This is one of the best dramatic series I have watched in years. It can be difficult to maintain tension and drama describing true events that the viewer might be already aware of to some extent, but this program manages it nicely. It is a little predictable in how it tells the story, by which I mean it uses several angles from different characters' points of view: the scientists and administrators representing the Russian government, the employees of the power plant and other disposable workers, and of course the masses of people caught up in the disaster; and finally, for a close-up look, the wife of one of the plant's employees, who follows her husband to a Moscow hospital. All of these perspectives are handled well.

A couple of the criticisms I saw sort of bounced off me. One person on another website said it was a good series but he was giving it a low rating because he couldn't believe it was rated higher than Game of Thrones. Uh, okay. Another person felt that the miniseries sugar coated the Communists. I don't know; I lived through Gorbachev and Glasnost, and this portrayal seemed spot on to me.

I fully intend to watch the series again, after I finish reading the book it is at least partially based on. Don't miss it.