Robert De Niro’s first lead role in a TV series is this Netflix political drama, which finds America at war with an unknown entity. When a cyber-attack plunges the country in chaos and kills thousands former President George Mullen (De Niro) is called back into service to lead the Zero Day committee, trying to find the culprits before they strike again. However, personal issues and inner conspiracies lead to a shocking truth.
The six-episode series has aspirations of West Wing-style societal commentary, but instead feels like a talkier episode of 24. There’s a lot of whispered meetings in the shadows, and many speeches about just what’s at stake.
Zero Day: political intrigue is sidelined for a whodunnit story that doesn’t work
The script isn’t subtle, being political enough to feel current but stopping short of any real-life analysis. It’s entertaining if unremarkable, but taken up a level by the lead performance. De Niro can elevate even the most predictable material, giving Mullen layers of humanity that don’t appear on the page. His mix of grit and decency makes him the perfect point of view for these divided political times, able to show the failings of both sides.
There’s capable support in the form of many famous faces – Angela Bassett plays the embattled sitting President, Matthew Modine is filled with outrage as the house speaker, and Lizzy Caplan has some interesting scenes as Mullen’s daughter, an opposing politician. Again, all are slightly hamstrung by the script.
The show runs out of steam towards the end, ignoring any insight into our reliance on technology or the weaponisation of disaster in favour of a whodunnit with a reveal that isn’t all that shocking.
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