Zero Day - Season 1

When America is hit by a cyber attack in Zero Day, chaos reigns supreme. It is up to former President Mullen to find out exactly what happened and prevent it from happening again. Robert de Niro plays George Mullen in this political thriller, a former president who is still very popular among the people. People would have liked to see him remain president for longer, but due to personal circumstances he decided not to run for an additional term. After an interview with journalist Anna Sindler (Hannah Gross) about his retirement and the autobiography he is writing, America is hit by a cyber attack that causes all electronics to fail for a short period of time from one moment to the next.



This kills 3,402 people and creates fear and chaos among the population, especially because the perpetrators left the message ‘This will happen again’. The current president (and successor to Mullen) Evelyn Mitchell, played by Angela Bassett, decides that drastic action is needed and sets up a commission to find out what happened and who is behind this attack. This commission is given unprecedented rights (they do not have to worry about human rights) and Mullen is appointed as head of this commission to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

He is supported by his right-hand man Roger Carlson (Jesse Plemons) and Valerie Whitesell played by Connie Britton, with whom he also has a past. However, both have their own agendas and prefer to profile themselves in relation to each other.

Don't expect too much action and there isn't much attention paid to the direct consequences of the attack, but there is plenty of political intrigue.

As the investigation progresses, there is increasing resistance to the committee's investigation and the actions the president takes. Mullen's daughter Alexandra, played by Lizzy Caplan, has been an opponent from the beginning, but Mullen also has to take the brunt of the online show of professional critic Evan Green (played by Dan Stevens), and Richard Dreyer, the Speaker of the House of Representatives (played by Matthew Modine), is on top of everything.

In addition, Mullen's mental health is being questioned. He hears and sees things and suffers from blackouts. The question is whether he is really deteriorating or whether there is another cause for these problems.


Zero Day brings Robert De Niro to the small screen and I have to admit that that alone was reason enough for me to watch the series. And I was not disappointed. It is certainly not his best role ever, but he plays his role with verve. The natural authority he has over the population that appreciates him, he already has by nature. But also the doubt he feels about his mental health and the inability to admit that he may be deteriorating, are excellently presented.

With De Niro in the lead role, you have a great showcase for your series, but also someone who draws attention to himself. And that is somewhat at the expense of the others. With Angela Bassett, Jesse Plemons, Connie Britton and Matthew Modine, among others, you can safely say that there is a star cast and an attempt is made to give them all the attention they deserve. The result, however, is that most of them are given a storyline that generally has to be wrapped up quickly and sometimes feels a bit forced.

The story itself is interesting enough. Don't expect too much action and there is also not too much attention for the direct consequences of the attack, but there is enough political intrigue. In addition, there is enough topicality incorporated. There is also enough attention for the question to what extent the end justifies the means. How far can you go in the context of national security and when do you reach the point that you cross a line that you should not cross.