The HBO series “Chernobyl” is being praised for its realism and accuracy in depicting the catastrophic Russian nuclear meltdown of 1986, and the ensuing cover-up.
While the effect on human lives is devastating, animal lovers might wants a heads-up that the effect on the local pets was also horrific. And that means you might want to skip Episode 4.
As noted in TV Guide’s review:
For all the heroism Chernobyl depicts, however, it doesn’t look away from the damage done by the disaster, both tangible and otherwise. The series portrays in grisly detail what it’s like to die of radiation poisoning, and what it’s like to watch as a loved one becomes barely recognizable as human because of exposure.
One episode devotes a chunk of its running time to an effort to clear the affected area of irradiated animals, following a small squad as it moves from house to house killing pets that have been left behind and observing a newcomer forced to get over the shock of his grisly new duties, and the reality of what life in the area has become
Writer-producer Craig Mazin shared these tweets about including those scenes:
He also shared a tweet of his dog, Cookie, to reassure fans that all the dogs and cats shown in the series are “happily running around today.”
Movie Paws 