1:23:45

January 2025 January 2025 Chernobyl 1-23-45 Chernobyl.jpg Reactor No. 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is on fire due to the explosion, while several firefighters attempt to put out the fire, unaware of the radiation exposure. 1 Johan Renck Craig Mazin Jakob Ihre Jinx Godfrey * 2019 5 6 (United States) 2019 5 7 (United Kingdom) 58 minutes * Adam Lundgren as Vyacheslav Brazhnik Karl Davies as Viktor Proskuryakov Donald Sumpter as Zharkov Billy Postlethwaite as Boris Stolyarchuk Joshua Leese as Igor Kirschenbaum Nadia Clifford as Svetlana Zinchenko Jamie Sives as Anatoly Sitnikov Douggie McMeekin as Aleksandr Yuvchenko Michael Socha as Mikhail Jay Simpson as Valeriy Perevozchenko Please Remain Calm Chernobyl (miniseries)#Episodes "1:23:45" is the series premiere of the historical drama television miniseries Chernobyl, which details the nuclear disaster that occurred on April 26, 1986, and the consequences that everyone involved faced. The episode was directed by Johan Renck and written by the series creator Craig Mazin, and aired on HBO in the United States on May 6, 2019 and on Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom and Ireland on May 7, 2019. The episode details the explosion of the reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the reactions of the citizens of Pripyat, particularly the plant workers and firefighters. Deputy Chief Engineer Anatoly Dyatlov (Paul Ritter) and the Pripyat Executive Committee dismiss the severity of the explosion, despite the core's exposure endangering the lives of its citizens. Mazin started to research for the project in 2014, reading several books and government reports that detail the events that happened during the explosion and its aftermath. He also interviewed nuclear scientists and former Soviet citizens to understand how a nuclear reactor works and get a better idea of the culture in 1986. A companion podcast for the miniseries for each episode was released alongside the release of each episode, starting with "1:23:45" being released on May 6, 2019. The episode received widespread acclaim from critics with praise towards the realistic depiction of the Chernobyl disaster, atmosphere, cinematography, and Ritter's performance. The initial broadcast of the episode through HBO drew over 756,000 viewers in the United States, while in the United Kingdom though Sky UK it managed to attract over 861,000 viewers. The episode won three Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Plot On April 26, 1988, Valery Legasov records tapes revealing the truth of what really happened on the night of the Chernobyl disaster. Legasov manages to hide the tapes while avoiding being seen by the KGB (sitting in a car), then returns to his apartment and hangs himself (his death occurred one day after the second anniversary in real-life).https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-04-30-mn-2023-story.html OBITUARIES : Valery A. Legasov, 51; Chernobyl Investigator Los Angeles Times April 30, 1988 August 12, 2019 May 8, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190508101354/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-04-30-mn-2023-story.html live Two years prior, on April 26, 1986, Reactor No. 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant explodes near Pripyat, Ukraine. Firefighter Vasily Ignatenko and his pregnant wife Lyudmilla Ignatenko see the explosion (which casts an electric blue Ionized-air glow from the Power Plant) from their apartment. Inside the Power Plant's control room, Deputy Chief Engineer Anatoly Dyatlov refuses to believe that the Nuclear Core exploded despite both hearing the claims of some of the workers and seeing the scattered nuclear graphite on the roof of one of the buildings. While some of the badly injured engineers scramble to locate their missing colleagues, Dyatlov leaves the Plant to meet with the Pripyat Executive Committee, alongside Chernobyl manager Viktor Bryukhanov and chief engineer Nikolai Fomin. Before he leaves, Dyatlov forces Aleksandr Akimov and Leonid Toptunov to manually open the water valves to flood the damaged reactor and restore the cooling. They oblige, but by doing so, they are exposed to lethal radiation doses. Vasily is called to the scene. He, and other firefighters and first responders, arrive and scramble to put out the fire. Due to the explosion, several blocks of nuclear graphite are spread around the rubble. After one of firefighters picks up one of these blocks, his hand becomes severely burned within seconds. Vasily, who is red from radiation burns, begins to suffer