After tackling the Ebola crisis in its first season, Nat Geo’s anthology drama The Hot Zone returns to reexamine the investigation behind 2001’s Anthrax mailings, which killed five people and infected several more.

The Hot Zone: Anthrax makes an effort to touch on a monumental incident that usually gets overshadowed in 9/11 coverage, but it still doesn’t offer a lot of new information.

The Hot Zone: Anthrax’s single-mindedness in following the trajectory of the investigation at least keeps things focused on the subject at hand.

Episode one jumps right into the action as Anthrax spores are mailed to media offices in New York City and Boca Raton, Florida, and to prominent senators in Washington, D.C.

Bruce Ivins (Goldwyn).

The Hot Zone: Anthrax attempts to dive into the character’s psyche as Bruce goes from seemingly cheery to clearly troubled.

The Hot Zone: Anthrax succeeds mainly when it dives into Bruce’s past; it’s one of the less explored aspects of the real-life story.

soil, The Hot Zone: Anthrax’s storytelling feels too subdued and mechanical

The show is effective as a ripped-from-the-headlines re-creation of the Anthrax case, especially for viewers who don’t know much about it, but it has little to offer beyond that