TV SERIES · 2019–2019 · UK
Chernobyl
- Created by
- Craig Mazin
- Network
- HBO
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 5
- Studio
- SISTER, The Mighty Mint, Word Games
38 archived facts 7 topics 2 sources Last reviewed Nov 2026
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.
38 Interesting Facts About Chernobyl
Interesting Facts (15)
- #001
An accurate number of deaths caused by Chernobyl in the years following the disaster will never be known, as a 1988 decree from the Kremlin prevented doctors from citing radiation as a cause of death or illness.
- #002
The soldiers sent to help clean up Chernobyl and the surrounding area are each given a bottle of vodka. Alcohol was believed for a time to help slow radiation poisoning. However, it is now known to have a very minimal effect.
- #003
Astonishingly, the three remaining reactors at Chernobyl remained operational and manned after the 1986 explosion of Reactor No. 4. Chernobyl Reactor No. 2 was shut down after a fire in 1991, Reactor No. 1 was shut down in 1996 after pressure from foreign governments, and Reactor No. 3 was closed in 2000. The decommissioning process, whereby the facility is dismantled to the point that it no longer requires radiation protection, is ongoing as of 2024. It is estimated that decommissioning will not be completed until 2065, 79 years after the disaster.
- #004
The city of Pripyat - about 1.2 mi / 2 km from the power plant - sits almost exactly as it was left on April 27, 1986. At around 14:00 Soviet authorities initially ordered a temporary three-day evacuation, just three hours in advance, and advised residents to pack only their vital personal belongings. Believing they would be returning shortly, the city was essentially abandoned in place. During the clean-up operation most of the furniture, cars and other belongings were illegally looted and removed from the exclusion zone. Such illegal looting has since continued.
- #005
Astonishingly, the three remaining reactors at Chernobyl remained operational and manned after the 1986 explosion of Reactor No. 4. Chernobyl Reactor No. 2 was shut down after a fire in 1991, Reactor No. 1 was shut down in 1996 after pressure from foreign governments, and Reactor No. 3 was closed in 2000. The decommissioning process, whereby the facility is dismantled to the point that it no longer requires radiation protection, is ongoing as of 2024. It is estimated that decommissioning will not be completed until 2065, 79 years after the disaster.
- #006
On screen the actors speak English in their natural accents. However, all speech that is heard through artificial means is in Russian. All dialogue is in Russian if it is heard through the radio, emergency telephone call recordings, Soviet television news, and announcements made through public address systems. Because of this convention the makers were able to re-broadcast the actual recordings of fire operations dispatchers retrieved from the archives.
- #007
Though Craig Mazin sought authenticity in the way the characters addressed each other, he said he opted against always using the accurate formal address in Russian, in which one refers to a peer or superior by their first name and patronymic as opposed to a title and last name. For example, Legasov would address Shcherbina as Boris Yevdokimovich, not Comrade Shcherbina. Despite the accuracy, Mazin felt this was too distracting for Western audiences and would create a level of confusion.
- #008
The Chernobyl disaster, as is mentioned in the final episode's epilogue, is one of the primary factors which led to the fall of the Soviet Union.
- #009
Jared Harris (Valery Legasov) and Adam Nagaitis (Vasily Ignatenko) also worked together on Season 1 of The Terror (2018) as Francis Crozier and Cornelius Hickey, respectively.
- #010
Alexei Ananenko, Valeri Bespalov and Boris Baranov, who volunteered to open the reactor's water drainage valves, survived, contrary to the widespread belief that they would die immediately after the disaster. Baranov died of a heart attack in 2005, while the other two were still alive at the time the series was released.
- #011
Although the 'Bridge of Death' scene, in which residents watch the fire from a railway bridge, appears in the series, most historians describe the accounts of mass deaths there as an urban legend.
- #012
The series has a cyclical structure that begins with the question 'What is the cost of lies?' and ends with the same question. The control room flashback in Episode 5 connects directly to the opening scene of Episode 1, completing the narrative.