from acute radiation syndrome (ARS). Lyudmilla, fearing for the risks of the explosion, refuses to watch the fire from the road bridge alongside her neighbors, who inadvertently become exposed to high radiation doses. Meanwhile, Dyatlov, Bryukhanov, and Fomin meet and conclude that while the reactor was badly damaged and a hydrogen explosion caused a leakage of contaminated water, the damage is under control. They, along with the committee, disregard the dangers of the explosion and the radiation, forbid the Pripyat residents to evacuate, and proceed to block all communication to the outside world. Chernobyl's deputy chief operational engineer Anatoly Sitnikov arrives and reports that the Nuclear Core is exposed after witnessing the damage. His claims are dismissed, and Bryukhanov and Fomin force Sitnikov to go to the roof to make a visual inspection after Dyatlov collapses from ARS. Sitnikov objects, but at gun point, does so and receives a fatal dose of radiation. He reports back to Bryukhanov and Fomin, but they still refuse to believe that the reactor exploded. Legasov receives a call from the Council of Ministers' deputy chairman Boris Shcherbina, who orders him to provide technical advice to the committee managing the response. Meanwhile, wind carries radioactive smoke slowly towards Pripyat, creating the Red Forest and killing wildlife. Pripyat children walk to school, and when a bird falls from the sky and dies due to the radiation, the children are unaware of it. Production Development right|thumb|alt=|upright|Series director Johan Renck was in charge of directing the episode. Screenwriter Craig Mazin was recognized for primarily working in comedies for the last 20 years such as Scary Movie, Identity Thief, and The Hangover. Mazin considered working on Chernobyl easier than comedies, "It's brutal. It requires a sense of logic, and it requires a kind of intellectual capacity. Some of the smartest people I know are comedy writers. You have to be transgressive, but you also have to understand character. When I was writing Chernobyl, it seemed very natural to me."Chaney Jen 2019-08-29 Chernobyl Was the Easiest Thing Craig Mazin Has Ever Written https://www.vulture.com/2019/08/craig-mazin-chernobyl-interview.html 2022-08-09 Vulture en-us 2022-08-09 https://web.archive.org/web/20220809160647/https://www.vulture.com/2019/08/craig-mazin-chernobyl-interview.html live Romano Evan 2019-09-03 How 'The Hangover' Sequel Writer Became the Emmy-Nominated 'Chernobyl' Creator https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a27683353/craig-mazin-chernobyl/ 2022-08-09 Men's Health en-us 2022-08-09 https://web.archive.org/web/20220809160604/https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a27683353/craig-mazin-chernobyl/ live In order to capture the show's full scope of the explosion, Mazin went to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, stating: "That required kind of both living inside that mind in that culture and sharing the scripts early on with people who grew up in Soviet Ukraine and having them vet through things. Insane attention to tiny details, clothing, watches, glasses, everything. Shooting in Lithuania, a lot of our crew were old enough to remember what it was like living in the Soviet Union. They would let us know, ‘You know, if you brought your lunch to work, you would use a briefcase for that. You wouldn't use a paper bag."Greene Steve 2019-05-07 'Chernobyl': HBO Series Never Hides From History's Physical and Psychological Horror https://www.indiewire.com/2019/05/chernobyl-episode-1-craig-mazin-johan-renck-hbo-1202131596/ 2022-08-13 IndieWire en 2019-05-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20190507114308/https://www.indiewire.com/2019/05/chernobyl-episode-1-craig-mazin-johan-renck-hbo-1202131596/ live In 2014, Mazin developed an interest in adapting the Chernobyl disaster and began researching for the project by reading books and interviewing nuclear scientists with the hopes of getting the most accurate portrayal of the explosion to the series.April 10, 2019 Five-Part Miniseries Chernobyl, An HBO/Sky Co-Production Starring Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård and Emily Watson, Written and Created by Craig Mazin, and Directed by Johan Renck, Debuts May 6 on HBO https://medium.com/hbo-cinemax-pr/chernobyl-debuts-may-6-on-hbo-a291ea24b3ee May 31, 2019 HBO May 31, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190531150223/https://medium.com/hbo-cinemax-pr/chernobyl-debuts-may-6-on-hbo-a291ea24b3ee live He stated: "Well, at the heart of this story is a question