Chernobyl (miniseries)

Chernobyl dramatizes the story of the April 1986 nuclear plant disaster which occurred in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union, telling the stories of the people who were involved in the disaster and those who responded to it.{{Cite web |last=Petski |first=Denise |title='Chernobyl' Miniseries Starring 'The Crown's Jared Harris Set By HBO & Sky – TCA |url=https://deadline.com/2017/07/hbo-sky-chernobyl-miniseries-starring-the-crown-jared-harris-tca-1202136735/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=July 26, 2017 |access-date=November 24, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171201033006/http://deadline.com/2017/07/hbo-sky-chernobyl-miniseries-starring-the-crown-jared-harris-tca-1202136735/ |archive-date= December 1, 2017 |url-status=live}} The series depicts some of the lesser-known stories of the disaster, including the efforts of the firefighters who were the first responders on the scene, volunteers, and teams of miners who dug a critical tunnel under Reactor 4.

The miniseries is based in large part on the recollections of Pripyat locals, as told by Belarusian Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich in her book Voices from Chernobyl.{{cite web |title=The real Chernobyl HBO's hit miniseries is ending, and here's how its characters compare to their real-life counterparts |url=https://meduza.io/en/feature/2019/05/28/the-real-chernobyl |website=Meduza |date=May 28, 2019 |access-date=June 1, 2019 |archive-date=May 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531033741/https://meduza.io/en/feature/2019/05/28/the-real-chernobyl |url-status=live }} Researchers have documented Alexievich's insertion of her own words into the testimonies of her interview subjects in this and others of her books, as well as her extensive revision—even from one edition to the next—of her interviews, which suggests that her works should not be taken as straightforward history.{{cite journal |last1=Ackerman |first1=Galia |title=Du bon et du mauvais usage du temoignage dans l'oeuvre de Svetlana Alexievitch |url=https://www.cairn.info/revue-tumultes-2009-1-page-29.htm |journal=Tumultes |date=2010 |pages=29–55 |doi=10.3917/tumu.032.0029 |access-date=November 8, 2023}}{{cite magazine |last1=Pinkham |first1=Sophie |title=Witness Tampering |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/135719/witness-tampering |magazine=The New Republic |date=August 29, 2016 |access-date=November 8, 2023}}

• Jared Harris as Valery Legasov, the deputy director of the Kurchatov Institute brought in to aid cleanup efforts.
• Stellan Skarsgård as Boris Shcherbina, a Council of Ministers' deputy chairman.
• Emily Watson as Ulana Khomyuk, a nuclear physicist from Minsk. Khomyuk is a fictional composite character based on the many scientists who investigated the accident.{{cite web |url=https://www.hbo.com/chernobyl/cast-and-crew/ulana-khomyuk |title=Ulana Khomyuk played by Emily Watson |publisher=HBO |access-date=May 12, 2020 |archive-date=June 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614012020/https://www.hbo.com/chernobyl/cast-and-crew/ulana-khomyuk |url-status=live }}
• Paul Ritter as Anatoly Dyatlov, the deputy chief engineer at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
• Jessie Buckley as Lyudmilla Ignatenko, the wife of Vasily Ignatenko.
• Adam Nagaitis as Vasily Ignatenko, a Pripyat firefighter and first responder to the Chernobyl fire.
• Con O'Neill as Viktor Bryukhanov, the manager of Chernobyl.
• Adrian Rawlins as Nikolai Fomin, the chief engineer at Chernobyl.
• Sam Troughton as Aleksandr Akimov, the night shift supervisor at Chernobyl.
• Robert Emms as Leonid Toptunov, the senior engineer at Chernobyl.
• David Dencik as Mikhail Gorbachev, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
• Mark Lewis Jones as Vladimir Pikalov, the commander of the Soviet chemical forces.
• Alan Williams as Charkov, the KGB's first deputy chairman.At the end of episodes "Vichnaya Pamyat", "Open Wide, O Earth", and "Please Remain Calm" he is listed as "KGB Chairman Charkov". However, during a conversation between Legasov and Charkov (episode 3, 46m 48s) they say:
• Legasov: "You are the first deputy chairman of the KGB."
• Charkov: "I am."
• Alex Ferns as Andrei Glukhov, the mining crew chief.
• Ralph Ineson as Nikolai Tarakanov, the chief supervisor of the cleanup operation.
• Barry Keoghan as Pavel Gremov, a civilian liquidator draftee.At the end of episode "Open Wide, O Earth" you can hear the recruiting officer reading Pavel's identification papers out loud: "Pavel Ivanovich Gremov".
• Fares Fares as Bacho, a Georgian soldier and Soviet–Afghan War veteran who trains Pavel.
• Michael McElhatton as Andrei Stepashin, the prosecutor for the trial of Dyatlov, Bryukhanov, and Fomin.

• Adam Lundgren as Vyacheslav Brazhnik, the senior turbine operator at Chernobyl.
• Karl Davies as Viktor Proskuryakov, a senior reactor control engineer trainee at Chernobyl.
• Donald Sumpter as Zharkov, a Pripyat executive committee member.
• Billy Postlethwaite as Boris Stolyarchuk, the senior unit No. 4 control engineer at Chernobyl.
• Joshua Leese as Igor Kirschenbaum, a senior turbine control engineer at Chernobyl.
• Nadia Clifford as Svetlana Zinchenko, a doctor treating Vasily Ignatenko and others with radiation sickness.
• Jamie Sives as Anatoly Sitnikov, the deputy chief operational engineer at Chernobyl sent to inspect the exploded core.
• Baltasar Breki Samper as Alexei Ananenko, one of the volunteers who drained water in Chernobyl's basement to prevent an explosion.
• Philip Barantini as Valeri Bezpalov, one of the volunteers who drained water in Chernobyl's basement to prevent an explosion.
• Oscar Giese as Boris Baranov, one of the volunteers who drained water in Chernobyl's basement to prevent an explosion.
• Douggie McMeekin as Aleksandr Yuvchenko, a senior engineer-mechanic on duty the night of the explosion.
• Michael Socha as Mikhail, a resident of Pripyat and father of a young baby who are both present on the bridge watching the fire.

• Natasha Radski as Russian news reader
• Jay Simpson as Valeriy Perevozchenko, the foreman in the reactor section
• Michael Colgan as Mikhail Shchadov, Soviet Minister of Coal Industry
• James Cosmo as a miner
• Peter Guinness as Major Burov
• Hilton McRae as Milan Kadnikov, the judge presiding over the trial of Dyatlov, Bryukhanov, and Fomin
• Kieran O'Brien as Valery Khodemchuk, the night shift main circulating pump operator at Chernobyl
• Alexej Manvelov as Garo, an Armenian soldier who accompanies Bacho and Pavel
• June Watson as Old Woman
• Josef Altin as Soldier
• Josef Davies as Janek

{{Episode table |background=#AFBCB5 |overall=5 |title=25 |director=16 |writer=16 |airdate=16 |airdateT=Original air date {{small|(EDT)}} |airdateR={{efn|name=premiere|Episodes were broadcast concurrently on HBO and Sky Atlantic, on Monday at 9:00 pm EDT/Tuesday at 2:00 am BST respectively.}} |viewers=10 |viewersR={{efn|Live+Same Day data.}} |aux4=10 |aux4T=UK viewers
(millions) |aux4R={{efn|Live+7 Days four-screen data.}} |country=US |episodes={{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 1

| Title = 1:23:45

| DirectedBy = Johan Renck

| WrittenBy = Craig Mazin

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2019|5|6}}

| Viewers = 0.756{{cite news |url=http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-monday-cable-originals-network-finals-5-6-2019.html |title=Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.6.2019 |last=Metcalf |first=Mitch |date=May 7, 2019 |work=Showbuzz Daily |access-date=May 7, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190507202225/http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-monday-cable-originals-network-finals-5-6-2019.html |archive-date= May 7, 2019 |url-status=dead}}

| Aux4 = 0.861{{cite web |url=https://www.barb.co.uk/viewing-data/four-screen-dashboard |title=Weekly four-screen dashboard – BARB |website=Broadcasters' Audience Research Board |access-date= June 10, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190330085121/https://www.barb.co.uk/viewing-data/four-screen-dashboard/ |archive-date= March 30, 2019 |url-status=live}}

