Chernobyl is a 2019 historical drama television miniseries based on the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and the ensuing cleanup efforts. Craig Mazin created and wrote the series, which Johan Renck directed. Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgard, Emily Watson, and Paul Ritter lead the ensemble cast. HBO produced the series in the United States and Sky UK in the United Kingdom. But did you know where production actually shot the series?
The Ignalina nuclear power plant in eastern Lithuania is identical to the Pripyat plant at Chernobyl. The plant remained operational until 2009 when it served as the backdrop for HBO’s Chernobyl miniseries.
The 1986 Chernobyl Disaster
The Chernobyl disaster occurred on April 26, 1986, at the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the northwestern Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union. In terms of both cost and casualties, it is regarded as the worst nuclear disaster in history. It is one of only two nuclear energy accidents rated seven on the International Nuclear Event Scale, the other being Japan’s 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. The initial emergency response and subsequent environmental decontamination involved over 500,000 personnel and cost an estimated 18 billion Soviet rubles, roughly US$68 billion today.
The accident occurred during a safety test on an RBMK-type nuclear reactor’s steam turbine. The power output unexpectedly dropped to near zero during a planned decrease in reactor power in preparation for the test. The operators could not restore the power level specified by the test program, causing the reactor to become unstable. Because this risk was not mentioned in the operating instructions, the operators carried out the test. Following the completion of the test, the operators initiated a reactor shutdown. However, the reactor was primed to explode due to operator negligence and critical design flaws. Rather than shutting down, an uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction began, releasing massive amounts of energy.
Two engineers were killed, and two others were severely burned in the reactor explosion. A massive emergency operation was launched to extinguish the fire, stabilize the reactor, and clean up the ejected nuclear core. 134 station personnel and firefighters were hospitalized with acute radiation syndrome after absorbing high doses of ionizing radiation during the immediate emergency response. Of the 134 people, 28 died within days to months, and 14 died from suspected radiation-induced cancer within the next ten years. (Source: World Nuclear)
Did the Chernobyl Miniseries Achieve Success?
Sky has decided to double its investment in original production following the success of the Sky/HBO mini-series Chernobyl. Like Studiocanal in France, Sky will now create more original content to compete with streaming behemoth Netflix.
Chernobyl was a huge success for the company, receiving rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. On IMDB, it ranks first, ahead of Breaking Bad and Band of Brothers. Its first episode has a 28-day cumulative audience of 3.4 million, making it Sky’s largest audience for an original drama. (Source: Forbes)
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