about what happens when we disconnect from the truth. And the Soviet system was essentially an enormous monument to the useful lie. They made lying an art: They lied to each other, they lied to the people above them, they lied to the people below them, and they did it out of a sense of survival. Ultimately, it just became expected, and the truth was debased. When it did kind of peek its head out, it was attacked. So I thought the worst possible thing I could do in telling a story like that would be to contribute to that problem by over-fictionalizing, over-dramatizing."Schwartz Drew June 3, 2019 Craig Mazin's Years-Long Obsession with Making 'Chernobyl' Terrifyingly Accurate https://www.vice.com/en/article/craig-mazin-interview-about-chernobyl-hbo-miniseries-on-how-accurate-and-what-really-happened/ 2022-08-09 Vice en 2022-08-09 https://web.archive.org/web/20220809161156/https://www.vice.com/en/article/j5wbq4/craig-mazin-interview-about-chernobyl-hbo-miniseries-on-how-accurate-and-what-really-happened live He also revealed that he wanted to show the audience that lying, arrogance, and suppression of criticism are indeed the real danger that lead to the disaster and not nuclear power.Wald Matt A Viewer's Guide to HBO's Chernobyl Miniseries https://www.nei.org/news/2019/viewers-guide-to-hbo-miniseries-chernobyl 2022-08-13 Nuclear Energy Institute May 2019 en 2020-11-20 https://web.archive.org/web/20201120144703/https://www.nei.org/news/2019/viewers-guide-to-hbo-miniseries-chernobyl live On July 26, 2017, it was announced that Johan Renck would direct the miniseries, having previously worked on some episodes of Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead.Petski Denise 2017-07-26 'Chernobyl' Miniseries Starring 'The Crown's Jared Harris Set By HBO & Sky – TCA https://deadline.com/2017/07/hbo-sky-chernobyl-miniseries-starring-the-crown-jared-harris-tca-1202136735/ 2022-08-13 Deadline en-US 2017-12-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20171201033006/http://deadline.com/2017/07/hbo-sky-chernobyl-miniseries-starring-the-crown-jared-harris-tca-1202136735/ live Renck expressed interest in directing the show after reading the script due to his interest on dark stories, explaining: "It basically started with a script showing up on my desk one day. The title alone interested me a lot because this kind of tragically dark, eerie and dramatic story tends to suit my taste. It's the stuff I respond to. I'm from Sweden originally and lived in Stockholm in 1986 when the catastrophe occurred, so I remember it vividly because while Sweden wasn't hit by it they were also the first ones to understand something had happened outside of the Soviet since they'd put a lid on it." The series horror elements were due to Renck wanting to portray the disaster with his "own feelings and perception of reality rather than trying to sort of work within the realm of film and have to use those traditional tools"Johnson Ally 'Chernobyl': Director Johan Renck Talks About His Harrowing HBO Mini-Series [Interview] https://theplaylist.net/chernobyl-director-johan-renck-interview-20190527/ 2022-08-13 The Playlist 27 May 2019 2022-08-13 https://web.archive.org/web/20220813002647/https://theplaylist.net/chernobyl-director-johan-renck-interview-20190527/ live Casting The producers originally intended to have Daniel Day-Lewis in the lead role as Valery Legasov, but the former retired from acting just a few days before the series announcement following the completation of his last film Phantom Thread.Hattenstone Simon 2019-05-01 Chernobyl's Jared Harris: My wife can't believe how I keep getting bumped off! http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/may/01/jared-harris-chernobyl-the-crown-mad-men-richard 2023-01-30 The Guardian en 2023-01-30 https://web.archive.org/web/20230130024746/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/may/01/jared-harris-chernobyl-the-crown-mad-men-richard live On June 26, 2017, it was confirmed that Jared Harris would be joining the series as Legasov;Petski Denise 2017-07-26 'Chernobyl' Miniseries Starring 'The Crown's Jared Harris Set By HBO & Sky – TCA https://deadline.com/2017/07/hbo-sky-chernobyl-miniseries-starring-the-crown-jared-harris-tca-1202136735/ 2023-01-30 Deadline en-US 2017-12-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20171201033006/http://deadline.com/2017/07/hbo-sky-chernobyl-miniseries-starring-the-crown-jared-harris-tca-1202136735/ live "I felt some responsibility, but I'm not playing the historical figure. The script made some changes to the real events to focus on the story