Zero Day is now streaming on Netflix.
By Greg Wheeler
Political thrillers can be hit or miss when adapted into TV series. Too often, writers get bogged down in crafting complex political conflicts and satisfying resolutions, resulting in sluggish pacing. Few shows, like Homeland or House of Cards, manage to keep audiences engaged for years. Despite recent misfires like The Regime, Netflix has taken a gamble with Zero Day, bringing in some heavyweight talent to back it up.
Zero Day is a miniseries packed with cyberattacks, psychological mind games, sloppy investigations, and high-stakes conspiracies. The six-episodes boasts an all-star cast, including Robert De Niro, Lizzy Caplan, Jesse Plemons, Connie Britton, Dan Stevens, and Angela Bassett. It’s helmed by Eric Newman, best known for Narcos, adding another layer of credibility.
The story kicks off with a global cyberattack orchestrated by a mysterious organization, threatening to strike again. The consequences are catastrophic—power outages lead to transportation and medical disasters, and widespread data breaches throw the world into chaos. As the White House scrambles to identify the attackers, they turn to former president George Mullen, a rare politician with an untarnished reputation, to restore public confidence.
After a powerful first public appearance, President Evelyn Mitchell appoints Mullen to lead a commission investigating the cyberattack. His unprecedented authority includes the power to arrest suspects without warrants. However, as his family warns him of the political trap he may be walking into, his past resurfaces, threatening to derail both the investigation and his legacy. Adding fuel to the fire, conspiracist influencer Evan Green begins targeting Mullen, intensifying the pressure.
As expected from such a star-studded production, Zero Day spares no expense in crafting a gripping visual aesthetic. The show’s muted color palette and grayscale corporate neo-noir styling reflect Mullen’s increasingly dire circumstances. The suspenseful score keeps the tension high, even when political jargon threatens to slow things down.
Music plays a pivotal role in the series, particularly the recurring use of the Sex Pistols’ Who Killed Bambi? Whether it’s foreshadowing or a deeper metaphor, the song’s presence encourages viewers to piece together its significance.
One of the show’s biggest strengths is that it demands full attention. This isn’t a casual background watch—it’s an intricate web of conspiracies, political maneuvering, and personal vendettas. Even those who don’t typically gravitate toward political thrillers may find themselves hooked by the psychological mind games, betrayals, and the high-stakes cyber investigation.
Unfortunately, with so much of the show centered around De Niro’s Mullen, the supporting cast is left underutilized. Despite strong performances, talents like Angela Bassett, Jesse Plemons, and Dan Stevens are given little to work with as the writing focuses heavily on Mullen’s internal struggles. It’s a missed opportunity, as the ensemble cast clearly gives their all, but their characters remain underdeveloped, serving more as props in The Mullen Show.
At times, Zero Day struggles to balance its thriller elements with its dense political drama. The series can feel like two different shows—one a tense, engaging thriller, the other a slow-moving political chess game. For those uninterested in the latter, parts of the series may feel like a slog.
That said, if you’re a Robert De Niro fan, you get six episodes of the legend doing what he does best—playing a grizzled hero caught in a web of deception.
I give Zero Day a C+.
TV and City 