“I’ve never read a story with more frustrating behavior, countered with the most sacrificial behavior imaginable,” says Craig Mazin, who wrote “Chernobyl.” “It’s the best and worst of people.” Alexandra Cunningham, showrunner of “Dirty John,” echoes the thought: “The sources of greatest conflict are always what is going to give you the best drama, and crime is showing people at extremes.” Despite changes in location and tone (“Dirty John” is unapologetically soapy, while “Chernobyl” wears its prestige proudly) these programs share the task of excavating a notable story and examining details so seemingly outlandish that they could not have been invented. By the time “Chernobyl” - an HBO miniseries depicting the flailing response to the 1986 Ukrainian nuclear meltdown - hits screens May 6, viewers will have gotten a varied diet of shows that all do a similar thing.
