Summary
Zero Chill feels like having the same tasteless dinner every night. On the fifth evening of heating it in the microwave, you realise you have no salt, so you throw the meal in the bin.
This review of the Netflix series Zero Chill season 1 contains no spoilers. The drama will be released on the streaming service on March 14, 2021.
I’m a supporter of Netflix, but at times, they do have me ripping out my hair on some of their decisions. Remember Spinning Out which they cancelled, focusing on a figure skater? It was a drama that had promise and at least had a couple of seasons in it. And now, almost a year later, Netflix serves up a lighter, family drama version of a story on ice — it’s almost a slap in the face. Zero Chill doesn’t have the same seriousness in the plot, and the family element is meant to be slightly goofy, but my word, this is boring.
Following an enthusiastic family, figure skater Kayla and her brother Mac, a hockey player, travel from Canada to England so Mac can pursue his dream of having a career in the sport. Meanwhile, Kayla has to accept her dreams will not be realized, as she’s left her partner in Canada with whom she had the ultimate chemistry on the ice. From here, Netflix’s Zero Chill gives usual teen dramas and many themes on how families “come together jollily” to overcome issues.
The story is in a constant cycle of flagrant and on-the-surface-drama; characters seem to want to have a problem with someone else; they talk to that person, quickly resolve it, and then a moment later, they have another problem with them again. Zero Chill feels like having the same tasteless dinner every night. On the fifth evening of heating it in the microwave, you realize you have no salt, so you throw the meal in the bin — Season 1 begs for some salt; it feels like a generic drama with zero passion for the script.
The cast cannot be blamed because the script hardly does them any favors; the bottom-of-the-barrel commission is to blame. The dialogue is lifeless, forcing the characters to talk in ways that are not realistic. Stories revolving around being on the ice should be exciting and full of drama, but all you want in Zero Chill is for the ice to melt and flood the rink to engage in some stimulation.
Let’s make sure this does not get a second season. Zero Chill season 1 is a shameless dud.
