EXCLUSIVE: CNN and Nat Geo are teaming up for their latest international series, Disaster: The Chernobyl Meltdown.
The CNN Original four-part series is a co-production with National Geographic International and UK producer Windfall Films. The first two episodes will launch on CNN on Sunday, March 1 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, with the final two running the following week. The series will then be made available on CNN’s streaming service.
Disaster will tell the story of the world’s worst nuclear accident, initially focusing on the scope of the catastrophic collapse of the reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located near Pripyat in what was then the Soviet Union, in 1986. It will also look at the Soviets’ calculated cover-up ,and present-day fallout, exploring how it intersects with the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Included are interviews with survivors speaking publicly for the first time, alongside rare insight into the CIA and Soviet responses. Producers say “astonishing” new footage from inside the nuclear exclusion zone will reveals how the scarred landscape is once again under siege as war encroaches on the Pripyat area, which remains one of the most dangerous places on Earth due to the radiation.
Watch a trailer for the series above.
“This series brings new depth to a story many believe they know, driven by firsthand accounts from those who lived through it and remarkable material drawn from newly uncovered archives,” said Amy Entelis, Executive Vice President of Talent, CNN Originals and Creative Development for CNN Worldwide. “It exemplifies CNN Original Series’ ability to revisit defining global events with a fresh perspective for today’s audiences.”
“The production team’s close relationships with local producers allowed us to conduct on-the-ground research, gather powerful eyewitness testimony and capture striking new footage from Chernobyl today,” added Carolyn Payne, Commissioning Editor for National Geographic. “As the home of contemporary history, National Geographic brings audiences fresh depth and perspective on one of the world’s most significant disasters.”
CNN has the domestic U.S. rights to the series, with National Geographic taking Europe.
Executive producers for the series are David Dugan and Carlo Massarella for Winfdfall, Carolyn Payne for National Geographic, and Amy Entelis, Lyle Gamm and Katie Hinman for CNN Original Series. Windfall’s Tom Cook is series producer.
English (US) ·