I have hesitated watching this series for a few years now. I was 9 years old when the reactor exploded in 1986 and the cold war was at its height. I remember the news reports about radioactive dust clouds potentially covering much of Europe. It was a wild and scary time and I knew the series was very serious and might be too depressing.

Then a couple weeks ago I watched the series and really enjoyed it. Yes it is a little depressing and mostly heart breaking, but it tells the stories of the individuals involved really well. The acting, direction, and cinematography are all top class work.

Apparently there are a few instances where the writers and director have taken some dramatic liberty but overall it feels like an accurate depiction. I say this as I travelled to the USSR in 1990 and saw first hand how the country operated. The show reminds me of being in Moscow and Kiev. Everything seemed a bit older and sad. The communist experiment in 1990 was already failing with the baltic states leaving.

It’s a great series and I recommend everyone watch it to see how a catastrophe can be made even worse by bureaucracy.