The original post: /r/television by /u/No_Cucumber3978 on 2025-02-21 13:34:17.

Spoilers. So yes, I don’t have a forward writing credit, have an MA and did a story lining placement as part of my studies. I didn’t follow up on my career as I only saw hardship and baldness the more I stared into the abyss. I teach nowadays, straight-laced drama/acting.

All that said, I do love a bit of TV and I was totally looking forward to Zero Day. They missed the opportunity to call it Zer0 Day - which is probably a good thing.

But I am amazed at how much the quality of TV and Netflix in general has dipped in the last decade or so. It really is astonishing how a housing crash, a pandemic and a cultural movement has shifted the dynamics.

Zero Day though - what did you guys make of it?

Personally, when I look at HOC to this, as much as Kevin Spacey deserves his canning, the standards in Netflix’s political thriller output has massively dipped.

It started off with some great premise, got confused in it’s own world, and then fell into a massive of scene-by-scenes that seemed to introduce characters to just further the plot.

I am really confused about what I just watched and as much as it is good to see Robert De Niro, that story and script was everywhere. It felt like a cash-in on the current political climate of the US, and did little to resolve the many different story arcs laid out in the first “act” if you will.

It really could have been a rosy little film if they’d just contained a good solid story. But by jove, it was everywhere and felt like story by committee.

I’m really shocked at how uninspired Robert De Niro seemed in some scenes also. There was one scene with his character and his daughter, and, I shit you not, it looked as if he was reading off the script on the table like the great Marlon Brando in Superman. I’m even half convinced you could see the script in the reflection of his glasses.

I don’t know. It is probably a sign of the times, but half of the scenes seemed like they were acting in different times and spaces.

It is also entitled a mini-series? I guess that means it won’t be returning? It looked self contained to be fair.