between Legasov and Shcherbina, so you need to figure out your role in the story and then use your imagination to connect with the material."Pond Steve 2019-06-13 How 'Chernobyl' Star Jared Harris Revived a Hero Buried by History https://www.thewrap.com/how-chernobyl-star-jared-harris-revived-a-hero-buried-by-history/ 2023-01-30 TheWrap en-US 2023-01-30 https://web.archive.org/web/20230130024806/https://www.thewrap.com/how-chernobyl-star-jared-harris-revived-a-hero-buried-by-history/ live Instead of using a Russian accent, Harris used his natural one as the characters were ‘speaking in their own language’ and deemed that it would make better sense for the actors to use their respective accents.Mellor Louisa 2020-07-15 Chernobyl: Why the Cast Didn't Use Russian or Ukrainian Accents https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/chernobyl-why-the-cast-didnt-use-russian-or-ukrainian-accents/ 2023-01-30 Den of Geek en-US 2023-01-30 https://web.archive.org/web/20230130025848/https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/chernobyl-why-the-cast-didnt-use-russian-or-ukrainian-accents/ live On March 19, 2018, it was confirmed that Stellan Skarsgård would join the series in the role of Boris Shcherbina and stated: "Nobody would see it as a privilege to spend five months in a dilapidated nuclear plant, unless it was to play in a script like this by Craig Mazin, work with a director like Johan Renck, collaborate with a producer like Jane Featherstone, jam with an actor like Jared Harris and finally be at the feet of Emily Watson whom I have been missing for some 20 years."Clarke Stewart 2018-03-19 Stellan Skarsgard, Emily Watson Cast in HBO, Sky Miniseries 'Chernobyl' https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/stellan-skarsgard-emily-watson-hbo-sky-chernobyl-1202730029/ 2023-02-14 Variety en-US 2023-02-14 https://web.archive.org/web/20230214060358/https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/stellan-skarsgard-emily-watson-hbo-sky-chernobyl-1202730029/ live Adam Nagaitis and Jessie Buckley were cast in the series portraying Vasily Ignatenko and Lyudmilla Ignatenko respectively.Bley Griffiths Eleanor May 23, 2023 Jessie Buckley joins Jared Harris and Stellan Skarsgård in Chernobyl disaster drama https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/jessie-buckley-joins-jared-harris-and-stellan-skarsgard-in-chernobyl-disaster-drama/ 2023-02-14 Radio Times en 2023-02-14 https://web.archive.org/web/20230214061859/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/jessie-buckley-joins-jared-harris-and-stellan-skarsgard-in-chernobyl-disaster-drama/ live Kroll Justin 2018-05-23 'Terror' Breakout Adam Nagaitis Joins HBO Miniseries 'Chernobyl' https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/adam-nagaitis-hbo-series-chernobyl-1202819812/ 2023-02-14 Variety en-US 2019-05-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20190507152251/https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/adam-nagaitis-hbo-series-chernobyl-1202819812/ live The episode also stars Paul Ritter as Anatoly Dyatlov, Con O'Neill as Viktor Bryukhanov, Adrian Rawlins as Nikolai Fomin, Sam Troughton as Aleksandr Akimov, and Robert Emms as Leonid Toptunov.Petski Denise 2018-05-23 'Chernobyl': Paul Ritter, Jessie Buckley, Adrian Rawlins & Con O'Neil Among Cast Additions For HBO/Sky Miniseries https://deadline.com/2018/05/chernobyl-paul-ritter-jessie-buckley-adrian-rawlins-con-oneil-cast-hbo-sky-miniseries-1202396231/ 2023-02-14 Deadline en-US 2019-05-12 https://web.archive.org/web/20190512215541/https://deadline.com/2018/05/chernobyl-paul-ritter-jessie-buckley-adrian-rawlins-con-oneil-cast-hbo-sky-miniseries-1202396231/ live Gordon Naomi 2019-06-06 The real people behind the characters in Chernobyl, and what happened to them https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/reports/g27751591/chernobyl-hbo-series-real-people-what-happened-next/ 2023-02-14 Cosmopolitan en-GB 2023-02-14 https://web.archive.org/web/20230214075626/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/reports/g27751591/chernobyl-hbo-series-real-people-what-happened-next/ live Filming The filming for the show began its principal photography in April 2018, in Lithuania, due to keeping the same architecture during its period of the country still being part of the Soviet Union.Littleton Cynthia 2017-07-26 HBO Sets 'Chernobyl' Miniseries to Star Jared Harris https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/hbo-chernobyl-miniseries-jared-harris-1202507712/ 2023-02-15 Variety en-US 2019-05-12 