| ShortSummary = Exactly two years after the Chernobyl Nuclear disaster, Soviet chemist Valery Legasov secretly records a series of memoirs, then hangs himself in his Moscow apartment. At 1:23:45 am on April 26, 1986, Reactor No. 4 explodes at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near Pripyat, Ukrainian SSR.{{Cite web|title= Chernobyl Episode 1 - "1:23:45" Written by Craig Mazin|url= https://johnaugust.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Chernobyl_Episode-11_23_45.pdf|access-date= February 17, 2022|website= johnaugust.com|archive-date= February 17, 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220217115053/https://johnaugust.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Chernobyl_Episode-11_23_45.pdf|url-status= live}}{{Cite web|title= Read the Chernobyl Scripts From Writer and Executive Producer Craig Mazin|url= https://www.hbo.com/chernobyl/episode-scripts|access-date= February 17, 2022|website= hbo.com|archive-date= February 17, 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220217115052/https://www.hbo.com/chernobyl/episode-scripts|url-status= dead}} Inside the control room, Deputy Chief Engineer Anatoly Dyatlov denies initial reports that the core is exposed, believing this to be impossible. He orders Aleksandr Akimov and Leonid Toptunov to control the core by manually adding water and Emergency Services, including Vasily Ignatenko, to extinguish the fire. All are unknowingly exposed to lethal radiation doses, as are Pripyat civilians who gather to watch the fire from a nearby bridge. Dyatlov meets with Plant Manager Viktor Bryukhanov and Chief Engineer Nikolai Fomin, who decide to lock down the city and cut phones lines to prevent panic and misinformation. Dyatlov witnesses dozens of first responders already suffering from ARS. Legasov is summoned to the Kremlin to advise USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev on the disaster response.

| LineColor = AFBCB5

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 2

| Title = Please Remain Calm

| DirectedBy = Johan Renck

| WrittenBy = Craig Mazin

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2019|5|13}}

| Viewers = 1.004{{cite news |url=http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-monday-cable-originals-network-finals-5-13-2019.html |title=Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.13.2019 |last=Metcalf |first=Mitch |date=May 14, 2019 |work=Showbuzz Daily |access-date=May 14, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190514202216/http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-monday-cable-originals-network-finals-5-13-2019.html |archive-date= May 14, 2019 |url-status=dead}}

| Aux4 = 0.891

| ShortSummary = Seven hours after the explosion, nuclear physicist Ulana Khomyuk detects a radiation spike in Minsk, Byelorussian SSR, and infers that it is from Chernobyl. At Pripyat Hospital 6, Lyudmilla Ignatenko learns that her husband Vasily is being transported to Moscow with other severe ARS patients. At the Kremlin, Deputy Chairman Boris Shcherbina meets with Gorbachev and the Soviet Central Committee and echoes Dyatlov's false report. Legasov deduces that the core is exposed and persuades Gorbachev to send him and Shcherbina to investigate. Bryukhanov and Fomin blame Legasov for spreading dangerous misinformation, but Shcherbina terminates them after Vladimir Pikalov provides an accurate dosimeter reading that proves Legasov correct. After lying about the region's safety to innocent civilians, Legasov convinces Shcherbina to evacuate Pripyat by revealing that he has already been exposed to a fatal radiation dose. Legasov and Shcherbina smother the core fire with sand and boron, unaware that the underlying water reservoirs are full. Speaking in code with another nuclear physicist, Khomyuk learns of these efforts and informs Legasov that the superheated sand will volatilize the water tanks, triggering a catastrophic steam explosion. Gorbachev authorizes three plant workers to drain the reservoirs, but the radiation disrupts their flashlights, leaving them in darkness.

| LineColor = AFBCB5

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 3

| Title = Open Wide, O Earth

| DirectedBy = Johan Renck

| WrittenBy = Craig Mazin

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2019|5|20}}

| Viewers = 1.063{{cite news |url=http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-monday-cable-originals-network-finals-5-20-2019.html |title=Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.20.2019 |last=Metcalf |first=Mitch |date=May 21, 2019 |work=Showbuzz Daily |access-date=May 21, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190523164240/http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-monday-cable-originals-network-finals-5-20-2019.html |archive-date= May 23, 2019 |url-status=dead}}

| Aux4 = 1.100

| ShortSummary = The three workers use hand-pumped flashlights and drain the basement reservoirs. Additionally, Gorbachev authorizes a large team of miners from Tula, Russian SFSR to excavate an area beneath the core and install a heat exchanger, preventing a nuclear meltdown and contamination of the surrounding watershed. Shcherbina takes a private walk with Legasov to inform him of overt KGB surveillance. Legasov instructs Khomyuk to interview Dyatlov, Akimov and Toptunov and investigate the cause of the explosion. Lyudmilla arrives in Moscow, where Vasily seems to be recovering. Legasov explains that this is a "latency period", after which the body systems will melt from within. Accordingly, Vasily, Akimov and Toptunov die within weeks, but only after the latter two willingly share their accounts with Khomyuk. She learns that the emergency shutdown procedure (button AZ-5) triggered the explosion, which was deemed impossible. Khomyuk witnesses Lyudmilla with her irradiated husband and threatens the nurse for allowing it. Consequently, Khomyuk is arrested by the KGB and released only on Legasov's insistence. Lyudmilla watches as the bodies of Vasily and several others are entombed within zinc caskets, lowered into a mass grave, and buried in concrete.

| LineColor = AFBCB5

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 4

| Title = The Happiness of All Mankind

| DirectedBy = Johan Renck

| WrittenBy = Craig Mazin

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2019|5|27}}

| Viewers = 1.193{{cite news |url=http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-monday-cable-originals-network-finals-5-27-2019.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529203954/http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-monday-cable-originals-network-finals-5-27-2019.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 29, 2019 |title=Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.27.2019 |last=Metcalf |first=Mitch |date=May 29, 2019 |work=Showbuzz Daily |access-date=May 29, 2019}}

| Aux4 = 1.311

| ShortSummary = At Legasov's demand, the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is expanded, and hundreds of liquidators are conscripted to decontaminate the forests, topsoil, and wildlife. This includes a team dispatched to kill all remaining pets. Meanwhile, Legasov and Shcherbina attempt to clear Nuclear graphite and other debris from the Chernobyl rooftop using a German robot. However, it is fried instantly by the radiation, which was falsely reported by the Soviet Central Committee to avoid humiliation. Shcherbina and General Nikolai Tarakanov are forced to enlist 3,828 liquidators in 90-second missions to clear the debris by hand. Even with protection, many liquidators later developed cancers or had children with birth defects due to radiation exposure. Despite Soviet State redactions and secrecy, Khomyuk learns that AZ-5 causes a brief spike in nuclear reactivity. Legasov knew this fact from a colleague who discovered that the control rods in RBMK reactor cores are tipped with graphite, who then warned the Kremlin 10 years before Chernobyl, but was rebuked. Khomyuk urges Legasov to broadcast this design flaw to the International Atomic Energy Agency at a conference in Vienna. Shcherbina warns Legasov of the personal dangers of exposing State secrets, proposing a deal with the KGB to quietly fix the reactors. Lyudmilla gives birth, but her baby dies within four hours due to radiation exposure from Vasily.

| LineColor = AFBCB5

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 5

| Title = Vichnaya Pamyat

| RTitle = {{efn|Ukrainian for "Memory Eternal", an exclamation used in Eastern Orthodox funeral or memorial services.}}

| DirectedBy = Johan Renck

| WrittenBy = Craig Mazin

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2019|6|3}}

| Viewers = 1.089{{cite news |url=http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-monday-cable-originals-network-finals-6-3-2019.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604202332/http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-monday-cable-originals-network-finals-6-3-2019.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 4, 2019 |title=Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.3.2019 |last=Metcalf |first=Mitch |date=June 4, 2019 |work=Showbuzz Daily |access-date=June 4, 2019}}

| Aux4 = 2.112

| ShortSummary = Twelve hours before the explosion, Bryukhanov, Fomin, and Dyatlov learn that a planned safety test must be scrapped, but hoping to win promotions, decide to simply delay it. The KGB awards Legasov for omitting the AZ-5 design flaw from his testimony at the Vienna conference. They also insist that design reforms must wait until after the trial of Dyatlov, Fomin and Bryukhanov, whom the Soviet State is hoping to blame for the disaster. Legasov and Khomyuk do not trust the State to follow through. At the trial, Legasov explains how Bryukhanov, Fomin and Dyatlov's mismanagement of the safety test pushed the reactor to the brink of meltdown. He then details the fatal design flaw of the AZ-5 emergency shutdown button, admitting that his Vienna testimony was a lie and that Dyatlov, Akimov and Toptunov rightly believed the button to be infallible because the Soviet State concealed the flaw. As punishment, the KGB strips Legasov of his titles, awards, and social community. Legasov's suicide causes his memoirs to be widely circulated and forces the USSR to admit the truth and retrofit all nuclear reactors.

| LineColor = AFBCB5

}}

}}

File:Craig Mazin, MovieZine interview (cropped).png was the writer, creator, and producer of Chernobyl.]]

