The Hot Zone: Season 1

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Ratings

See All

6.4

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6.4	Your Score
6.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Play Sound

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

The Hot Zone

Now Playing: The Hot Zone

Season Details & Credits

National Geographic | NGCHD-E | NGCHD | Season Premiere Date: May 27, 2019

Summary: When a highly infectious virus with no known cure appears at the Reston Monkey Facility in 1989, U.S. Army veterinarian Dr. Nancy Jaax (Julianna Margulies) works to stop it from spreading in this six-part miniseries based on Richard Preston's 1995 nonfiction book about Ebola.

Genre(s): Drama, Movie/Mini-Series, Suspense, Science Fiction, Science

Watch Now

Buy on

Stream On

Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E2. Cell H
Air Date: May 27, 2019

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

Melanie McFarland

May 28, 2019

Having established that Margulies does a fine job leading “The Hot Zone,” neither she nor her impressive list of co-stars, including Liam Cunningham, Noah Emmerich and James D’Arcy, are given many opportunities to chew scenery. They don’t need to, because showrunners and executive producers Kelly Sounders and Brian Peterson built the script to make fear of infection the centerpiece. Read full review

Daniel D'Addario

May 1, 2019

Death is nothing new on television. But the grotesque hemorrhaging Ebola induces in its unlucky sufferers brings home the gravity of the story, and the courage of its players. ... “The Hot Zone” works best as an examination of process in precisely this way — showing what it takes to defeat an outbreak, both in Jaax’s storyline and in one told in flashback, as her mentor (“Game of Thrones’s” Liam Cunningham) attempts to find an Ebola survivor and thus to use his or her antibodies for a cure. Read full review

John Anderson

May 23, 2019

[The Hot Zone] is chock full of scientific and medical details and hardware, but they’re all made very accessible, even thrilling. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Matt Roush

May 23, 2019

With apologies to King Kong, monkey business has never been scarier than in this tense if preachy six-part docudrama. [27 May - 9 Jun 2019, p.13]

Lorraine Ali

May 28, 2019

Though flawed, “The Hot Zone” is an effective, real-life horror story whose key points are hard to brush aside. Read full review

Allison Shoemaker

May 28, 2019

There’s enough suspense and distress here to make The Hot Zone an engaging, if not exactly fun, summer viewing experience. If it sometimes turns into a PSA, that’s forgivable. The message makes it clear such a warning is well worth issuing, so mission accomplished. Read full review

Margaret Lyons

May 28, 2019

A tale of human vulnerability doesn’t seem to have any human beings present. The home-life stories that are meant to add emotional heft are distracting and brittle, and the characters are under-imagined. Read full review

SEE ALL 12 REVIEWS

User Score

Write a Review

6.4

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

User Reviews

ChipyTrike

May 28, 2019

I loved this book when I read it years ago. The show, on the other hand, doesn't quite hold up to the bestseller but it's still an enjoyable distraction. Good cast with an engaging story. If you're a genre fan it's def worth checking out.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

hitzestau

Jul 7, 2019

The series requires a lot of patience and steadiness from the viewer, as it is told extremely slowly. It tells the story of the first outbreak of Ebola on US soil in 1989, which was only fatal for monkeys. Those who wait for the great catastrophe will be disappointed. It does not take place,The series requires a lot of patience and steadiness from the viewer, as it is told extremely slowly. It tells the story of the first outbreak of Ebola on US soil in 1989, which was only fatal for monkeys. Those who wait for the great catastrophe will be disappointed. It does not take place, or the actual disaster is how badly authorities seemed to be prepared for such a case at that time. Dramaturgical highlights are only to be found in the fifth and sixth episodes and that is simply too little for today's standards. If you wouldn't have the constant threat of the Ebola virus in the back of your mind, the first episodes wouldn't be enough to really tie you to the screen.

The series is based on true events and therefore has a tough time next to the well-known doomsday movies. Therefore, you have to look for its qualities somewhere else: Concerning the actors there is a reunion with many well-known actors and that's surely one of the advantages. The flashbacks to Africa, where the virus first appeared, are also convincing, not only because of the interplay between Liam Cunningham and James D'Arcy, but also because they show how difficult it is to master a virus that is neither interested in customs nor science when different cultures and worldviews meet.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

podaddy

Jun 3, 2019

Good cast and compelling story; certainly worth a watch That said, there was something off about this show that kept it from being great. Can't put my finger on it, but something made it come off a little cheesy, like the sameness you feel when you watch the gazillionth episode of Law andGood cast and compelling story; certainly worth a watch That said, there was something off about this show that kept it from being great. Can't put my finger on it, but something made it come off a little cheesy, like the sameness you feel when you watch the gazillionth episode of Law and Order or NCIS.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

dml1984

Aug 14, 2019

Felt like I was watching a daytime telemovie. Poor cgi in several scenes too.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Seasons & Episodes

69

Series Overview
Season 2

tbd
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: May 27, 2019
Season 1

69
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: May 27, 2019
- tbd
  S1:E2. Cell H
  Air Date: May 27, 2019