Disaster: The Chernobyl Meltdown: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

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.

Series details

• Title: Disaster: The Chernobyl Meltdown
• Format: Documentary
• Language: English
• Genres: History
• Premiere date: 2026-05-17
• Final broadcast date listed: 2026-05-17
• Status in TVmaze: Ended
• Network listed by TVmaze: CNN
• Network country: United States
• Typical episode runtime: 60 minutes
• TVMaze ID: 90246
• IMDb ID: tt39694103
• TVDB ID: 473732

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 2026-05-17; final listed air date 2026-05-17; episode order: 4.

Source and licence

Adapted from Disaster: The Chernobyl Meltdown on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.