The Hot Zone

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Season 1
Season #: 2, 1
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
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Critic Reviews

  1. Collider
    Reviewed by: Allison Keene
    May 28, 2019
    60
    What The Hot Zone does very well is focus its story on science and procedure. It can be hard to balance drama and accuracy when one of the series’ most key lines is “the antibodies are in the plasma!” but the series makes it work.
  2. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Hank Stuever
    May 28, 2019
    50
    The series gives thoughtful treatment to its depiction of safety precautions and scientific concern, yet the dialogue and drama fall disappointingly flat. The real problem exists in some murky, made-for-TV zone between nonfiction and fiction. By sticking to “The Hot Zone’s” essential tale, this version remains a story of close calls and near misses.
  3. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Margaret Lyons
    May 28, 2019
    40
    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.

Awards & Rankings

94
#94 Best TV Season of 2019

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 22 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 22
  3. Negative: 2 out of 22
  1. dml1984
    Aug 14, 2019
    4
    Felt like I was watching a daytime telemovie. Poor cgi in several scenes too.
  2. hitzestau
    Jul 7, 2019
    7
    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 outbreakThe 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.    … Full Review »
  3. podaddy
    Jun 3, 2019
    6
    Good cast and compelling story; certainly worth a watch That said, there was something off about this show that kept it from being great.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 and Order or NCIS.… Full Review »
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