History
Station:
CNN (US)
Status:
Ended
Start:
2026-05-17
Rating:
0/10 from 0 users
Marking the 40th anniversary of the unprecedented tragedy, Disaster: The Chernobyl Meltdown tells the powerful story of the world's worst nuclear disaster in four gripping episodes. Spanning the scope of the catastrophic collapse of the reactor, the Soviets' calculated cover-up, and the present-day fallout now intersecting with the war in Ukraine, the series reveals a tragedy still reverberating across history. Featuring revealing interviews with survivors speaking publicly for the first time, alongside rare insight into the CIA and Soviet responses, the series exposes a web of secrecy, miscalculation, and human cost. Astonishing new footage from inside the nuclear exclusion zone reveals how this scarred landscape is once again under siege as war encroaches on one of the most dangerous places on Earth.
TV Show Ended.
S1E2 - Cover Up
The day after the incident, helicopter crews brave deadly radioactive smoke to extinguish the fire raging in the reactor core. As 50,000 locals evacuate, Soviet authorities try to conceal the scale and human cost of the accident.
Air Date: 17 May 2026 21:00 (CDT)
S1E3 - Sacrifice
In the weeks following the meltdown, workers battle lethal radiation to clear debris and construct a protective tomb around the destroyed reactor. Amid speculation, Soviet scientists reveal what they can about the cause of the catastrophe.
Air Date: 17 May 2026 22:00 (CDT)
S1E4 - Fallout
As the USSR collapses, an investigation uncovers the cause of the accident and scale of the Soviet cover up. Today, Chernobyl's toxic legacy persists as the nuclear exclusion zone becomes a war zone, raising fears of another disaster.
Air Date: 17 May 2026 22:00 (CDT)