Editor’s Note: Spoilers ahead for Zero Day

Summary

Zero Day reflects modern America’s fractured trust in government and the dangers of unchecked power.

Co-showrunner Eric Newman and Robert De Niro talk to Collider about that finale and whether we will see a Season 2.

De Niro’s portrayal in Zero Day highlights the human element amidst chaos and misinformation.

In a world increasingly shaped by disinformation, digital warfare and the fragile balance of power, Netflix’s Zero Day acts as both a chilling thriller and a mirror to our present reality. The limited series, now available to stream, dives deep into the unsettling question we are all facing in modern America: Who can we rely on to lead us through a crisis when facts appear blurred and our trust in government erodes? With a premise that feels eerily relevant in the face of a national divide and cyber threats buried beneath layers of spin and conspiracy, it’s a series that showrunner Eric Newman and actor Robert De Niro tell Collider exclusively is more important than we realize, especially that finale.
One of the best parts of Zero Day is not its high-stakes drama, but its razor-sharp reflection of modern America’s fractured trust in our government and the dangers of unchecked power. Across its six gripping episodes, the series disentangles the unnerving reality of how easily misinformation can spiral into chaos and how fragile our societal structures truly are. The cyber attack that unfolds in its first episode paralyzes the nation, but isn’t just a plot device — it’s a wake-up call. Through the eyes of former President George Mullen, played strikingly by De Niro, the series explores what happens when leadership is forced to confront vulnerabilities buried deep within the very systems designed to protect us.
Robert De Niro on the Human Element of ‘Zero Day’

“He’s trying to do the right thing.”

Image via Netflix

Amid the chaos, Zero Day remains grounded in the human element — particularly in Mullen’s internal struggle. His moments of doubt, hallucinations, and moral reckoning create a layered portrayal of a leader torn between his duty and his demons. While chatting with Collider about the role, the two-time Oscar-winning actor sees his character simply as a man at the end of the day “trying to do the right thing” in a world skewed by misinformation and chaos.
“He was picked for this [Zero Day Commission] because he was respected. He only served one term, but he was an honorable president who had flaws like anybody but did the right thing by the people, for the people,” De Niro says. “That was, as I say, why Angela Bassett’s character [President Evelyn Mitchell] picked him, she being president, to do this because she knew the public would be okay with that because it was a very, very, very dangerous situation that had to be rectified quickly, and nobody knew anything.”

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Mitchell, who taps Mullen to spearhead the Zero Day commission, knows he’s the person the public will trust in a moment of unprecedented crisis. It’s a calculated move — bringing in a leader who has always worn his integrity on his sleeve — but it’s also a gamble. “She knew that he would be the one. If anybody could do it, he would do it. That doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be hard. He has his trials and tribulations up and down, this and that.”
What That ‘Zero Day’ Finale Really Means

“You have to fall back on integrity and compassion and deliberation and introspection…”

As the finale’s jaw-dropping twist finds Mullen needing to fake his own death to expose the real enemy within their government, the gravity of the situation underscores the show’s central theme: In times of crisis, it’s often those in power that we should fear most. Yet even in the face of systemic corruption and blurred lines between truth and manipulation, Mullen becomes the rare figure who chooses integrity over self-preservation.
Co-creator and showrunner Newman highlights this moral backbone as the driving force behind Mullen’s character. “He will do the right thing at the end of the day despite the pressure that most would fold under,” he explains. “For us, in designing this character, we saw him as the character we need, which is when you can’t determine whose truth is the truth, which is, I think, very much the world we live in. You have to fall back on integrity and compassion and deliberation and introspection and our sense of character and sacrifice.”
It’s this grounding in old-school values that makes Mullen both a product of the past and a symbol of what’s still possible in an age of disinformation. “That’s why for us, for Noah [Oppenheim], for myself, I think for Bob and for Mike Schmidt and the whole team, this is an aspirational, slightly hopeful ending in terms of what people can still do to make a difference,” Newman adds, reiterating how Zero Day is not just a cautionary tale, but a call to action.
Is ‘Zero Day’ Season 2 a Possibility?

“We’re always open to working together again.”

When it comes to the future of Zero Day, Newman is reflective and open-minded about Season 2. The limited series from the producing mastermind behind Children of Men was crafted as a tightly woven narrative with a clear beginning, middle, and end, leaving little room — or so it seems. But while Zero Day stands strong as a self-contained political thriller, the very themes it tackles, like disinformation, government distrust, and the fragility of democracy, remain ever-evolving in the real world, offering fertile ground for a potential return. So, Newman isn’t ruling anything out yet.
“We’re always open to working together again because it was so enjoyable and for furthering this message. There’s also a part of me, as a writer and creator, that’s relieved that I don’t have to figure out what happens next. I could see us talking ourselves into it. Maybe we will.”
Zero Day is now streaming on Netflix.

Zero Day

Release Date

2025 – 2024

Network

Netflix

Writers

Dee Johnson