When a television series aims to capture a political moment, it achieves the most impact when it directly engages with reality. *Zero Day* strives to do this but ultimately misses the mark, leading to a disappointing political thriller.
This limited series represents Robert De Niro’s initial leading role in television, where he also acts as an executive producer. The show boasts a stellar cast, including Angela Bassett, Lizzy Caplan, and Jesse Plemons, and is brought to life by Eric Newman (*The Watcher, Narcos*) and Noah Oppenheim (*Jackie, NBC News*). Despite this impressive array of talent, *Zero Day* finds it difficult to remain aligned with the political atmosphere it seeks to critique.
### What is *Zero Day* about?
The series unfolds in a tumultuous United States. A nationwide cyberattack has triggered a sudden yet catastrophic power outage, paralyzing transportation, communication systems, and the power grid. Thousands have perished, and the country is engulfed in panic—especially after every citizen receives a foreboding message: “This will happen again.”
President Evelyn Mitchell (Bassett, regrettably underused) is resolute in her mission to uncover those responsible and avert another incident. She recruits former President George Mullen (De Niro), a highly respected figure who stepped down following his son’s death, to chair the Zero Day commission. This commission is endowed with extensive surveillance and search-and-seizure powers, prompting worries about civil liberties. Mullen accepts the role in part to prevent these powers from being misused by others.
As Mullen races to pinpoint the attackers, many point fingers at Russia, though he suspects the threat could be internal. He must deal with misinformation, conspiracy theories, and the sway of influential tech moguls and hedge fund operators to unveil the truth. Adding to the complexity, his daughter, Congresswoman Alexandra Mullen (Caplan), is at odds with him, and doubts about his mental stability arise—highlighted by surreal scenes featuring the Sex Pistols’ *Who Killed Bambi?*.
While these components create a captivating thriller, especially with some late-season surprises, *Zero Day* does not delve deeply into the fundamental causes of division, misinformation, and conspiracy theories in America or their ties to the government.
### *Zero Day* avoids taking a clear stance on American politics.
Despite frequent references to bipartisanship and political strife, *Zero Day* never clearly identifies its characters’ political affiliations. Is Mullen a Democrat or a Republican? What about President Mitchell or Speaker of the House Richard Dreyer (Matthew Modine)? Although we can speculate, the show intentionally obscures this information.
Jesse Plemons, who portrays Mullen’s aide Roger Carlson, remarked in an interview with *The Times* that steering clear of party labels stops viewers from quickly aligning with or opposing a character. However, in politically charged series like *The West Wing* and *House of Cards*, knowing a character’s party affiliation provides vital context regarding their beliefs and motivations. In a narrative focused on mending a divided America, understanding the ideological positions of characters is essential. Without this clarity, individuals like President Mitchell and Dreyer appear underdeveloped, particularly when delivering speeches concerning the nation’s issues.
One character tells Mullen, “Half the country [is] caught up in a fever dream of lies and conspiracy. The other half [is] shouting about pronouns and ranking their grievances.”
This oversimplification reduces America’s complex issues and misleadingly equates individuals advocating for accurate pronoun usage with dangerous conspiracy theorists. (*Zero Day* was filmed prior to the 2024 election, but given the Trump administration’s ongoing erasure of queer and trans history, this line feels especially tone-deaf.)
More critically, the show never investigates who is accountable for disseminating misinformation or stoking grievances. The likely offenders—politicians and figures such as tech mogul Monica Kidder (Gaby Hoffmann), a thinly veiled reference to Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg—barely receive enough screen time to be impactful. By avoiding clarity about political stances or their influences on supporters, *Zero Day* frees them from accountability for America’s divisions. Instead, it shifts the blame onto the public.
Ironically, the only instance where the series overtly mentions a political affiliation is when it labels a homegrown terrorist group as “radical leftists.” Yet even this is inconsistent—why would these leftists align with Evan Green (Dan Stevens), a right-wing TV personality based on Alex Jones? These contradictions diminish the show’s credibility, detracting from its attempt to comment on contemporary political discord.
In an era defined by polarization, *Zero Day*’s hesitance to adopt a definitive position doesn’t merely come across as misguided—it seems like an evasion of responsibility.
*Zero Day* is currently available for streaming on Netflix.