https://web.archive.org/web/20190512214311/https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/hbo-chernobyl-miniseries-jared-harris-1202507712/ live In order to portray the city of Pripyat for the series, filming took place at the residential district of Fabijoniškės in the city of Vilnius.2019-09-26 Chernobyl HBO Filming Locations in Vilnius, Lithuania % https://elmundook.com/visit-chernobyl-hbo-filming-locations-in-vilnius-lithuania-where-was-it-filmed/ 2023-02-15 ElMundoOk es 2023-02-15 https://web.archive.org/web/20230215040946/https://elmundook.com/visit-chernobyl-hbo-filming-locations-in-vilnius-lithuania-where-was-it-filmed/ live The main reason for the crew to not film at Pripyat is due to the current deteriorating state that the city is in after its evacuation following the disaster, as it was needed to represent the city as it was during the time of the incident. Mazin also revealed that it is still dangerous to film close to Chernobyl, as 20,000 years need to pass in order to become available for human habitation again.2022-07-13 Visit HBO Chernobyl series filming locations in Lithuania https://golookexplore.com/visit-hbo-chernobyl-series-filming-locations-in-lithuania/ 2023-02-15 Go Look Explore en-US 2023-02-15 https://web.archive.org/web/20230215024126/https://golookexplore.com/visit-hbo-chernobyl-series-filming-locations-in-lithuania/ live Thibault Anthony 2020-06-06 Shooting locations of the Chernobyl series https://www.fantrippers.com/en/shooting-locations-of-the-chernobyl-series/ 2023-02-15 Fantrippers en-US 2023-02-15 https://web.archive.org/web/20230215024129/https://www.fantrippers.com/en/shooting-locations-of-the-chernobyl-series/ live The scenes that took place at the power plant were filmed at the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, which has been closed since 2009, due to both of them being very similar.Vilnius: Where the Chernobyl HBO Miniseries ... Go Vilnius https://www.govilnius.lt/visit-vilnius/routes/vilnius-where-the-chernobyl-hbo-miniseries-came-to-life 2023-02-15 Vilnius en 2023-02-15 https://web.archive.org/web/20230215031117/https://www.govilnius.lt/visit-vilnius/routes/vilnius-where-the-chernobyl-hbo-miniseries-came-to-life live Title meaning The episode's title refers to the exact time of the clock when the reactor 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear plant exploded, at 1:23:45 AM on April 26, 1986.Mithaiwala Mansoor 2019-06-04 HBO's Chernobyl: The Real Meanings Of Each Episode Title https://screenrant.com/chernobyl-hbo-episode-titles-meanings-explained/ 2023-02-15 ScreenRant en 2023-02-15 https://web.archive.org/web/20230215075336/https://screenrant.com/chernobyl-hbo-episode-titles-meanings-explained/ live It also depicts the exact time of when Legasov committed suicide in order to coincide with the second anniversary of the Chernobyl explosion. However, this is only used in the episode for dramatic purposes, as Legasov in reality committed suicide a day later.Chernobyl disaster: How accurate is the HBO series? https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chernobyl-disaster-how-accurate-is-the-hbo-series/ 2023-02-15 CBS News 3 June 2019 en-US 2019-06-10 https://web.archive.org/web/20190610100414/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chernobyl-disaster-how-accurate-is-the-hbo-series/ live Reception Ratings "1:23:45" was first broadcast in the United States through HBO on May 6, 2019, where it was seen by 756,000 viewers and received a 0.19 rating in the 18-49 demographics.Metcalf Mitch May 7, 2019 Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.6.2019 Showbuzz Daily http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-monday-cable-originals-network-finals-5-6-2019.html dead May 7, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190507202225/http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-monday-cable-originals-network-finals-5-6-2019.html May 7, 2019 It was followed by its airing in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland through Sky Atlantic on May 7, 2019, where it obtained a total of 861,000 viewers.Weekly four-screen dashboard – BARB https://www.barb.co.uk/viewing-data/four-screen-dashboard live https://web.archive.org/web/20190330085121/https://www.barb.co.uk/viewing-data/four-screen-dashboard/ March 30, 2019 June 10, 2019 Broadcasters' Audience Research Board Critical response "1:23:45" received acclaim from critics. David Griffin from IGN commented "HBO's Chernobyl is a brilliant and emotionally draining dive into a horrific event. Stellan Skarsgård, Jared Harris, and Emily Watson give memorable performances