Zero Day on Netflix: A Gripping Cyber-Thriller Unraveled
Story: The Unfolding of Zero Day
In the heart of a fractured America, Netflix’s Zero Day—released on February 20, 2025—drops viewers into a chilling political thriller that feels eerily ripped from today’s headlines.
Starring the legendary Robert De Niro in his first major TV role, this six-episode limited series follows former U.S. President George Mullen as he’s yanked out of retirement to tackle a nightmare: a devastating cyberattack that blacks out the nation’s power grid for a mere minute, leaving thousands dead and a cryptic threat of more to come.
The story kicks off with chaos—planes plummet from the sky, traffic grinds to a deadly halt, and panic seeps into every corner of society.
President Evelyn Mitchell (Angela Bassett) taps Mullen to lead the Zero Day Commission, a task force with near-unlimited power to unmask the culprits. But Mullen’s not the steadfast hero he once was. Haunted by the death of his son and plagued by hallucinations—objects flicker in and out of his office, his journals spiral into madness—he’s a man wrestling with his grip on reality.
As Mullen digs deeper, the plot twists into a web of deception. His daughter, Congresswoman Alexandra Mullen (Lizzy Caplan), seems supportive but hides a dark secret.
Tech billionaire Monica Kidder (Gaby Hoffmann) and finance mogul Robert Lyndon (Clark Gregg) flash their wealth and influence, while Speaker of the House Richard Dreyer (Matthew Modine) pulls strings from the shadows.
X posts buzzing about the show hint at conspiracy theories mirroring real-world chatter—some fans even joke it’s “Homeland meets a Reddit thread gone wild.”
Halfway through, the pace stumbles—critics on Rotten Tomatoes (54% approval) call it “goofy” and “convoluted”—but the cast, including Jesse Plemons as Mullen’s loyal aide Roger Carlson, keeps it afloat.
The big reveal hits in Episode 5: the attack wasn’t foreign hackers or rogue extremists. It was an inside job—bipartisan, no less—cooked up by Dreyer, Alexandra, and their elite allies to “reset” a polarized nation.
By Episode 6, Mullen confronts Dreyer, who argues the chaos was for the greater good. Mullen, clinging to his moral compass, exposes the truth, but not without cost: Alexandra’s complicity shatters their bond, and the public’s left questioning if justice was served or just delayed.
Zero Day on Netflix wraps with a bittersweet thud—Mullen’s victory feels hollow as the nation’s scars linger. It’s a messy, ambitious tale that doesn’t fully land its lofty themes (cybersecurity, power, trust), but De Niro’s gravitas and the ensemble’s star power make it a binge worth debating.
X users are split—some hail it as “timely,” others shrug it off as “cyber-soap opera.” Either way, it’s a 2025 Netflix standout that’s got people talking.
WATCH ZERO DAY | Official Trailer | Netflix
