Zoo

All over the world, mutations are occurring in the animal kingdom (mostly mammals and birds), represented by a defiant left pupil. They no longer fear humans and have been attacking with increased coordination and ferocity. The series follows a team assembled to figure out what has happened and if it can be stopped: Jackson Oz is an expert in animal behavior, whose father realized this was happening but was dismissed as a lunatic during his lifetime. He and his best friend Abraham are among the first to witness the lion attacks Africa, along with French intelligence agent Chloe Tousignant. Jamie Campbell is a journalist who was initially working her own leads, trying to bring down the mega-corporation Reiden Global in connection to zoo animals escaping and killing. Rounding out their group is Mitchell Morgan, a veterinary pathologist with a chip on his shoulder and a sick daughter from a failed marriage. The whole team is eventually brought together by Delavane, who seemingly works for Interpol.

Over the course of the series, we learn that Reiden was indeed responsible for the uprising (which I initially assumed was a red herring), thanks to a Mother Cell which was used in all of their foodstuffs and pharmaceuticals. Various characters who seem trustworthy at first turn out to be working for them, either to keep an eye on the team, stop them from getting too close, or perhaps genuinely want to find a cure for the mess they created.

All the animals used are real ones, to varying degrees of success (some just don't look as ferocious as they're supposed to be), with the exceptions of a few swarmed bird and bat attacks. The characters do manage to grow on you over the course of the series. The final episode provides some hope that things can be returned to normal, but still ends with a cliffhanger. Whether or not the book ends the same way, or if this was an intentional hook to get a second season, I can't be sure. It's still a cool miniseries, and definitely worth watching through at least once.