5 good shows like Chernobyl to watch if you love the historical drama

HBO brings some great dramas that focus on historical events. Chernobyl is a five-part miniseries that told us of the events during and after the real nuclear disaster.

Of course, when the Chernobyl disaster happened, the Soviet Union would try to hide it all. It ended up being one of the biggest disasters at the time, showing the realities of radiation not just to those in the immediate vicinity, but those around the disaster.

The series then focused on the clean-up efforts, while people looked to figure out what really happened that night. Not only was this important to help people in need, but it was essential to prevent it from happening again. Chernobyl offers us a mixture of drama and history. There are many shows just like it, and here are five to watch next.

Band of Brothers

The first to check out is another that was a HBO drama. Band of Brothers was the first in a trilogy of shows that focus on the servicemen of World War II. This particular series focuses on the Army, as U.S. soldiers headed over to Germany to help take down the Nazis.

There are some harrowing moments. It brings us a look at death, the horrors of war, and what it was like for the first soldiers to see the realities of concentration camps. After this, you’ll want to move onto The Pacific and then Masters of the Air.

Band of Brothers isn’t just another military drama, though. It is based on the realities of war. There are interviews with the real men the characters were based on at the end. We also get a look at the buildup to Easy Company of the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airbourne Division as they go through basic training up to the end.

Band of Brothers is available to stream on Netflix and Max.

Mindhunter

Do you need something that brings mystery as well as history? Mindhunter is the series for you. This one delves into the way profiling grew as an art to help catch killers. It’s set in the 1970s, and brings to life the tracking of a criminal.

Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany star as two pioneer FBI agents. Set in the 1970s, they are focused on profiling to help catch a killer. Ford and Tench realize that they need to study the minds of serial killers if they want to catch them, and we’re taking through the twisty storytelling that brings all of that to life.

They don’t do it alone, though. They turn to serial killers to help with, with the first season including Edmund Kemper, who is the first to help. Other killers who show up in the story include the BTK Killer, Richard Speck, and Montie Rissell.

Mindhunter is available to stream on Netflix.

The Crown

What about a series that follows the British Royal Family? There is a fascination with Queen Elizabeth II and her family all around the world. People want to understand more about what goes on behind closed doors. This series offers a look at that.

We start off in the 1950s. The series jumps ahead each season, with us eventually getting to the late 2000s. There are multiple events that affect various members of the Royal Family, including the 1969 Space Race, the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the various changes of Prime Ministers throughout Queen Elizabeth’s reign.

There is a change of cast every two seasons. This may be a little off-putting at first, but you get used to it.

The Crown is available to stream on Netflix.

Boardwalk Empire

There are some creative liberties taken with this series, but then there were some taken with Chernobyl. It still makes this series one to watch. Boardwalk Empire is set during the Prohibition Era in Atlantic City, with Steve Buscemi a corrupt politician and a bunch of mobsters showing up.

Just how did the American people get through the Prohibition Era? There are plenty of stories, and Boardwalk Empire brings the, all to life. We watch who Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, who is a fictionalized version of Enoch “Nucky” Johnson worked with various mobsters like Al Capone to smuggle alcohol into the country.

How far were people willing to go to get alcohol? You’ll see in the five seasons of this epic series.

Boardwalk Empire is available to stream on Max.

The Looming Tower

The last on our list is another miniseries. It also focuses on a much more recent period in history. The Looming Tower focuses on how Oama bin Laden and al-Qaeda became a rising threat in the 1990s.

This is a chance to see how the FBI and CIA thwarted each other’s plans to bring down the terrorists. There was so much of a rivalry between them, that they failed to look at the bigger problem. This inadvertently led to the path of 9/11.

It’s important to look at how personal feelings and workplace rivalries can lead to bigger issues. Of course, it leads to covering up important information. Have the FBI and CIA learned from this? Well, you’ll have to ask them!

The Looming Tower is available to stream on Hulu.