Description
Original Airdate05/10/2026
Spanning the scope of the catastrophic collapse of the Chernobyl reactor, the Soviets' cover-up and the present-day fallout with revealing interviews with survivors.
Disaster: The Chernobyl Meltdown
Where to watch Disaster: The Chernobyl Meltdown
- Free On Demand on CNN, through Oct 18, 2026
Related To Disaster: The Chernobyl Meltdown
Season 1
4. Fallout
Air Date 04/26/2026
As the USSR collapses, an investigation uncovers the cause of the accident and scale of the Soviet cover up; Chernobyl's toxic legacy persists as the nuclear exclusion zone becomes a war zone, raising fears of another disaster.
3. Sacrifice
Air Date 04/26/2026
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.
2. Cover Up
Air Date 04/25/2026
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.
1. Inferno
Air Date 04/25/2026
On April 26, 1986, a massive explosion rips through a reactor during a safety test at a power plant in Ukraine, triggering the worst nuclear accident in history; within 24 hours, a lethal radioactive cloud starts to circle the globe.