutional silence.

“You walk into the room, and the doc tells me to turn the lights off,” one victim is heard saying in the trailer.

The documentary is directed by Eva Orner and produced by an Oscar-winning production team, including Smokehouse Pictures (George Clooney and Grant Heslov).

The movie also includes the findings of an independent investigation by Perkins Coie in 2018, which discovered 127 claims of rape and more than 2,200 claims of molestation against Dr. Strauss. It explores in-depth court cases, statements from whistleblowers, and questions of academic accountability.

Surviving Ohio State is a research-based documentary that examines decades of abuse by a medical professional on a university campus. It exposes a systematic silence and negligence through dozens of victim statements, public records, and media reporting. The project recreates a historical event in a legal and social context.

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The documentary will be released on HBO and Max on June 17, 2025.