In 2014, writer Craig Mazin began researching for the project by reading books and government reports from inside and outside the Soviet Union. Mazin also interviewed nuclear scientists to learn how a reactor works, and former Soviet citizens to gain a better idea of the culture in 1986. Mazin also read several first-person accounts to bring additional authenticity to the story. He explained, "When you're reading the personal stories of people who were there—people who lived near the plant, people who worked at the plant, people who were sent to Chernobyl as part of the effort to clean it up—in those individual accounts, that's really where the story came alive".{{cite web |url=https://medium.com/hbo-cinemax-pr/chernobyl-debuts-may-6-on-hbo-a291ea24b3ee |title=Five-Part Miniseries Chernobyl, An HBO/Sky Co-Production Starring Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård and Emily Watson, Written and Created by Craig Mazin, and Directed by Johan Renck, Debuts May 6 on HBO |publisher=HBO |date=April 10, 2019 |access-date=May 31, 2019 |archive-date=May 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531150223/https://medium.com/hbo-cinemax-pr/chernobyl-debuts-may-6-on-hbo-a291ea24b3ee |url-status=live }}

Mazin's interest in creating the series originated when he decided to write something that addressed "how we're struggling with the global war on the truth right now".{{cite web |title='Chernobyl' Creator Craig Mazin on His New HBO Miniseries and the Debt We Owe to the Truth |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/craig-mazin-interview-chernobyl/ |website=/Film |first=Fred |last=Topel |date=May 6, 2019 |access-date=May 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509204246/https://www.slashfilm.com/craig-mazin-interview-chernobyl/ |archive-date=May 9, 2019 |url-status=live}} Another inspiration is that he knew Chernobyl exploded, but he did not know why. He explained, "I didn't know why, and I thought there was this inexplicable gap in my knowledge ... So, I began reading about it, just out of this very dry, intellectual curiosity, and what I discovered was that, while the story of the explosion is fascinating, and we make it really clear exactly why and how it happened, what really grabbed me and held me were the incredible stories of the human beings who lived through it, and who suffered and sacrificed to save the people that they loved, to save their countrymen and to save a continent, and continued to do so, against odds that were startling and kept getting worse. I was so moved by it. It was like I had discovered a war that people just hadn't really depicted, and I became obsessed".{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/chernobyl-interview-craig-mazin/ |title='Chernobyl' Creator Craig Mazin on Jumping from Comedies to a Real-Life Horror Show |website=Collider |first=Christina |last=Radish |date=May 27, 2019 |access-date=May 31, 2019 |archive-date=May 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527184804/https://collider.com/chernobyl-interview-craig-mazin/ |url-status=live }} Mazin said that "The lesson of Chernobyl isn't that modern nuclear power is dangerous. The lesson is that lying, arrogance, and suppression of criticism are dangerous".{{cite news|last=Wald|first=Matt|date=May 1, 2019|title=A Viewer's Guide to HBO's Chernobyl Miniseries|work=Nuclear Energy Institute|url=https://www.nei.org/news/2019/viewers-guide-to-hbo-miniseries-chernobyl|access-date=November 18, 2020|archive-date=November 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120144703/https://www.nei.org/news/2019/viewers-guide-to-hbo-miniseries-chernobyl|url-status=live}}

In preparation for the miniseries, Mazin visited the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.{{cite web |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/05/chernobyl-episode-1-craig-mazin-johan-renck-hbo-1202131596/ |title='Chernobyl': HBO Series Never Hides From History's Physical and Psychological Horror |website=IndieWire |first=Steve |last=Greene |date=May 6, 2019 |access-date=May 31, 2019 |archive-date=May 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507114308/https://www.indiewire.com/2019/05/chernobyl-episode-1-craig-mazin-johan-renck-hbo-1202131596/ |url-status=live }} Mazin made the decision in the early stages not to use Russian or Ukrainian accents, and instead, have the actors use their natural accents. Mazin explained, "We had an initial thought that we didn't want to do the 'Boris and Natasha' clichéd accent because the Russian accent can turn comic very easily. At first, we thought that maybe we would have people do these sort of vaguely Eastern European accents—not really strong but noticeable. What we found very quickly is that actors will act accents. They will not act, they will act accents and we were losing everything about these people that we loved. Honestly, I think after maybe one or two auditions we said 'OK, new rule. We're not doing that anymore'".{{cite web |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a27676785/chernobyl-why-cast-dont-do-ukrainian-russian-accents-craig-mazin/ |title=Chernobyl's creator explains why most of the cast don't put on Ukrainian/Russian accents |website=Cosmopolitan |first=Anna |last=Lewis |date=May 31, 2019 |access-date=May 31, 2019 |archive-date=May 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531150446/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a27676785/chernobyl-why-cast-dont-do-ukrainian-russian-accents-craig-mazin/ |url-status=live }} Mazin also did not cast any American actors, as that could potentially pull the audience out of the story.{{cite web |url=https://screenrant.com/chernobyl-hbo-no-russian-accents-english-why/ |title=Chernobyl: Why Russians Speak With English Accents On HBO's Show |website=Screen Rant |first=Mansoor |last=Mithaiwala |date=May 29, 2019 |access-date=May 31, 2019 |archive-date=May 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531150220/https://screenrant.com/chernobyl-hbo-no-russian-accents-english-why/ |url-status=live }}

In early 2017, Carolyn Strauss joined the project as producer, and pitched the show with Mazin to HBO's Kary Antholis. According to Antholis: "It was the best pitch I've heard in 25 years of listening to pitches — there's nothing that really comes close to it".{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/07/arts/television/the-last-of-us-craig-mazin.html |title='The Last of Us' continues Craig Mazin's Ascent |website=The New York Times |first=John |last=Koblin |date=March 7, 2023 |access-date=October 3, 2023}} Regardless, viewership expectations remained low during development, and the series was eventually assigned a Monday night time slot. Antholis convinced Sky UK to co-produce, lessening HBO's financial burden to around $15 million of the show's $40 million budget.