that are amplified by Johan Renck's skillful direction and Craig Mazin's sharp writing. While the horrors of Chernobyl might be difficult to stomach, the narrative journey is worth sticking around for... Even if it causes you to squirm from time to time."Griffin David 2019-05-07 HBO's Chernobyl: Series Premiere "1:23:45" Review https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/05/07/hbos-chernobyl-review-series-premiere-12345 2023-02-15 IGN en 2023-02-15 https://web.archive.org/web/20230215191646/https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/05/07/hbos-chernobyl-review-series-premiere-12345 live Ed Cumming from The Independent rated the episode with 5 stars and stated: "The threat of nuclear war may have abated but as metaphors, radiation and fallout are as powerful as they were 30 years ago. Timely, bleak, intelligent and compelling, Chernobyl is a triumph of a disaster." Adam Starkey from Metro also gave the episode 5 stars and considered that "Some might find Chernobyl too bleak to enjoy, but very few shows land with such a startling and unsettling first impression. As entertainment, a retelling of the disaster, and a warning of scarily relevant dangers, Chernobyl is a staggering, unmissable achievement which will haunt you for weeks."Starkey Adam 2019-05-07 Chernobyl episode 1 review: Essential drama will haunt you for weeks https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/07/chernobyl-episode-1-review-essential-drama-will-haunt-you-for-weeks-9416778/ 2023-02-15 Metro en 2023-02-15 https://web.archive.org/web/20230215195102/https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/07/chernobyl-episode-1-review-essential-drama-will-haunt-you-for-weeks-9416778/ live Lucy Mangan from The Guardian gave the episode 3 stars praising Ritter's performance and calling it "part of a uniformly excellent parade of performances fighting to make coherence out of chaos", but was critical of not showing more of the accurate effects, hoping that the show would improve in the following episodes: "With Jared Harris starring, this miniseries about the 1986 meltdown should be gripping – but instead strands viewers in a bewildering cloud of unanswered questions."Mangan Lucy 2019-05-07 Chernobyl review – chaos reigns in confusing nuclear disaster epic en-GB The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/may/07/chernobyl-review-chaos-reigns-in-confusing-nuclear-disaster-epic 2023-02-15 0261-3077 2023-02-15 https://web.archive.org/web/20230215212139/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/may/07/chernobyl-review-chaos-reigns-in-confusing-nuclear-disaster-epic live David Fear from the Rolling Stone rated the episode with 3.5 stars and stated that the series "spend(s) some five fours showing how a perfect storm of screw-ups and cover-ups led to a genuine catastrophe, as well as diving into an aftermath of devastation that plays like a slow-motion nightmare."Fear David 2019-05-06 'Chernobyl' Review: Revisiting Russia's Nuclear Disaster as a Season in Hell https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/chernobyl-tv-review-hbo-830621/ 2023-02-17 Rolling Stone en-US 2023-02-17 https://web.archive.org/web/20230217231427/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/chernobyl-tv-review-hbo-830621/ live Sophie Gilbert from The Atlantic lauded the performances of the three lead actors "that are titans that they manage to carry off dialogue that could be cumbersome in lesser hands. While not much wears faster than bad Vladivostok burrs from RADA trained artists, the cadences here are so extremely British that cultural dissonance sometimes sets in."Gilbert Sophie 2019-05-06 'Chernobyl' Is a Gruesome, Riveting Fable https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/05/chernobyl-gruesome-riveting-fable-hbo/588688/ 2023-02-17 The Atlantic en 2019-05-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20190507074723/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/05/chernobyl-gruesome-riveting-fable-hbo/588688/ live Keith Phipps from TV Guide praised the show for its accuracies, stating, "The series details what took place before and after the reactor explosion but also the conditions that allowed it to happen, and which came close to making it even worse. As such, it doubles as a warning about who pays the cost when the hard facts of science butt up against political agendas, whether decades ago on the other side of the Iron Curtain or here and now. Some bad decisions have half-lives that last for centuries."Phipps Keith Why the End of Yellowstone Might Be Exactly What the Franchise