In 1986 the nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl power plant in the USSR melted down. Despite attempts to cover it up, the world soon learned about one of the worst man-made disasters in human history.
HBO’s new miniseries Chernobyl, which was produced by the UK’s Sky Productions, is a powerful drama that captures the horrors of what it was like to be in that Soviet town when the disaster struck. What makes the tale all the more terrifying is the attempts to cover up what happened, with the plant’s directors insisting that it wasn’t as bad as the workers were telling them.
The first episode premiered on May 6 and it wasted no time getting into the disaster. Once the core melted down the workers at the plant were in a fight to survive, but getting away from the disaster was tricky given the radiation spreading through the facility and the plant’s bosses insisting that they needed to get back inside. The tone of the show is eerie as the audience sees what life was like inside the Soviet Union. (Lithuania served as the Chernobyl set and it really captures the gritty feel of life in communist Russia)
It’s a harrowing tale that serves as a staunch reminder of the fragility of human life and the danger that comes with trying to cover up large scale disasters. And the first episode is just the beginning of the horrors yet to come…
New episodes of Chernobyl air Mondays on HBO.
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