The new political thriller ‘Zero Day,’ featuring Robert De Niro in his first-ever TV role, has received a mixed response from viewers. While some were excited to see the Hollywood legend on the small screen, others found the show underwhelming and predictable.
After a career spanning over six decades, Robert De Niro has stepped into the world of television with Zero Day. The series, created by Noah Oppenheim and Eric Newman, revolves around the aftermath of a devastating cyberattack that causes chaos in the United States. De Niro plays a former U.S. president, navigating a world filled with disinformation, political conspiracies, and growing paranoia.
Despite the show’s intriguing concept, many viewers were not impressed with the execution. Some criticized it for being too obvious and preachy, while others felt it lacked originality. However, a section of the audience enjoyed the series and praised De Niro’s performance.
Twitter users had varied opinions about Zero Day. While some appreciated the storytelling, others found it disappointing:
“Zero Day keeps running into this same poor writing formula with lead actors that Netflix keeps doing. Also, Paradise is blowing it out the water with each week’s episode drops.”
“With Netflix promoting Zero Day, you’d think that Angela Bassett was the main character. Whole time, the main character is Robert De Niro lol.”
“Dear @Netflix, watching ZERO DAY is absolutely terrifying the outta me. I love it. Might I also add (clears throat) our world’s gone coo coo & I believe a new season of Mindhunter will help. Already sent @HoltMcCallany a message too. Thanks in advance.”
“I’m getting ready to start watching Zero Day on Netflix. I already know it will be good because it has Robert De Niro.”
“Yo, y’all gotta watch Zero Day on Netflix!”
Speaking about his experience, De Niro admitted that working on Zero Day was challenging, particularly due to the heavy amount of dialogue and exposition. He shared that there was little room for improvisation, making it one of his more difficult projects.
Aside from De Niro, Zero Day features a strong ensemble cast, including Jesse Plemons, Lizzy Caplan, Joan Allen, Connie Britton, Dan Stevens, McKinley Belcher III, Clark Gregg, Mozhan Navabi, and Mark Ivanir.
Despite the mixed reviews, the series remains a talking point among fans, with many still tuning in to see De Niro’s performance in his first-ever TV role.