On July 26, 2017, it was announced that HBO and Sky had given a series order to Chernobyl. It was HBO's first co-production with Sky UK. The five-episode miniseries was written by Craig Mazin and directed by Johan Renck. Mazin also served as an executive producer alongside Carolyn Strauss and Jane Featherstone, with Chris Fry and Renck acting as co-executive producers.{{Cite web |last=Littleton |first=Cynthia |title=HBO Sets 'Chernobyl' Miniseries to Star Jared Harris |url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/hbo-chernobyl-miniseries-jared-harris-1202507712/ |website=Variety |date=July 26, 2017 |access-date=November 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512214311/https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/hbo-chernobyl-miniseries-jared-harris-1202507712/ |archive-date=May 12, 2019 |url-status=live}} On March 11, 2019, it was announced that the miniseries would premiere on May 6, 2019.{{cite web |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/tv/trailers/1048451-hbo-chernobyl-premiere-date-new-teaser |title=HBO Miniseries Chernobyl Sets May Premiere Date |website=ComingSoon.net |first=Maggie |last=Dela Paz |date=March 11, 2019 |access-date=May 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327091434/https://www.comingsoon.net/tv/trailers/1048451-hbo-chernobyl-premiere-date-new-teaser |archive-date=March 27, 2019 |url-status=live}} On June 4, 2019, Craig Mazin made the original scripts of all episodes available for downloading as PDFs (see External links below).{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/chernobyl-s-scripts-are-available-for-download-if-you-1835271910 |title=Chernobyl's scripts are available for download, if you dare |website=The A.V. Club |first=Dan |last=Neilan |date=June 4, 2019 |access-date=June 5, 2019 |archive-date=June 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190605193554/https://news.avclub.com/chernobyl-s-scripts-are-available-for-download-if-you-1835271910 |url-status=live }}

A companion podcast for the miniseries had new episodes published as each TV episode aired on HBO.{{Cite podcast |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-chernobyl-podcast/id1459712981 |title=The Chernobyl Podcast |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903203120/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-chernobyl-podcast/id1459712981 |archive-date=September 3, 2019 }} – The official podcast of the miniseries Chernobyl, from HBO and Sky. The podcast featured conversations between Mazin and host Peter Sagal including discussions of where the show was as true as possible to historical events and where events were consolidated or modified as part of artistic license.{{cite web |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/04/chernobyl-podcast-hbo-companion-limited-series-1202060255/ |title='Chernobyl': HBO Will Release Weekly Podcast Companion to Limited Series |website=IndieWire |first=Steve |last=Greene |date=April 18, 2019 |access-date=June 4, 2019 |archive-date=April 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423080523/https://www.indiewire.com/2019/04/chernobyl-podcast-hbo-companion-limited-series-1202060255/ |url-status=live }}

Simultaneously with the initial series announcement, it was confirmed that Jared Harris would star in the series. On March 19, 2018, it was announced that Stellan Skarsgård and Emily Watson had joined the main cast, marking their second collaboration after Breaking the Waves.{{cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |title='Chernobyl': Stellan Skarsgård & Emily Watson To Star In HBO & Sky's Miniseries |url=https://deadline.com/2018/03/chernobyl-stellan-skarsgard-emily-watson-star-hbo-sky-miniseries-1202339198/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=March 19, 2018 |access-date=March 19, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180319172706/http://deadline.com/2018/03/chernobyl-stellan-skarsgard-emily-watson-star-hbo-sky-miniseries-1202339198/ |archive-date= March 19, 2018 |url-status=live}} In May 2018, it was announced that Paul Ritter, Jessie Buckley, Adrian Rawlins, and Con O'Neill also had joined the cast.{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2018/05/chernobyl-paul-ritter-jessie-buckley-adrian-rawlins-con-oneil-cast-hbo-sky-miniseries-1202396231/ |title='Chernobyl': Paul Ritter, Jessie Buckley, Adrian Rawlins & Con O'Neill Among Cast Additions For HBO/Sky Miniseries |last=Petski |first=Denise |date=May 23, 2018 |website=Deadline Hollywood |language=en |access-date= February 19, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190512215541/https://deadline.com/2018/05/chernobyl-paul-ritter-jessie-buckley-adrian-rawlins-con-oneil-cast-hbo-sky-miniseries-1202396231/ |archive-date= May 12, 2019 |url-status=live}}

File:Фабионишкес - panoramio.jpg in Vilnius, Lithuania was used to portray Pripyat]]

In April 2018, principal photography began in Lithuania. Initial filming started on May 13, 2018, in Fabijoniškės, a residential district in Vilnius, Lithuania, which was used to portray the Ukrainian city of Pripyat, since the district maintained an authentic Soviet atmosphere. An area of densely built panel housing apartments served as a location for the evacuation scenes. Director Johan Renck heavily criticised the amount of diverse and eye-catching modern windows in the houses, but was not concerned about removing them in post-production.

At the end of March, production moved to Visaginas, Lithuania, to shoot both the exterior and interior of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, a decommissioned nuclear power station that is sometimes referred to as "Chernobyl's sister" due to its visual resemblance and the nuclear reactor design used at both Chernobyl and Ignalina, both being RBMK nuclear power reactors. In early June 2018, production moved to Ukraine to shoot minor final scenes.{{Cite web |url=https://www.15min.lt/kultura/naujiena/kinas/fabijoniskese-filmuojamo-cernobylio-rezisierius-pakeite-poziuri-i-branduoline-energija-tai-pabaisa-kurios-negalime-suvaldyti-4-970854 |title=Fabijoniškėse filmuojamo "Černobylio" režisierius pakeitė požiūrį į branduolinę energiją: tai pabaisa, kurios negalime suvaldyti |first=Jurgita |last=Lapienytė |date=May 13, 2018 |website=15min.lt |language=lt |access-date=April 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401192332/https://www.15min.lt/kultura/naujiena/kinas/fabijoniskese-filmuojamo-cernobylio-rezisierius-pakeite-poziuri-i-branduoline-energija-tai-pabaisa-kurios-negalime-suvaldyti-4-970854 |archive-date=April 1, 2019 |url-status=dead }}{{better source needed|date=June 2019}} The filming of Chernobyl took 16 weeks.{{Cite web |url=https://www.15min.lt/kultura/naujiena/kinas/prodiusere-hbo-projektas-lietuvoje-paliks-ne-maziau-7-mln-euru-4-831994 |title=Prodiuserė: HBO projektas Lietuvoje paliks ne mažiau 7 mln. eurų |date=July 27, 2017 |website=15min.lt |language=lt |access-date= April 1, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190401210510/https://www.15min.lt/kultura/naujiena/kinas/prodiusere-hbo-projektas-lietuvoje-paliks-ne-maziau-7-mln-euru-4-831994 |archive-date= April 1, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{better source needed|date=June 2019}} The series has a reported production budget of $40 million, as part of a $250 million deal between HBO and Sky.{{cite web|url=https://www.digitaltveurope.com/2017/07/27/chernobyl-drama-first-from-hbo-sky-pact/#:~:text=A%20drama%20based%20on%20the,pact%20between%20HBO%20and%20Sky.|title=Chernobyl drama first from HBO, Sky pact|work=Digital TV Europe|date=July 27, 2017|access-date=May 29, 2023}} According to series cinematographer Jakob Ihre, various Soviet-era films–namely Andrei Rublev, Stalker and Come and See–inspired the look of the miniseries.{{Cite web |date=November 7, 2021 |title=Jakob Ihre. Light, atmospheres and talent. |url=https://tmbroadcast.com/index.php/jakob-ihre/ |access-date=July 20, 2023 |website=TM Broadcast International |language=en-US}}

{{Main|Chernobyl: Music from the Original TV Series|l1=Chernobyl: Music from the Original TV Series}}

The musical score was composed by Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir. In August 2018, she began recording the score with Chris Watson at the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, where the series was being preliminarily shot.{{Cite magazine |last=Jervell |first=Ellen Emmerentze |date=August 15, 2019 |title=Icelandic Artist Drew Sounds From Power Plant to Compose 'Chernobyl' Soundtrack |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/hildur-guonadottir-icelandic-artist-chernobyl-soundtrack-interview-8527454/ |access-date=May 8, 2022 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US |archive-date=May 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508144754/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/hildur-guonadottir-icelandic-artist-chernobyl-soundtrack-interview-8527454/ |url-status=live }} She used the recordings from the power plant, deciding not to depend on instruments and pre-recorded material to create the score, as she wanted to experience from a listener's perspective on what it is like to actually be inside of a power plant.{{cite news |title=Score For HBO's 'Chernobyl' Was Recorded Using Sounds From Inside A Nuclear Power Plant [Listen] |url=https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/chernobyl-nuclear-power-plant/ |access-date=June 24, 2019 |work=Live For Live Music |first=Tom |last=Shackleford |date=June 6, 2019 |archive-date=June 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624143919/https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/chernobyl-nuclear-power-plant/ |url-status=live }} The original score album was released by the record labels Deutsche Grammophon and WaterTower Music on May 31, 2019,{{Cite web |title='Chernobyl' Soundtrack Album Details |url=https://filmmusicreporter.com/2019/05/30/chernobyl-soundtrack-album-details/ |access-date=May 8, 2022 |website=Film Music Reporter |language=en-US |archive-date=May 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513074916/https://filmmusicreporter.com/2019/05/30/chernobyl-soundtrack-album-details/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=May 31, 2019 |title=Chernobyl (Music from the Original TV Series) by Hildur Guðnadóttir |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/chernobyl-music-from-the-original-tv-series/1464507422 |access-date=May 31, 2019 |website=iTunes |archive-date=December 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215212823/https://music.apple.com/us/album/chernobyl-music-from-the-original-tv-series/1464507422 |url-status=live }} with a vinyl edition released by Decca on September 6, 2019.{{Cite news |date=January 7, 2020 |title=Hildur Guðnadóttir crafts apocalyptic sonics in Chernobyl original score |url=https://thevinylfactory.com/news/hildur-gudnadottir-chernobyl-score-vinyl/ |access-date=May 8, 2022 |website=The Vinyl Factory |language=en-US |last1=Rugoff |first1=Lazlo |archive-date=October 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003112252/https://thevinylfactory.com/news/hildur-gudnadottir-chernobyl-score-vinyl/ |url-status=live }}

