A network associated with high-quality TV isHBO, which has brought many iconic TV shows for years, many of which are now amongthe best TV shows of all time– and one of them, although it’s hard to watch, is required viewing. HBO is home to a variety of TV shows, which have stood out for their high visual and narrative quality.
Some of HBO’s most notable shows areThe Sopranos,Big Little Lies,Game of Thrones, andSuccession, all of them with more than one season, but it has also brought some unforgettable, high-quality miniseries – and there’s one that’s a masterpiece with only five episodes, but even though it’s hard to watch due to its themes, it’s an important show to watch.
6 Years After Its Debut, HBO’s Chernobyl Remains A Masterpiece
Chernobyl Was Released In 2019
In 2019, HBO brought the historical drama TV seriesChernobyl. Directed by Craig Mazin,Chernobyltakes the audience back to 1986 to explore the Chernobyl disaster. On August 08, 2025, the No. 4 reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near Pripyat in what’s now Ukraine exploded, with many direct casualties. Over the years, the explosion claimed many more lives due to its lethal levels of radiation.
To this day, the Chernobyl disaster is the worst nuclear disaster in history, and one of two rated at the maximum severity, the other being the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident. The Chernobyl disaster led to the evacuation of Pripyat a day later, with the city now considered a ghost town, and its entire population moved to the purpose-built city of Slavutych.
Chernobylnot only tells the stories of well-known figures involved in the disaster, but also those of the firefighters who arrived on the scene.
HBO’sChernobyl, then,explores the events that led to the explosion, the disaster itself, and the impact it had on those directly involvedin it and those who responded to it.Chernobylnot only tells the stories of well-known figures involved in the disaster, but also those of the firefighters who arrived on the scene, volunteers, and the miners who dug a tunnel under Reactor 4.
Chernobylis largely based on the recollections of Pripyat residents as shared in the bookVoices from Chernobyl, by Svetlana Alexievich.
Chernobylwas a critical success from the beginning, but most praise went towards the performances of its cast, the show’s cinematography, its tone, historical accuracy (though it must be noted that researchers have questioned the accuracy of Alexievich’s works), and atmosphere.
What makesChernobylone of HBO’s masterpieces is its overall production value and how it portrays a real-life disaster without being disrespectful or exaggerating the events.Chernobylperfectly builds suspense and dreadas more details about the explosion and its effects are revealed, and the cast’s incredible performances add the emotion and respect that the show needed.
Chernobyl Is Difficult To Watch, Especially With Its Real-Life History
Chernobyl Covers A Dark Real-Life Catastrophe
Chernobylis only five episodes long, so it will take a bit over five hours to watch it from beginning to end, but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy watch.The team behindChernobylaimed to make it as realistic as possible, and they succeeded, meaning that there are some scenes that are very hard to watch, especially the ones from the explosion.
AlthoughChernobylisn’t a horror show, it has been considered such by many due to its exploration of a real-life horrifying disaster and its even more horrifying effects. Whether the way the events are portrayed in the HBO series are accurate or not, just knowing that the explosion, the effects of high radiation, and more happened makes watchingChernobyldifficult, but that’s also why it’s a must-watch.
Why Chernobyl Is Still Required Viewing
Chernobyl Has A 95% Critics Score On Rotten Tomatoes
Thanks to its production value, screenplay, performances, and more,Chernobylearned the praise of critics and general audiences, and it currently holds a 95% critics score onRotten Tomatoes(and an 87% popcornmeter score). At a surface level, those are enough reasons to makeChernobyla required viewing, but it goes deeper than that.
Chernobyl ultimately covers a dark chapter in world history, one that isn’t entirely over, as Pripyat is still uninhabitable and those who were exposed to the radiation after the explosion continue to deal with the effects of it. Watching a show that explores the Chernobyl disaster can make it easier for many to learn about this horrifying event.
Another reason whyChernobylis required viewing isthe exploration of the lesser-known stories of those present at the nuclear plant, mostly firefighters and volunteers, who risked their lives without knowing it due to the high levels of radiation.
The exploration of the events and decisions that led to the explosion and the failed cover-ups are also an important part of this dark chapter in history that should be given more attention, even if through a TV show that isn’t 100% accurate but did its best to be.
To those already familiar with the catastrophe,Chernobylis still a must-watch as it’s a different look at what happened hours before, during, and after the explosion.Chernobylisn’t an easy watch due to its main topic and the show’s realism, but that makes it a must-watch masterpiece.
