Chernobyl
Chernobyl
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Chernobyl

"What is the cost of lies?"

8.7
Yr 2019
Status Ended
Drama
Your Verdict

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Series Brief

Overview

The true story of one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history: the catastrophic nuclear accident at Chernobyl. A tale of the brave men and women who sacrificed to save Europe from unimaginable disaster.

Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 92 /100

Chernobyl is widely regarded as a masterclass in television, praised for its unflinching, immersive, and vivid retelling of the 1986 nuclear disaster. Critics frequently highlight the show's ability to balance technical detail with visceral horror, often noting that the series operates as effectively as a suspenseful horror film. Its production values and commitment to historical weight have earned it a reputation as an essential piece of modern television.

While the near-unanimous consensus celebrates the series as a classic, some critics initially characterized its dramatization as following the conventions of a standard disaster film. Despite its relentless bleakness, most reviewers agree that the show's thematic exploration of institutional deceit and the pursuit of truth remains both resonant and profoundly significant.

“This breathtaking series throws us right into the hellish chaos of the nuclear disaster – and its terrors are unflinching and unforgettable.”

“It makes perfect sense that “Chernobyl” feels more like a horror movie at times than a traditional drama.”

“The series is a vivid and detailed retelling of the cataclysm.”

“The five-part mini-series “Chernobyl” takes the story of the real-life disaster and turns it into a creaky and conventional disaster movie.”

Transmission Paths

Where to Watch

HBO Max
US
Crave Amazon Channel
CA
HBO Max Amazon Channel
US
Show 3 more
Sky Go
UK
Crave
CA
Now TV
UK
Why fans love it

Chernobyl recreates the 1980s Soviet landscape with a relentless commitment to atmospheric accuracy. The miniseries avoids traditional disaster tropes, focusing instead on the technical confusion and bureaucratic decay that defined the aftermath of the nuclear accident. Every scene carries a heavy, stifling tension rooted in the slow realization of the scale of the damage.

Jared Harris anchors the production as a chemist navigating a political system that prioritizes optics over the preservation of life. The writing strips away heroism, favoring a grounded portrait of individuals operating in a fractured environment. It functions as a meticulous autopsy of a catastrophe, exposing how the intersection of human error and systemic failure turned a local tragedy into an international crisis.