The series was praised in the media for being exhaustively researched,{{cite web |url=https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/05/05/1698128/ |title=HBO's 'Chernobyl' captures horror of nuclear disaster |work=The Boston Herald |first=Mark |last=Perigard |date=May 5, 2019 |access-date=August 24, 2019 |archive-date=August 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824211241/https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/05/05/1698128/ |url-status=live }} but some commentators noted inaccuracies or liberties were taken for dramatic purposes, such as Legasov being present at the trial.{{cite web |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a27780039/chernobyl-real-life-true-false-facts/ |title=The only two things in Chernobyl that *didn't* happen in real life |work=Digital Spy |first=Chris |last=Longridge |date=June 6, 2019 |access-date=October 1, 2019 |archive-date=October 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001212443/https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a27780039/chernobyl-real-life-true-false-facts/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/23/18714335/the-chernobyl-podcast-hbo-peter-sagal-craig-mazin-wait-wait-dont-tell-me-interview |title=The Chernobyl Podcast is a compelling behind-the-scenes look at the HBO series |work=The Verge |first=Andrew |last=Liptak |date=June 23, 2019 |access-date=October 1, 2019 |archive-date=October 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001212442/https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/23/18714335/the-chernobyl-podcast-hbo-peter-sagal-craig-mazin-wait-wait-dont-tell-me-interview |url-status=live }} The first episode depicts Legasov timing his suicide down to the second (1:23:45) to coincide with the second anniversary of the Chernobyl explosion. Legasov actually died by suicide a day later. The epilogue acknowledges that the character of Ulana Khomyuk is fictional, a composite of Soviet scientists. Journalist Adam Higginbotham, who spent a decade researching the disaster and authored the non-fiction account Midnight in Chernobyl, points out in an interview that there was no need for scientists to "uncover the truth" because "many nuclear scientists knew all along that there were problems with this reactor—the problems that led ultimately to an explosion and disaster".{{Cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chernobyl-disaster-how-accurate-is-the-hbo-series/ |title=Chernobyl disaster: How accurate is the HBO series? |website=CBS News |date=June 3, 2019 |language=en-US |access-date=June 11, 2019 |archive-date=June 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190610100414/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chernobyl-disaster-how-accurate-is-the-hbo-series/ |url-status=live }} Artistic license was also used in the depiction of the "Bridge of Death", from which spectators in Pripyat watched the aftermath of the explosion. The miniseries asserts that the spectators subsequently died, a claim which is now generally held to be an urban legend.{{Cite web |url=https://thebulletin.org/2019/05/the-human-drama-of-chernobyl/ |title=The human drama of Chernobyl |last=Stover |first=Dawn |date=May 5, 2019 |website=Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists |language=en-US |access-date=June 11, 2019 |archive-date=August 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808223653/https://thebulletin.org/2019/05/the-human-drama-of-chernobyl/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.esquire.com/uk/latest-news/a27813073/how-much-of-chernobyl-is-actually-true-an-investigation/ |title=How Much Of 'Chernobyl' Is Actually True? An Investigation |last=Nicholson |first=Tom |date=June 7, 2019 |work=Esquire |access-date=June 8, 2019 |archive-date=June 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626181305/https://www.esquire.com/uk/latest-news/a27813073/how-much-of-chernobyl-is-actually-true-an-investigation/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/russia-ukraine-war/article/how-accurate-is-the-chernobyl-tv-show-our-expert-sorts-fact-from-fiction-hbo-sky-atlantic-rrcgz8b9c |title=How accurate is the Chernobyl TV show? Our expert sorts fact from fiction |last=McDowall |first=Julie |date=May 31, 2019 |work=The Times |access-date=June 8, 2019 |archive-date=June 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608100421/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-accurate-is-the-chernobyl-tv-show-our-expert-sorts-fact-from-fiction-hbo-sky-atlantic-rrcgz8b9c |url-status=live }}

The series also discusses a potential third steam explosion, due to the risk of corium melting through to the water reservoirs below the reactor building, as being in the range of 2 to 4 megatons. This would have been physically impossible under the circumstances, as exploding reactors do not function as thermonuclear bombs.{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Jim |title=Ten times the Chernobyl television series lets artistic licence get in the way of facts |url=https://theconversation.com/ten-times-the-chernobyl-television-series-lets-artistic-licence-get-in-the-way-of-facts-119110 |access-date=September 17, 2023 |work=The Conversation |date=June 21, 2019 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Bendix |first1=Aria |title=HBO's 'Chernobyl' just won 10 Emmys — here's what it gets right (and wrong) about the world's worst nuclear power plant accident |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/chernobyl-hbo-whats-true-myths-2019-5#myth-a-steam-explosion-following-the-disaster-could-have-left-much-of-europe-uninhabitable-5 |access-date=September 17, 2023 |work=Business Insider |date=September 23, 2019}} According to series author Craig Mazin, the claim was based on one made by Belarusian nuclear physicist Vassili Nesterenko about a potential 3–5 Mt third explosion, even though physicists hired for the show were unable to confirm its plausibility.{{cite web |last1=Mazin |first1=Craig |title=This is one where I was a little concerned. |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/TVChernobyl/comments/boo19f/did_she_say_the_potential_water_reservoir_could/enozssk/ |access-date=September 17, 2023 |date=May 15, 2019 |via=Reddit}}

The series' production design, such as the choice of sets, props, and costumes, has received high praise for its accuracy. Several sources have commended the attention to even minor setting details, such as the use of actual Kyiv-region license plate numbers, and a New Yorker review states that "the material culture of the Soviet Union is reproduced with an accuracy that has never before been seen" from either Western or Russian filmmakers.{{cite magazine |last=Gessen |first=Masha |date=June 4, 2019 |title=What HBO's "Chernobyl" Got Right, and What It Got Terribly Wrong |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/what-hbos-chernobyl-got-right-and-what-it-got-terribly-wrong |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=July 7, 2019 |archive-date=July 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708101837/https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/what-hbos-chernobyl-got-right-and-what-it-got-terribly-wrong |url-status=live }}{{Cite news|date=June 7, 2019|title=Russia to make its own show about Chernobyl that implicates the US|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48559289|access-date=August 2, 2021|archive-date=August 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802070613/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48559289|url-status=live}} Oleksiy Breus, a Chernobyl engineer, commends the portrayal of the symptoms of radiation poisoning;{{cite news |first1=Viacheslav |last1=Shramovych |first2=Hanna |last2=Chornous |title='I saw the damage': Chernobyl workers assess TV series |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48580177 |work=BBC News |access-date=July 16, 2019 |date=June 12, 2019 |archive-date=June 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629230623/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48580177 |url-status=live }} Robert Gale, a doctor who treated Chernobyl victims, states that the miniseries overstated the symptoms by suggesting that the patients were radioactive.{{cite web |url=https://cancerletter.com/articles/20190524_3/ |title=Chernobyl, the HBO miniseries: Fact and fiction (Part II) |website=The Cancer Letter |first=Robert Peter |last=Gale |date=May 24, 2019 |access-date=August 11, 2019 |archive-date=December 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209220855/https://cancerletter.com/articles/20190524_3/ |url-status=live }} In a more critical judgment, a review from the Moscow Times highlights some small design errors: for instance, Soviet soldiers are inaccurately shown as holding their weapons in Western style and Legasov's apartment was too "dingy" for a scientist of his status.{{cite news |last=Bershidsky |first=Leonid |title=Russia Should Have Made HBO's 'Chernobyl' |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/05/31/russia-should-have-made-hbos-chernobyl-a65821 |work=The Moscow Times |date=May 31, 2019 |access-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-date=June 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608045432/https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/05/31/russia-should-have-made-hbos-chernobyl-a65821 |url-status=live }}

