Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes (2022)

Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes explores the full, unvarnished true story of what happened in one of the least understood tragedies of the twentieth century. 

Nearly four decades after the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded in Soviet Ukraine, newly uncovered archival footage and recorded interviews with those who were present paint an emotional and gripping portrait of the extent and gravity of the disaster, as well as the lengths to which the Soviet government went to cover up the incident, including allegedly sending in soldiers to “liquidate” the damage. 

The HBO documentary has a 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and won the 2023 BAFTA TV Award for Editing, Factual, with nominations for Best Single Documentary and Best Director, Factual. 

“It’s a difficult watch, but Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes is one of the year’s best documentaries,” says Decider. 

Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes is directed and produced by Emmy winner James Jones (On the President’s Orders, Antidote) and executive produced by BAFTA nominee Darren Kemp (Mariupol: The People’s Story).

Showmax is also home to the HBO drama series Chernobyl, which won 10 Emmys and is at #5 on IMDb’s top ranked TV shows of all time.