In 2019, pre-Covid, National Geographic produced the dramatic Hot Zone television miniseries about a 1989 semi-accurate Ebola scare in the US (based on Richard Preston's 1994 novel of the same name). Its release came in the days when the bio-thriller genre was on par with horror — an adrenaline rush that, practically speaking, was almost as fantastical as a zombie tale (which, technically, is both horror and bio-thriller).
Now, post-Covid, National Geo is teasing us with their second season, Hot Zone: Anthrax, which premieres in November. The dramatic 6-episode series is about the 2001 anthrax attacks that infected 22 people, killing five. But I wonder, is a pandemic-fatigued audience that's still in the thick of Covid ready for another Hot Zone? Knowing me, I'll watch it (Is there a bio-thriller I haven't seen?). This is, after all, about a terrorist attack rather than a contagious virus. But still, the usual pep that comes with the knowledge of an upcoming bio-thriller just isn't there.
Here are two trailers: a behind-the-scenes sneak peak released today and a trailer that was released in May.