In a 1996 interview, Lyudmilla Ignatenko said that her baby "took the whole radioactive shock [...] She was like a lightning rod for it".Alexievich, Svetlana (2005), pp.22 This perception that her husband, Vasily, was radioactive and caused the death of her daughter soon after birth was recreated in the miniseries. However, Ukrainian medical responder Alla Shapiro, in a 2019 interview with Vanity Fair, said such beliefs were false, and that once Ignatenko was showered and out of his contaminated clothing, he would not have been dangerous to others, precluding this possibility.{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/video/watch/radiation-expert-reviews-chernobyl-series-1 |title=Chernobyl Doctor Fact Checks the HBO Series |magazine=Vanity Fair |date=September 19, 2019 |access-date=August 22, 2023 |time=08:22}}

During an interview to BBC News Russian in 2019, Lyudmilla Ignatenko described how she suffered harassment and criticism when the series was aired. She claimed reporters hounded her at home in Moscow and even jammed their foot in her door as they tried to interview her, and that she suffered criticism for exposing her unborn daughter to Vasily, despite the fact she hadn't known anything about radiation then and that risk to a fetus from such exposure is infinitesimally small. She said she never gave HBO and Sky Atlantic permission to tell her story, saying there had been a single phone call offering money after filming had been completed. She thought the call was a hoax because it came from a Moscow number and hung up. HBO Sky rejects this, saying they had exchanges with Lyudmilla before, during and after filming with the opportunity to participate and provide feedback and at no time did she express a wish for her story to not be included.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-50731500 |title=Lyudmila from Chernobyl speaks for first time |work=BBC News |date=December 23, 2019 |access-date=August 18, 2022 |archive-date=August 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817234309/https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-50731500 |url-status=live }}

The portrayal of Soviet officials, including the plant management and central government figures, received some criticism. Breus, the Chernobyl engineer, argues that the characters of Viktor Bryukhanov, Nikolai Fomin and Anatoly Dyatlov were "distorted and misrepresented, as if they were villains". Some reviews criticized the series for creating a stark moral dichotomy, in which the scientists are depicted as overly heroic while the government and plant officials are uniformly villainous.{{cite news |title='Chernobyl' TV miniseries: the reviews from ground zero |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2019/0528/Chernobyl-TV-miniseries-the-reviews-from-ground-zero |first=Fred |last=Weir |work=The Christian Science Monitor |date=May 28, 2019 |access-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607024434/https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2019/0528/Chernobyl-TV-miniseries-the-reviews-from-ground-zero |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Hale |first=Mike |title=Review: 'Chernobyl,' the Disaster Movie |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/03/arts/television/review-chernobyl-hbo.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503215010/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/03/arts/television/review-chernobyl-hbo.html |archive-date=May 3, 2019 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The New York Times |date=May 3, 2019 |access-date=August 11, 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://cancerletter.com/filmtv/20190621_4/ |title=Chernobyl, the HBO miniseries: Fact and fiction (Part IV) |website=The Cancer Letter |first=Robert Peter |last=Gale |date=June 21, 2019 |access-date=September 17, 2021 |archive-date=April 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426065628/https://cancerletter.com/filmtv/20190621_4/ |url-status=live }} The occasional threats of execution from government officials were also seen by some as anachronistic: Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen argues that "summary executions, or even delayed executions on orders of a single apparatchik, were not a feature of Soviet life after the nineteen-thirties". Higginbotham takes a more positive view of the portrayal of the authorities, arguing that the unconcerned attitude of the central government was accurately depicted.

The miniseries premiered on May 6, 2019, on HBO. In the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, it premiered on May 7, 2019, on Sky Atlantic.

The miniseries was released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 1, 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Chernobyl-Blu-ray/245303/|title=Chernobyl Blu-ray|website=Blu-ray.com|accessdate=January 13, 2023|archive-date=January 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112165705/https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Chernobyl-Blu-ray/245303/|url-status=live}} A 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray was released on December 1, 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=27402|title=Chernobyl 4K Blu-ray|website=Blu-ray.com|date=September 10, 2020|accessdate=January 13, 2023|archive-date=January 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112165709/https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=27402|url-status=live}}

Chernobyl received widespread critical acclaim. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 95% based on 103 reviews, with an average rating of 8.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Chernobyl rivets with a creeping dread that never dissipates, dramatizing a national tragedy with sterling craft and an intelligent dissection of institutional rot."{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/chernobyl/s01 |title=Chernobyl: Miniseries |publisher=Fandango Media |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=July 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507120924/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/chernobyl/s01 |archive-date= May 7, 2019 |url-status=live}} On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 82 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/chernobyl |title=Chernobyl |publisher=CBS |website=Metacritic |access-date=June 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506020539/https://www.metacritic.com/tv/chernobyl |archive-date= May 6, 2019 |url-status=live}}

Reviewers for The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and the BBC observed parallels to contemporary society by focusing on the power of information and how dishonest leaders can make mistakes beyond their comprehension.{{cite news |title=Chernobyl disaster: 'I didn't know the truth' |publisher=BBC News |first=Emma |last=Saunders |date=May 6, 2019 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-48090834 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190507015708/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-48090834 |archive-date= May 7, 2019 |url-status=live |access-date=May 7, 2019}} Sophie Gilbert of The Atlantic hailed the series as a "grim disquisition on the toll of devaluing the truth";{{cite news |last=Gilbert |first=Sophie |title=Chernobyl Is a Gruesome, Riveting Fable |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/05/chernobyl-gruesome-riveting-fable-hbo/588688/ |work=The Atlantic |date=May 6, 2019 |access-date=May 7, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190507074723/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/05/chernobyl-gruesome-riveting-fable-hbo/588688/ |archive-date= May 7, 2019 |url-status=live}} Hank Stuever of The Washington Post praised it for showcasing "what happens when lying is standard and authority is abused".{{cite news |title=A grim 'Chernobyl' shows what happens when lying is standard and authority is abused |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/a-grim-chernobyl-shows-what-happens-when-lying-is-standard-and-authority-is-abused/2019/05/05/63fd3d04-6dd2-11e9-a66d-a82d3f3d96d5_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |first=Hank |last=Stuever |date=May 5, 2019 |access-date=May 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507003342/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/a-grim-chernobyl-shows-what-happens-when-lying-is-standard-and-authority-is-abused/2019/05/05/63fd3d04-6dd2-11e9-a66d-a82d3f3d96d5_story.html |archive-date=May 7, 2019 |url-status=live}} Meera Syal praised Chernobyl as a "fiercely intelligent exposition of the human cost of state censorship. Would love to see similar exposé of the Bhopal disaster".{{cite news |title=HBO's 'Chernobyl' Strikes a Chord in India, Leads to Calls for Bhopal Disaster Drama |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chernobyl-strikes-chord-india-leads-calls-bhopal-drama-1216494 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |first=Nyay |last=Bhushan |date=June 7, 2019 |access-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607205244/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chernobyl-strikes-chord-india-leads-calls-bhopal-drama-1216494 |url-status=live }} David Morrison was "struck by the attention to accuracy" and says the "series does an outstanding job of presenting the technical and human issues of the accident."{{cite magazine |last=Morrison |first=David |author-link=David Morrison (astrophysicist) |date=September–October 2019 |title=Chernobyl and the Future of Nuclear Energy |url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/2019/09/chernobyl-and-the-future-of-nuclear-energy/ |magazine=Skeptical Inquirer |publisher=Center for Inquiry |volume=43 |issue=5 |pages=65–67 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200321194525/https://skepticalinquirer.org/2019/09/chernobyl-and-the-future-of-nuclear-energy/ |archive-date=March 21, 2020 |access-date=March 21, 2020}}