- #013
Alexej Manvelov, who plays a soldier in the series, contributes to the production's atmosphere not only with his acting but also with that eerie timbre in his voice; the vocals of the track 'Black Raven' on the soundtrack album belong to him.
- #014
In parallel with each episode of the series, HBO released a podcast titled "The Chernobyl Podcast." Creator and screenwriter Craig Mazin spoke with Peter Sagal about the behind-the-scenes of the production and writing process, the historical facts, and the stories behind the characters. Because of the theme of lies underlying the series, Mazin aimed with this podcast to explain the differences between historical facts and fiction and why certain elements were changed.
- #015
Contains a major spoiler — show
When the city of Pripyat is being evacuated, the original message recorded and broadcasted by the emergency patrols is the same as the one heard in the final moments of the second chapter.
Production Story (9)
- #016
Pro-Kremlin media continues to deny the extent of the disaster at Chernobyl, saying it has been exaggerated, with state-run media scoffing at the "myths," such as large numbers of leukemia cases. Segments of the Russian government were so unhappy with this mini-series that state TV channel NTV is producing its own more "patriotic" account of the events, involving a wholly fictional storyline based on a conspiracy theory that a CIA agent was in Chernobyl to sabotage the plant.
- #017
Parallel to the show, after each episode's release, HBO released a podcast for each episode, "The Chernobyl Podcast," in which creator/writer Craig Mazin talks with Peter Sagal about many behind-the-scenes details about the writing and the production, and explained more about the history and real events behind the episode's storyline and the characters. Because of the series' underlying theme of lies, Mazin decided to do the podcast specifically to address discrepancies between historical fact and fiction, and which elements depicted were fictional and why.
- #018
Though some ultra-nationalists took issue with the miniseries, Russian Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinskiy offered high praise for the series, saying it was done "masterfully" and with respect for the Soviet people. Medinsky's own father served as a liquidator.
- #019
Though Craig Mazin sought authenticity in the way the characters addressed each other, he said he opted against always using the accurate formal address in Russian, in which one refers to a peer or superior by their first name and patronymic as opposed to a title and last name. For example, Legasov would address Shcherbina as Boris Yevdokimovich, not Comrade Shcherbina. Despite the accuracy, Mazin felt this was too distracting for Western audiences and would create a level of confusion.
- #020
According to Jared Harris, the part he played, Valery Legasov, was originally intended for Daniel Day-Lewis, who announced his retirement from acting a month before the miniseries was announced. The two worked together in Lincoln (2012), Harris playing General Ulysses S. Grant to Day-Lewis's Abraham Lincoln.
- #021
A Ukrainian woman who lived during the Soviet era analyzed each script to ensure dialogue and small details were accurate to the time period. Creator and writer Craig Mazin had been unaware that "Comrade" was really used so extensively as a style of address.
- #022
Before his death, composer Jóhann Jóhannsson was set to score this miniseries. His longtime friend and collaborator Hildur Guðnadóttir ended up composing the series.
- #023
Creator/writer Craig Mazin originally intended for the characters to speak with Russian accents, but quickly abandoned this idea after the interview process began, as the accents became a distraction for the actors.
- #024
Pro-Kremlin media continues to deny the extent of the disaster at Chernobyl, saying it has been exaggerated, with state-run media scoffing at the "myths," such as large numbers of leukemia. Segments of the Russian government were so unhappy with this mini-series that state TV channel NTV is producing its own more "patriotic" account of the events, involving a wholly fictional storyline based on a conspiracy theory that a CIA agent was in Chernobyl to sabotage the plant.
Behind the Scenes (3)
- #025
Initial filming started on May 13, 2018, in Fabijoniskes, a residential district in Vilnius, Lithuania, which was used to portray the Ukrainian city of Pripyat, since the district maintained an authentic Soviet atmosphere. 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 (RBMK nuclear power reactor).
- #026
To record a unique score for the show, composer Hildur Guðnadóttir went to the decommissioned power plant Ignalina in Lithuania, where a lot of the show was filmed, to record unique ambient sounds with the help of sound recording specialist Chris Watson and score producer Sam Slater. Then, back in the studio they listened to hours of recordings, sampling sounds from them. She composed most of the music for the show's soundtrack from those recordings.
