I recently had cause to watch HBO’s Chernobyl from 2019 and there is no doubt it was incredibly compelling TV.
The story and portrayal of what the people of Russia had to go through, along with an explanation of what happened, brought out a number of emotional responses across the audience.
People were lied to. Unnecessary lives were lost. Accountability was not in the frame. It is a hard but gripping watch.
Did It Really Happen
In the current day and age of health and safety, you would be forgiven for asking, “did these things really happen?”
Whilst I approached the show with some prior knowledge (I was alive when it happened), I often wondered throughout the episodes how much of it was true, and how much was good storytelling. To the Internet I went.
According to the above article, the Creator and Director were obsessed with accuracy, doing over 2 years of research. They even filmed it at Chernobyl’s sister site so that as much of the setting could be as accurate as possible.
All of the main events in the show actually happened.
A fictional character?
While it was incredibly factual, one of the main characters is a work of fiction.
Emily Watson’s character, Ulana Khomyuk was created to represent all the scientists and people that fought against the Russian narrative and that wanted to the truth to be know.
I heartily recommend this show. While it isn’t a feel good show, it is incredibly compelling and very well put together. If you have not watched the show and/or want to know more, here are some links for you:
Chernobyl | Official Website for the HBO Series | HBO.com
Chernobyl (miniseries) – Wikipedia (SPOILERS