When a government lies to its people, how far does the ripple effect go? And what kind of unintended consequences can come as a result? These are some of the big questions that showrunner Craig Mazin asks in his five-episode limited series Chernobyl, which originally aired on HBO in 2019 and is now available to stream on Max.
If you haven’t seen this intricate, devastating look at the infamous nuclear reactor accident, its themes are more resonant today than ever before. Here’s why it should make your viewing queue this month.
Craig Mazin Is a Master Storyteller
You may know Mazin from his more recent HBO series, The Last of Us, which stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. Among screenwriters, he is well known for co-hosting the podcast Scriptnotes with fellow screenwriter John August, where they break down the elements that make scripts great. His expertise is evident in Chernobyl, which takes disparate narratives from before, during, and after the nuclear disaster and organizes them for maximum emotional impact.
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It may surprise you to know that Chernobyl was Mazin’s first drama project. Before the HBO miniseries, he was best known for his work on comedies like the Scary Movie franchise and The Hangover Part III. Yet despite his comedy background, Mazin handles the deeply tragic story with immense respect and sympathy.
Jared Harris Leads a Skilled Ensemble Cast
Jared Harris (The Crown, Mad Men) plays the real-life scientist Valery Legasov, the deputy director of Russia’s nuclear energy institute, who is charged with cleaning up the devastating effects of the Chernobyl reactor’s explosion. Harris was nominated for an Emmy for the role, and the intensity with which he pursues justice and truth — even at the cost of his own life — transforms Legasov from an obscure figure into a heroic one.
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Other fantastic performances come from Stellan Skarsgård (Good Will Hunting) as Boris Shcherbina, another real Russian official who chose the pursuit of truth over his own political career, and Emily Watson (Breaking The Waves) as Ulana Khomyuk, a tenacious nuclear physicist based on the many scientists who relentlessly investigated the explosion.
The Series Sheds Light on a Fascinating and Terrible Event
Though the name “Chernobyl” has become synonymous with “explosive disaster,” the average American knows little about what the event actually meant for Russia and Ukraine. The long-term impact of the radiation exposure on both the people and the land is devastating to see and vital to understand.
In one particularly devastating scene, a newborn baby of one of the locals dies four hours after its birth from radiation exposure, illustrating how the effects of this disaster reached from one generation to the next.
The Makeup And Visual Effects Are Terrifyingly Real
The Last of Us’s mushroom-inspired “infected” monsters are (thankfully) fictional, but Mazin’s understanding of body horror is clear in this older series. The physical effects of radiation poisoning are on full display in Chernobyl, and the viewer can’t help but have a visceral response to the realistic makeup and prostheses used to bring its horrors to life.
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Chernobyl also takes its viewers inside the fiery depths of a nuclear reactor, and the explosions and other disasters feel far more real and less bombastic than what you’d see in your typical action movie or show.
The Themes Are Thought-Provoking
After the series finale aired, Mazin tweeted, “The lesson of Chernobyl isn’t that modern nuclear power is dangerous. The lesson is that lying, arrogance and suppression of criticism is dangerous.”
Throughout Chernobyl, it becomes clear that the Soviet government was withholding information from its own scientists for fear of admitting any weaknesses. One lie led to another, and the ripple effects led to a design flaw in the Chernobyl reactor that proved fatal. (31 people died as a short-term result of the disaster, but the number of estimated deaths from long-term radiation effects varies from as low as 4,000 to as high as 60,000.)
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Chernobyl asks you to think about the cost of lies and the importance of transparency from our institutions. Though the series is set in the Soviet Union, its themes resonate on a timeless, global scale. In an age when misinformation and institutional mistrust are growing concerns around the world, Chernobyl feels like a powerful cautionary tale. While it will probably bring a tear to your eye, the show’s thought-provoking imagery, stellar performances and tragic true story make it a must-watch.
Chernobyl is streaming on Max.
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