- #027
On screen the actors speak English in their natural accents. However, all speech that is heard through artificial means is in Russian. All dialogue is in Russian if it is heard through the radio, emergency telephone call recordings, Soviet television news, and announcements made through public address systems. Because of this convention the makers were able to re-broadcast the actual recordings of fire operations dispatchers retrieved from the archives.
Characters & Cast (3)
- #028
While the majority of the lead characters portrayed real people, Ulana Khomyuk was an amalgam who represented the dozens of Soviet scientists who worked to solve and investigate the Chernobyl disaster, and was written "to honor their dedication and service to truth and humanity."
- #029
Former Soviet General Nikolai Tarakanov (Ralph Ineson) gave several interviews about the series, which fascinated the Russian public upon its release. Tarakanov took issue with a few small details but otherwise praised the series and its depiction of the events, and stated he was portrayed accurately. Tarakanov, 85 in 2019, suffers from chronic disease related to radiation exposure from his time in Chernobyl.
- #030
Contains a major spoiler — show
Lyudmila Ignatenko (played by Jessie Buckley), the pregnant wife of doomed firefighter Vasily Ignatenko (Adam Nagaitis) is the subject of a Swedish documentary titled Ljudmilas röst (2001). The young couple, who married in 1983, had planned to travel to Belarus to visit Vasily's parents on that fateful Saturday morning of April 26, 1986. As of the release of this series, Lyudmilla lives with her son in Ukraine after having lost her husband and daughter to radiation poisoning.
Easter Eggs & References (1)
- #031
Contains a major spoiler — show
When the city of Pripyat is being evacuated, the original message recorded and broadcast by the emergency patrols is the same as the one heard in the final moments of the second chapter.
Deeper Meaning (6)
- #032
In the Blu-ray special features, actor Jared Harris explains the importance of a scene in Episode 2 during which his character Valery Legasov lies by telling a worried couple at the hotel bar that nothing is wrong at Chernobyl. According to Harris, this is the moment that Legasov ceases to be an innocent bystander and from that moment on feels directly responsible for the outcome of the disaster.
- #033
The word "apparatchik" is mentioned several times by Legasov and others. Apparatchiks were high-up lifetime members of the Communist Party, essentially highly paid bureaucrats.
- #034
A Ukrainian woman, who lived during in the Soviet era, analyzed each script to ensure dialogue and small details were accurate to the time period. Creator/writer Craig Mazin had been unaware that "Comrade" was really used so extensively as a style of address.
- #035
The tragic story of Lyudmila, the wife of firefighter Vasily Ignatenko, had also been the subject of the 2001 Swedish documentary 'Ljudmilas röst'. Lyudmila, who lost her husband and daughter to radiation poisoning, continues to live in Ukraine today with her son.
- #036
The character Ulana Khomyuk is a fictional composite representing many Soviet scientists who investigated the disaster. This character was created to honor all scientists dedicated to uncovering the truth.
- #037
Contains a major spoiler — show
In the first episode a congregation of people are shown standing on a railway bridge observing the catastrophe unfold as wind-borne radioactive particles float gently down over them. Unaware of the danger, they simply wallow innocently in the "joyous" spectacle. The man and his baby are later seen again in a hospital scene begging for treatment. The last episode's epilogue states the location became known as "Bridge of Death" because none of them survived. Others have dismissed the story as an urban legend, as most residents slept through the event.
Career & Awards (1)
- #038
The popularity of the miniseries was credited with a 30 to 40 percent spike in tourism to Chernobyl and Pripyat in the months following the premiere. The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone became a popular "dark tourism" destination, particularly after 2011, attracting thousands annually to see the abandoned city of Pripyat and the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. While tours were popular, they are currently halted due to the war in Ukraine (as of 2026).
Related pages
- The Last of Us — Chernobyl comes up in the facts on that page
- Alexander Skarsgård — Chernobyl comes up in the facts on that page
- Joker — Chernobyl comes up in the facts on that page
Continue through the archive
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work