As someone who has read quite a lot about the chernobyl disaster, I was a bit hesitant on watching this. I thought it could be just a waste of time watching this as I knew what was going to happen. However, I realized that I was totally wrong within first few minutes of the show. I was blown away by the gripping nature of the show from the very first moment to the last minute. It kept me on edge in unbelievable way. It has been able capture the eerie atmosphere in the aftermath of the incident brilliantly. I was so impressed by the creators' efforts to recreate the Soviet Union in a very authentic manner.
Edit: After doing a little research online, I realized many events and characters in this show were either fictional or exaggerated to the extent that it cannot be considered as a real account of what happened. It has also been reported to depict the life in the Soviet Union and its administration from the typically biased and stereotyped Western perspective. Although getting to know these facts ruined my appreciation of the show to a certain degree, I still consider this as a masterful work of art. However, it may not be a good idea to use this as a source of information on the disaster.
Edit: After doing a little research online, I realized many events and characters in this show were either fictional or exaggerated to the extent that it cannot be considered as a real account of what happened. It has also been reported to depict the life in the Soviet Union and its administration from the typically biased and stereotyped Western perspective. Although getting to know these facts ruined my appreciation of the show to a certain degree, I still consider this as a masterful work of art. However, it may not be a good idea to use this as a source of information on the disaster.