Needs to Thrive https://www.tvguide.com/news/why-the-end-of-yellowstone-might-be-exactly-what-the-franchise-needs-to-thrive/ 2023-02-17 TV Guide en 2023-02-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20230216110029/https://www.tvguide.com/news/why-the-end-of-yellowstone-might-be-exactly-what-the-franchise-needs-to-thrive/ live Allison Keene from Collider rated the show with a perfect score of 5 stars and considered the show to be a "cautionary tale bigger than just the nuclear power industry, or even the environment. The cautionary tale here is about what happens when people choose to ignore the truth. It doesn't care, as it turns out – the truth does not care. The world gets hotter whether we agree with it or not, and that is something that I hope people can take away from the show – that in the end, we have choices about what we will or will not confront as true, but the truth does not care, and it will come to pass."Keene Allison 2019-05-06 Chernobyl Review: HBO's Haunting Miniseries Is Emotionally Distressing https://collider.com/chernobyl-review/ 2023-02-17 Collider en 2023-02-17 https://web.archive.org/web/20230217231427/https://collider.com/chernobyl-review/ live Nick Schager from The Daily Beast stated that "Chernobyl has transformed from a story about plant-operator faults to one about systematic deception on the part of the stubborn, arrogant, blind and foolish Soviets, whose communist culture—demanding absolute loyalty to the Party, which is always perfect and infallible, even when facts say otherwise—compelled everyone to cover up the truth lest they be vilified as nation-besmirching traitors."Schager Nick 2019-05-06 'Chernobyl' Exposes the Horrifying Scope of Soviet Deception en The Daily Beast https://www.thedailybeast.com/hbos-chernobyl-exposes-the-horrifying-scope-of-soviet-deception 2023-02-17 2023-02-17 https://web.archive.org/web/20230217232521/https://www.thedailybeast.com/hbos-chernobyl-exposes-the-horrifying-scope-of-soviet-deception live Accolades Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref. References2020 Primetime Creative Emmy Awards Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special Stefan Henrix, Joe Beal, Michael Maroussas, Harry Barnes, Andy Wade, Anna Wright https://www.tvline.com/news/emmys-2019-awards-winners-list-1102242/ Emmys 2019: Game of Thrones Ties Record and Leads TV Pack; Fleabag, Chernobyl and Mrs. Maisel Win Big Matt Webb Mitovich TVLine September 22, 2019 September 24, 2019 September 24, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190924195422/https://tvline.com/2019/09/22/emmys-2019-awards-winners-list/ live https://www.indiewire.com/2019/09/2019-creative-arts-emmys-winners-list-1202173604/ Complete Creative Arts Emmy Awards 2019 Winners List: 'Game of Thrones' Torches Competitors Libby Hill IndieWire September 14, 2019 September 24, 2019 September 21, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190921140038/https://www.indiewire.com/2019/09/2019-creative-arts-emmys-winners-list-1202173604/ live Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited Series or Movie Stuart Hilliker and Vincent Piponnier Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role Max Dennison, Lindsay McFarlane, Claudius Christian Rauch, Clare Cheetham, Laura Bethencourt Montes, Steven Godfrey, Luke Letkey, Christian Waite and William Foulser 2020 Visual Effects Society Awards Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode Max Dennison, Lindsay McFarlane, Clare Cheetham, Paul Jones and Claudius Christian Rauch https://deadline.com/2020/01/ves-awards-nominations-2020-list-the-lion-king-the-mandalorian-game-of-thrones-1202823016/ VES Awards Nominations: 'The Lion King', 'Alita: Battle Angel', 'The Mandalorian' & 'GoT' Top List Deadline Hollywood Patrick Hipes January 7, 2020 January 7, 2020 February 16, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200216161837/https://deadline.com/2020/01/ves-awards-nominations-2020-list-the-lion-king-the-mandalorian-game-of-thrones-1202823016/ live References External links "1:23:45" at HBO 8162428 1:23:45 collapsed Category:2010s American television series premieres Category:2010s British television series premieres Category:2019 American television episodes Category:2019 British television episodes Category:Chernobyl (miniseries) episodes Category:Television episodes directed by Johan Renck Category:Television episodes set in Belarus Category:Television episodes set in Moscow Category:Television episodes set in Russia Category:Television episodes set in Ukraine Category:Television episodes written by Craig Mazin