ladbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Chernobyl Nominated For 19 Emmys

Chernobyl Nominated For 19 Emmys

Chernobyl is the highest rated show on IMDB, but will that be enough for it to scoop an Emmy?

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

HBO and Sky's hit series Chernobyl has been nominated for 19 Emmys.

The dark show could scoop awards in the 'Lead Actor In Limited Series Or Movie' and 'Outstanding Limited Series' categories.

Brit Jared Harris, who plays scientist Valery Legasov, is representing the show in the lead actor group.

Other nominees included in the category are Mahershala Ali (True Detective), Benicio del Toro (Escape at Dannemora), Hugh Grant (A Very English Scandal), Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us) and Sam Rockwell (Fosse/Verdon).

Fellow 'Outstanding Limited Series' nominees are made up of Escape at Dannemora, Fosse/Verdon, Sharp Objects and When They See Us.

The show's other main nominations include 'Outstanding supporting actress in a limited series or TV movie' and 'Outstanding supporting actor in a limited series or TV movie'.

Harrowing five-parter Chernobyl told the story of the 1986 Soviet nuclear disaster and picked up rave reviews from critics and viewers for its brutal portrayal of the events.

Chernobyl had the third best ever launch for a drama on Sky Atlantic and quickly became the highest rated show on IMDB with 9.5/10 and a whopping 96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Chernobyl is the highest rated TV show on IMDB.
HBO

Heartbreaking scenes, including the MI-8 Hip helicopter crash and Lyudmilla Ignatenko (played by Jessie Buckley) losing her husband Vasily (Adam Nagaitis) and her baby, played on viewers' minds long after the credits rolled and sparked a new interest in the 30-year-old disaster.

Side-by-side shots showed the attention to detail the show's creators put into it.

Director Craig Mazin told The Chernobyl Podcast that what we saw on screens was actually a 'restrained version' of what happened.

Chernobyl has now been nominated for Emmy.
HBO

"If I have a choice between going for something that sounds dramatic or something that sounds less dramatic, I actually try to opt for less," he said. "Because I think what is dramatic about Chernobyl doesn't need extra.

"Believe it or not, this is the restrained version of what actually happened, because believe it or not, there are some accounts where it even gets worse."

While Mazin and the team tried to keep the account as close-to-life as possible the show did have a couple of sticking points.

The show kept viewers gripped and picked up rave reviews.
HBO

Emily Watson's character Ulana Khomyuk, the brave nuclear physicist who dug around to find out the truth, wasn't based on a real person. Or at least she wasn't based on one single person, according to Mazin she was a 'fictional composite character' made up of a number of real scientists who fought to get the truth out, while the authorities attempted to downplay it.

One other thing people couldn't really get on-board with was the fact that there was a lot of British accents in fictionalised Ukraine.

Mazin explained that he didn't want the actors to put on (possibly very bad) Ukrainian accents which would have taken away from the story, which seems fair enough to me.

Speaking about the nominations, Zai Bennett, Managing Director, Content, Sky UK & Ireland said: "We are delighted that Chernobyl, our most successful ever Sky original drama, has been nominated for a phenomenal 19 Emmys.

"It is testament to the brilliant vision and script of Craig Mazin, the direction of Johan Renck and the dedication of Jane Featherstone, Carolyn Strauss and the talented team at Sister Pictures who produced such a gripping series."

Featured Image Credit: HBO

Topics: TV and Film, UK Entertainment