"Disaster: The Chernobyl Meltdown" Coming Soon from CNN Original Series, National Geographic International and Windfall Films

CNN ORIGINAL SERIES TO RELEASE DOMESTICALLY ON SUNDAY, MARCH 1 AT 9PM ET/PT

NEW YORK, NY - (February 6, 2026) - Marking the 40th anniversary of the unprecedented tragedy, Disaster: The Chernobyl Meltdown tells the powerful story of the world's worst nuclear disaster in four gripping episodes. Co-produced by CNN Original Series, National Geographic EMEA and Windfall Films, the series will premiere with two episodes on Sunday, March 1 at 9pm ET/PT on CNN. The final two episodes will air the following Sunday, March 8 at 9pm ET/PT. Episodes will be available to stream on demand the next day for subscribers of CNN's streaming offering.

Spanning the scope of the catastrophic collapse of the reactor, the Soviets' calculated cover-up, and the present-day fallout now intersecting with the war in Ukraine, Disaster: The Chernobyl Meltdown reveals a tragedy still reverberating across history. Featuring revealing interviews with survivors speaking publicly for the first time, alongside rare insight into the CIA and Soviet responses, the series exposes a web of secrecy, miscalculation, and human cost. Astonishing new footage from inside the nuclear exclusion zone reveals how this scarred landscape is once again under siege as war encroaches on one of the most dangerous places on Earth.

"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," said 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 holds the domestic rights to the series, with National Geographic handling European distribution, bringing the project to audiences across the region.

Executive producers for the series are David Dugan and Carlo Massarella and Tom Cook is Series Producer, for Windfall Films; Carolyn Payne for National Geographic; and Amy Entelis, Lyle Gamm and Katie Hinman for CNN Original Series.

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ABOUT CNN ORIGINALS

The CNN Originals group develops, produces and acquires original, long-form unscripted programming for CNN Worldwide. Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent, CNN Originals and creative development, oversees the award-winning CNN Originals portfolio that includes the following premium content brands: CNN Original Series, CNN Films, CNN FlashDocs, and CNN Studios, an internal production studio which creates long-form programming for CNN's global platforms. Since 2012, the team has overseen and executive produced more than 50 multi-part documentary series and 70 feature-length documentary films, earning more than 120 awards and 450 nominations for the cable network, including CNN Films' first Academy Award(R) for Navalny. Acclaimed titles include the Peabody Award winning and 13-time Emmy(R) Award-winning Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown; five time Emmy(R) nominee, Apollo 11, directed by Todd Douglas Miller; Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain and Emmy(R) nominated Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico; the Emmy(R) Award-nominated "Decades Series": The Sixties, The Seventies, The Eighties, The Nineties, The 2000s, and The 2010s, executive produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman; I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not directed by Emmy(R) winner Marina Zenovich; The Last Movie Stars, directed by Ethan Hawke about the lives and careers of actors and humanitarians Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman; Grammy(R) Award nominee Little Richard: I Am Everything, directed by Lisa Cortés; the Oscar(R), BAFTA, PGA, and duPont-Columbia Award-winning, Navalny directed by Daniel Roher; The Many Lives of Martha Stewart; This is Life with Lisa Ling; Primetime Emmy(R) and duPont-Columbia Award-winning, RBG, directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen; See It Loud: The History of Black Television, executive produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter; Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight in partnership with the BBC; the Producers Guild Award and three-time Emmy(R) Award-winning Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy; BAFTA nominee and Directors Guild Award winner, Three Identical Strangers, directed by Tim Wardle; and the five-time Emmy(R) Award-winning United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell; and the five-time Emmy(R) Award-winning The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper. CNN Originals can be seen on CNN, to stream via a CNN All Access subscription, on the CNN Original Hub on HBO Max and discovery+, on the CNN Originals FAST channel, and with a pay TV subscription via CNN.com, CNN apps and cable operator platforms.

About National Geographic Content

Representing the largest brand on social media with over 780 million followers and 1.1 billion impressions each month, National Geographic Content's award-winning and critically acclaimed storytelling inspires fans of all ages to connect with, explore and care about the world through factual storytelling. National Geographic Content, part of a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society, reaches over 532 million people worldwide in 172 countries and 33 languages as a digital, social and print publisher and across the global National Geographic channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO), National Geographic Documentary Films, and direct-to-consumer platforms Disney+ and Hulu. Its diverse content includes Oscar(R)- and BAFTA award-winning film Free Solo, Oscar-nominated films Sugarcane, Fire of Love and Bobi Wine: The People's President, Emmy(R) Award-winning franchise 9/11: One Day in America and JFK: One Day in America, Emmy Award-winning series Animals Up Close, series Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller, Life Below Zero, and Secrets of the Whales, in addition to multiple National Magazine Awards, Pulitzer Prize Finalists and Webby wins. Visit nationalgeographic.com and natgeotv.com as or explore Instagram, Threads, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, and Reddit.