Featured Players

Cast

Credited 75
Regulars 22
Longest run 5 eps
Jared Harris
Jared Harris
as Valery Legasov
5 episodes
Stellan Skarsgård
Stellan Skarsgård
as Boris Shcherbina
5 episodes
Emily Watson
Emily Watson
as Ulana Khomyuk
5 episodes
Paul Ritter
Paul Ritter
as Anatoly Dyatlov
5 episodes
Jessie Buckley
Jessie Buckley
as Lyudmilla Ignatenko
5 episodes
Adam Nagaitis
Adam Nagaitis
as Vasily Ignatenko
5 episodes
Sam Troughton
Sam Troughton
as Alexandr Akimov
5 episodes
Robert Emms
Robert Emms
as Leonid Toptunov
5 episodes
Show 67 more
Con O'Neill as Viktor Bryukhanov 5 episodes Adrian Rawlins as Nikolai Fomin 5 episodes Alan Williams as KGB Chairman Charkov 5 episodes David Dencik as Mikhail Gorbachev 5 episodes Mark Lewis Jones as General Pikalov 5 episodes Ralph Ineson as General Tarakanov 5 episodes Barry Keoghan as Pavel 5 episodes Alex Ferns as Glukhov 5 episodes Fares Fares as Bacho 5 episodes Michael McElhatton as Prosecutor Andrei Stepashin 5 episodes Laura Elphinstone as Oksana 3 episodes Nadia Clifford as Dr. Svetlana Zinchenko 2 episodes Sam Strike as Misha 1 episode Sammy Hayman as Titenok 1 episode Matas Dirginčius as Vladimir Tishchura 1 episode Caolan Byrne as Day Shift Worker 1 episode Stephen Bisland as Night Shift Worker 1 episode Alex Blake as Petrovich 1 episode Matthew Needham as Dmitri 1 episode Rosie Sheehy as Nurse Pripyat 1 episode Tomas Žaibus as Soldier (Hospital) 1 episode Ron Cook as Old Maternity Doctor 2 episodes Peter Guinness as Major Burov 1 episode Laurence Spellman as Commission Heli Pilot 1 episode Alison Pargeter as BCP HQ Aide Female 1 episode Victor McGuire as Garanin 1 episode Sakalas Uždavinys as Ilya Ivanovich Chulkov 1 episode Aidas Jurgaitis as Soldier (Shelter) 1 episode Aiste S. Gram as Bartender in Polyissa Hotel 1 episode Daniel Crossley as Stasiuk 1 episode Lucy Russell as Marina Gruzinskaya 1 episode Donald Sumpter as Zharkov 2 episodes Diarmaid Murtagh as Zukauskas 1 episode Natasha Radski as Russian News Reader 1 episode Yitzchak Averbuch as General 1 episode Joe Tucker as Plant Employee 1 episode Caoilfhionn Dunne as Yenina 1 episode Philip Barantini as Bezpalov 2 episodes Oscar Dyekjær Giese as Baranov 2 episodes Baltasar Breki Samper as Ananenko 2 episodes Pandora Colin as Dr. Vetrova 1 episode Gerard Kearns as Pravik 2 episodes Povilas Jatkevičius as Kibenok 2 episodes Rachel Atkins as Niyazova 1 episode Darius Petkevičius as Local Husband 2 episodes James Cosmo as Miner 1 episode Arnas Danusas as Soldier (Miner's Bus) 1 episode Michael Colgan as Mikhail Shadov 1 episode James Kermack as Miner 1 episode Karolis Vilkas as Miner 1 episode June Watson as Old Woman Babushka 1 episode Amanda Drew as Kremlin Aide Female 2 episodes Josef Altin as Soldier 1 episode Michael Socha as Mikhail 3 episodes Jamie Sives as Sitnikov 2 episodes Douggie McMeekin as Yuvchenko 2 episodes Cait Davis as Local Wife at Bar 2 episodes Michael Shaeffer as Blond Man 2 episodes Karl Davies as Viktor Proskuryakov 3 episodes Adam Lundgren as Brazhnik 2 episodes Billy Postlethwaite as Boris Stolyarchuk 2 episodes Jay Simpson as Perevozchenko 2 episodes Ross Armstrong as Nikolai Gorbachenko 2 episodes Paulius Markevičius as Aleksandr Kudryavstev 2 episodes Joshua Leese as Kirschenbaum 2 episodes Karolis Kasperavičius as Viktor Degtaryenko 2 episodes Jan Ričica as Oksana's Kid 3 episodes
Production Board

Crew

Assistant Set Decoration
Lina Geciene
Property Master
Justin Hayzelden
Camera Trainee
Mantautas Klimas
Supervising Art Director
Karen Wakefield
Additional Camera
J-P Passi
Conceptual Design
Elo Soode
Sculptor
James O'Brien
Graphic Designer
Neil Floyd Anita Dhillon
Second Assistant "A" Camera
Karin Jakobsson
"B" Camera Operator
Filip Lyman
Production Design
Luke Hull
Assistant Set Dresser
Emilija Einoryte Darius Stelmokas
Construction Manager
Donatas Pirštelis Gintas Matonis
Set Dresser
Vytautas Ruminas Martynas Vinciunas Arturas But Grigory Kutsenko Martynas Baltrusaitis Marius Smailys
Best Boy Grip
Henrikas Gudlevičius
Set Dressing Buyer
Justinas Baciuska Ieva Rojūtė
Art Direction
Paulius Dascioras Gavin Fitch
Draughtsman
Justas Paliukaitis
Location Scout
Vytautas Riabovas
Standby Carpenter
Paulius Dranseika
Signal Match

Similarity

Where Chernobyl overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

based on true story disaster miniseries nuclear catastrophe 1980s chernobyl, ukraine
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
May 06, 2019
Status
Ended
Origin
US
TMDB Votes
8,166