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During these fraught worldwide political times,House of Cardsfans have found a new TV series to pay close attention to in 2025. The greatRobert De Niroheadlines his first-ever television show withZero Day, a six-part Netflix miniseries premiering on Jul 20, 2025. The political conspiracy thriller stars De Niro as George Mullen, a high-ranking U.S. government official scrambling to deal with a global cyberattack that has shaken the international community.
Of course,Netflix’s original programming became popular on the back of Beau Willimon and David Fincher’sHouse of Cards, the political thriller series that became mired in off-screen controversy as it progressed. Avid politicos searching for similar high-stakes drama need look no further thanZero Day, which boasts an even more impressive ensemble cast around De Niro. With all six episodes being released simultaneously, here are all the pertinent details aboutZero Dayand how it compares toHouse of Cards.
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What Is Netflix’s ‘House of Cards’ About?
AmongNetflix’s first successful original TV series,House of Cardsis an American political thriller adapted from the 1990 British show. Created by Beau Willimon (The Ides of March),House of Cardsfollows the devious political maneuvering of Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey), a vengeful Congress official settling old scores and manipulating his expansion of power and influence in the U.S. government.
Willing to trade all moral decency and ethical scruples to retain his power and shape public policy, Underwood makes one Faustian bargain after another until his personal and professional world comes crashing down. For instance, Underwood’s wife, Claire (Robin Wright), has calculating ambitions and becomes more of a political ally (and enemy) than a loving spouse. Over time, trust has become a rare commodity in Washington, D.C., with the Underwoods aligning and distancing themselves from whoever can help and hurt their political futures.
Without trafficking in thecontroversy that virtually ended Spacey’s career,House of Cardsput Netflix on the map as a legitimate streaming service that creates original TV shows and attracts top Hollywood talent. The show earned 33 Primetime Emmy Award nods during its five seasons and is ranked #133 on IMDb’s Top 250 TV shows in 2025.
‘Zero Day’s Premise and Characters, Explained
Zero Dayis a six-episode miniseries created by Eric Newman (Narcos), NBC News veteran Noah Oppenheim (Jackie), andNew York Timesreporter Michael Schmidt. Lesli Linka Glatter directed all six episodes, a longtime TV contributor who helmed 25Homelandepisodes between 2012 and 2020.
The story concerns a global cyberattack that leaves thousands dead and rattles the world, prompting international politicians to respond to keep their constituents safe. Two-time Oscar-winner Robert De Niro plays former U.S. President George Mullen, a top U.S. politician tasked with assuaging the global crisis. De Niro, an ardent political advocate who has been outspoken recently, is an executive producer on the show, indicating how personal the project is.
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Looking to make itself a must-watch Netflix series, the production was granted access to film a controlled train crash in New York in late 2023, perhaps shedding light on the cyberattack and its deadly fallout. What is clear is theoutstanding ensemble castGlatter has surrounded De Niro with, including Joan Allen as Mullen’s wife, Sheila, and Lizzy Caplan as their daughter, Alexandra. One can’t continue without singling out Joan Allen’s work inThe Contender, a criminally underrated political thriller in which she stars as the first female POTUS.
Nearly everyone mentioned thus far has experience with political movies or real-life news, including De Niro, who famously starred inWag the Dog. It’s no coincidence such experienced actors dedicated to the cause have been selected to work onZero Day, a serious political thriller made in hyper-serious times.
Beyond De Niro, Allen, and Caplan,Zero Daystars Jesse Plemons, Connie Britton, Bill Camp, Dan Stevens, Matthew Modine, Gaby Hoffman, Clark Gregg, and the great Angela Bassett as POTUS, Evelyn Mitchell.House of Cardsfan or not, the stellar ensemble is attractive enough to giveZero Daya day in court. After all, it’s far more topical now thanHouse of Cardswas then.
‘Zero Day’ Has More Sociopolitical Relevance Than ‘House of Cards’
WhileHouse of Cardsfocuses on the traitorous political machinations of the U.S. government,Zero Dayvastly ups the dramatic stakes with its sprawling international scope. The domestic politics inHouse of Cardsoften deal with personal agendas and vendettas among various senators, representative house members, elected congress officials, etc. Rarely does the show expand its purview to global problems that plague the world today.
Moreover, as anAmerican remake of a 1990 British show, the transition from European parliamentary politics to the American government system takes priority. Therefore, there’s something fairly anachronistic aboutHouse of CardsthatZero Dayactively avoids by telling a pressing contemporary story and focusing on modern-day cybersecurity problems. Less a story of personal political ambitions at home and more of a grave cautionary tale abroad,Zero Daycan potentially fill the seven-year void left inHouse of Cards’ absence.
With a few UN visits aside, Netflix’sHouse of Cardsis limited to the walls of U.S. political chambers. By contrast,Zero Daysignificantly increases the consequences as the world grapples with a cyberattack. Due to the premise, pedigree, fraught international stakes, and De Niro’s first TV foray,Zero Dayis a must-watch forHouse of Cardsfans, and it’s streaming now onNetflix.