Jennifer K. Crosby, writing for The Objective Standard, says that the miniseries "explores the reasons for this monumental catastrophe and illustrates how it was magnified by the evasion and denial of those in charge," adding that "although the true toll of the disaster on millions of lives will never be known, Chernobyl goes a long way toward helping us understand [its] real causes and effects."{{Cite web|date=December 11, 2020|title=Chernobyl, by Craig Mazin|url=https://theobjectivestandard.com/2020/12/chernobyl-by-craig-mazin/|access-date=April 27, 2021|website=The Objective Standard|language=en-US|archive-date=April 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427131755/https://theobjectivestandard.com/2020/12/chernobyl-by-craig-mazin/|url-status=live |last1=Crosby |first1=Jennifer K. }} In a negative article titled "Chernobyl: The Show Russiagate wrote," Aaron Giovannone of the American left-wing publication Jacobin wrote that "even as we worry about the ongoing ecological crisis caused by capitalism, Chernobyl revels in the failure of the historical alternative to capitalism, which reinforces the status quo, offering us no way out of the crisis."{{cite news|last=Giovannone|first=Aaron|date=July 6, 2019|title=Chernobyl: The Show Russiagate Wrote|url=https://jacobinmag.com/2019/07/chernobyl-tv-show-russiagate|work=Jacobin|access-date=July 6, 2019|archive-date=July 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706144030/https://jacobinmag.com/2019/07/chernobyl-tv-show-russiagate|url-status=live}}

The miniseries was well received by some critics and audiences in Russia.{{cite news |title=Path-breaking or propaganda?: Russians are divided about HBO's Chernobyl |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/path-breaking-or-propaganda-russians-are-divided-about-hbo-s-chernobyl/story-jvvRESI0YEEHkFyImvQ3cO.html |work=Hindustan Times |date=June 7, 2019 |access-date=September 8, 2019 |archive-date=July 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727205201/https://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/path-breaking-or-propaganda-russians-are-divided-about-hbo-s-chernobyl/story-jvvRESI0YEEHkFyImvQ3cO.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Malpas |first=Anna |title=Chernobyl TV series reaps praise, criticism in Russia |url=https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2019/06/07/chernobyl-tv-series-reaps-praise-criticism-in-russia.html |work=The Jakarta Post |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=June 8, 2019 |access-date=September 8, 2019 |archive-date=September 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905093547/https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2019/06/07/chernobyl-tv-series-reaps-praise-criticism-in-russia.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.novayagazeta.ru/articles/2019/05/23/80622-chernobyl-dannyy-im-v-oschuschenie |title=Чернобыль, данный им в ощущении |last=Narinskaya |first=Anna |date=May 23, 2019 |work=Novaya Gazeta |access-date=June 15, 2019 |location=Moscow |archive-date=June 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604095427/https://www.novayagazeta.ru/articles/2019/05/23/80622-chernobyl-dannyy-im-v-oschuschenie |url-status=live }} Vladimir Medinsky, Russian culture minister, whose father was one of the Chernobyl liquidators, called the series "masterfully made" and "filmed with great respect for ordinary people".{{Cite web |url=https://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/5cf93eba9a7947628d44156c |title=Мединский назвал сериал "Чернобыль" "мастерски сделанным фильмом" |publisher=RBC |date=June 6, 2019 |access-date=June 14, 2019 |archive-date=June 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625215621/https://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/5cf93eba9a7947628d44156c |url-status=live }} It was reported that Russian state-run NTV television channel has been producing its own "patriotic" version of the Chernobyl story in which the CIA plays a key role in the disaster.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/07/chernobyl-hbo-russian-tv-remake |title=Russian TV to air its own patriotic retelling of Chernobyl story |last=Roth |first=Andrew |date=June 7, 2019 |work=The Guardian |access-date=June 10, 2019 |location=Moscow |archive-date=October 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001082725/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/07/chernobyl-hbo-russian-tv-remake/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/russia-making-own-tv-series-chernobyl-nuclear-disaster-1216383 |title=Russia Making Own TV Series on Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster |last=Kozlov |first=Vladimir |date=June 6, 2019 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=June 10, 2019 |archive-date=October 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001082727/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/russia-making-own-tv-series-chernobyl-nuclear-disaster-1216383/ |url-status=live }} The Russians then claimed that the series in question had been in production since before HBO's miniseries and was not created in response to it.{{Cite web |url=http://www.aif.ru/culture/movie/chto_za_serial_chernobyl_kotoryy_vyydet_na_kanale_ntv |title=Что за сериал "Чернобыль", который выйдет на канале НТВ |date=June 10, 2019 |website=Argumenty i Fakty |access-date=June 14, 2019 |archive-date=October 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001082732/https://aif.ru/culture/movie/chto_za_serial_chernobyl_kotoryy_vyydet_na_kanale_ntv/ |url-status=live }} An apparent trailer for the series was uploaded to YouTube but was later deleted following negative reaction from the Russian viewers.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-49121139/russian-tv-s-leaked-chernobyl-drama-features-cia-plot |title=Russian TV's leaked Chernobyl drama features CIA plot |publisher=BBC News |date=July 27, 2019 |access-date=July 27, 2019 |archive-date=July 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703162839/https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-49121139/russian-tv-s-leaked-chernobyl-drama-features-cia-plot |url-status=live }}

In a statement, Sergey Malinkovich, the head of the executive committee of the central committee of the Communists of Russia party, called for a criminal libel lawsuit to be brought under the Criminal Code of Russia against Chernobyl{{'}}s writer, director and producers, describing the show as "disgusting".{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/television/russian-communist-party-calls-for-chernobyl-tv-show-ban-and-libel-action-1.874012|title=Russian Communist Party calls for 'Chernobyl' TV show ban and libel action|first=Chris|last=Newbould|date=June 13, 2019|website=The National}}{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/06/chernobyl-russian-communist-party-calls-ban-hbo-miniseries-in-the-country-1202632582/|title='Chernobyl': Russian Communist Party Calls For Ban Of HBO's Miniseries In The Country|work=Deadline|first=Nellie|last=Andreeva|date=June 14, 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/chernobyl-hbo-ban-russia-tv-series-communist-party-response-a8958536.html|title=Russian communist party calls for Chernobyl ban|date=June 14, 2019|website=The Independent}} He also demanded that Russia's Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) block access to the "filthy" miniseries.{{cite news |last1=Ross |first1=Charley |title=Chernobyl: Russian communist party calls for 'disgusting' HBO show to be banned |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/chernobyl-hbo-ban-russia-tv-series-communist-party-response-a8958536.html |access-date=June 18, 2019 |website=The Independent |date=June 14, 2019 |archive-date=October 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001220002/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/chernobyl-hbo-ban-russia-tv-series-communist-party-response-a8958536.html |url-status=live }} Marianna Prysiazhniuk of Vice Media noted that multiple Russian media outlets describe the miniseries as one-sided, incomplete, or anti-Russian propaganda.{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/mb8584/russia-media-reacts-fact-checks-chernobyl-hbo-series |title=What the Russian Media Thinks of HBO's 'Chernobyl' |website=Vice |first=Marianna |last=Prysiazhniuk |date=June 20, 2019 |access-date=October 27, 2019 |archive-date=October 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012102052/https://www.vice.com/en/article/mb8584/russia-media-reacts-fact-checks-chernobyl-hbo-series/ |url-status=live }} Argumenty i Fakty dismissed the show as "a caricature and not the truth" and "The only things missing are the bears and accordions!" said Stanislav Natanzon, lead anchor of Russia-24, one of the country's main state-run news channels.{{cite web |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/06/04/putins-media-struggle-to-deal-with-hbos-chernobyl-a65866 |title=Putin's Media Struggle to Deal With HBO's Chernobyl |website=The Moscow Times |first=Ilya |last=Shepelin |date=June 4, 2019 |access-date=October 27, 2019 |archive-date=November 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106090151/https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/06/04/putins-media-struggle-to-deal-with-hbos-chernobyl-a65866 |url-status=live }}

In Ukraine, Anna Korolevska, deputy director at the Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum in Kyiv, said "Today young people coming to power in Ukraine know nothing about that disaster in 1986. It was a necessary film to make and HBO have obviously tried their best; as for us, we are going to create a special tour about Chernobyl's historic truth, inspired by the HBO series."{{cite web |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/chernobyl-survivors-watch-hbo-series-in-horror |title='This Is Our Brothers' Grave': Chernobyl Survivors Watch HBO Series in Horror |first=Anna |last=Nemtsova |date=June 11, 2019 |website=The Daily Beast |access-date=January 25, 2020 |archive-date=October 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001082746/https://www.thedailybeast.com/chernobyl-survivors-watch-hbo-series-in-horror/ |url-status=live }} Bermet Talant, a Ukrainian journalist, noted that "In Russia, a state that still takes pride in the Soviet legacy, the series has faced criticism from the official media. Meanwhile, many in Ukraine appreciated the series for humanizing a tragic chapter in the country's history. [...] Ukrainian viewers also appreciated HBO's Chernobyl for praising the heroism and self-sacrifice of ordinary people."{{cite web |url=https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/chernobyl-series-triggers-interest-in-ukraines-history.html |title='Chernobyl' series triggers interest in Ukraine's history |date=June 14, 2019 |website=Kyiv Post |first=Bermet |last=Talant |access-date=January 25, 2020 |archive-date=October 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001082749/https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/chernobyl-series-triggers-interest-in-ukraines-history.html/ |url-status=live }}

Belarusian Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich, whose book inspired the series, said "We are now witnessing a new phenomenon that Belarusians, who suffered greatly and thought they knew a lot about the tragedy, have completely changed their perception about Chernobyl and are interpreting this tragedy in a whole new way. The authors accomplished this, even though they are from a completely different world – not from Belarus, not from our region." She also noted its popularity with young Belarusians.{{cite web |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/belarusian-nobel-laureate-says-hbo-series-has-completely-changed-perception-of-chernobyl/29997496.html |title=Belarusian Nobel Laureate Says HBO Series Has 'Completely Changed Perception' Of Chernobyl |publisher=Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty |first1=Anna |last1=Sous |first2=Tony |last2=Wesolowsky |date=June 13, 2019 |access-date=January 25, 2020 |archive-date=October 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001082758/https://www.rferl.org/a/belarusian-nobel-laureate-says-hbo-series-has-completely-changed-perception-of-chernobyl/29997496.html/ |url-status=live }}

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in China, Chinese netizens drew parallels between the Soviet response to the Chernobyl disaster and the initial handling of the coronavirus outbreak by the Chinese government.{{Cite news|last=Zhong|first=Raymond|date=January 27, 2020|title=As Virus Spreads, Anger Floods Chinese Social Media|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/27/technology/china-coronavirus-censorship-social-media.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200127154019/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/27/technology/china-coronavirus-censorship-social-media.html |archive-date=January 27, 2020 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=August 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news|last=Shih|first=Garry|date=January 29, 2020|title=In coronavirus outbreak, China's leaders scramble to avert a Chernobyl moment|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-coronavirus-outbreak-chinas-leaders-scramble-to-avert-a-chernobyl-moment/2020/01/29/bc4eb52a-4250-11ea-99c7-1dfd4241a2fe_story.html|access-date=August 26, 2021|archive-date=February 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200204085411/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-coronavirus-outbreak-chinas-leaders-scramble-to-avert-a-chernobyl-moment/2020/01/29/bc4eb52a-4250-11ea-99c7-1dfd4241a2fe_story.html|url-status=live}} As a response, the page for Chernobyl on Douban, which by that point had amassed more than 200,000 ratings with an average of 9.6 out of 10, was taken down.{{Cite web|last=Li|first=Jane|title=Chinese people are using "Chernobyl" to channel their anger about the coronavirus outbreak|url=https://qz.com/1791611/wuhan-coronavirus-chinese-people-channel-anger-through-chernobyl/|date=January 27, 2020|access-date=June 5, 2021|website=Quartz|archive-date=June 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605153345/https://qz.com/1791611/wuhan-coronavirus-chinese-people-channel-anger-through-chernobyl/|url-status=live}}

{{Television episode ratings

| noshare = y

| title1 = 1:23:45

| date1 = May 6, 2019

| rs1 = 0.2

| viewers1 = 0.756

| dvr1 = n/a

| dvrv1 = n/a

| total1 = n/a

| totalv1 = n/a

| title2 = Please Remain Calm

| date2 = May 13, 2019

| rs2 = 0.3

| viewers2 = 1.004

| dvr2 = 0.2

| dvrv2 = 0.716

| total2 = 0.5

| totalv2 = 1.721{{cite web |url=https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/dvr-ratings/cable-live-7-ratings-may-13-19-2019/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607003134/https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/dvr-ratings/cable-live-7-ratings-may-13-19-2019/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 7, 2019 |title='Game of Thrones' finale tops 18–49 and viewer gains: Cable Live +7 ratings for May 13–19 |last=Welch |first=Alex |work=TV by the Numbers |date=June 6, 2019 |access-date=June 6, 2019}}

| title3 = Open Wide, O Earth

| date3 = May 20, 2019

| rs3 = 0.3

| viewers3 = 1.063

| dvr3 = 0.2

| dvrv3 = 0.727

| total3 = 0.5

| totalv3 = 1.791{{cite web |url=https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/dvr-ratings/cable-live-7-ratings-may-20-26-2019/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190613230943/https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/dvr-ratings/cable-live-7-ratings-may-20-26-2019/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 13, 2019 |title='Vanderpump Rules,' 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' get biggest boosts in cable Live +7 ratings for May 20–26 |last=Welch |first=Alex |work=TV by the Numbers |date=June 13, 2019 |access-date=June 13, 2019}}

| title4 = The Happiness of All Mankind

| date4 = May 27, 2019

| rs4 = 0.3

| viewers4 = 1.193

| dvr4 = 0.3

| dvrv4 = 0.809

| total4 = 0.6

| totalv4 = 2.003{{cite web|url=https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/dvr-ratings/cable-live-7-ratings-may-27-june-2-2019/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617182239/https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/dvr-ratings/cable-live-7-ratings-may-27-june-2-2019/|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 17, 2019|title='The Hot Zone' posts biggest viewer gains in the cable Live +7 ratings for May 27 – June 2|last=Welch|first=Alex|work=TV by the Numbers|date=June 17, 2019|access-date=June 17, 2019}}

| title5 = Vichnaya Pamyat

| date5 = June 3, 2019

| rs5 = 0.3

| viewers5 = 1.089

| dvr5 = 0.3

| dvrv5 = 0.974

| total5 = 0.6

| totalv5 = 2.064{{cite web|url=https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/dvr-ratings/cable-live-7-ratings-june-3-9-2019/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624182237/https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/dvr-ratings/cable-live-7-ratings-june-3-9-2019/|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 24, 2019|title='Animal Kingdom,' 'Archer,' and 8 other shows double in cable Live +7 ratings for June 3–9|last=Welch|first=Alex|work=TV by the Numbers|date=June 24, 2019|access-date=June 24, 2019}}

}}

• List of Chernobyl-related articles
• Nuclear and radiation accidents and incidents
• Radiation protection
• Signs and symptoms of radiation poisoning

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{wikiquote}}

• {{Official website|https://www.hbo.com/chernobyl|Chernobyl}} – official site (HBO)
• {{Official website|https://www.sky.com/watch/chernobyl|Chernobyl}} – official site (Sky)
• {{IMDb title|7366338}}
• [https://johnaugust.com/library Chernobyl] episode scripts
• [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-chernobyl-podcast/id1459712981 The Chernobyl Podcast] – official miniseries podcast

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