Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Terrorism Close Calls’, Netflix’s Docu-Series About Stopping Near Catastrophes

Exactly what does it take to thwart a terrorist plot? And how many disturbingly near misses has the world had? That’s what Netflix’s latest docu-series, Terrorism Close Calls, explores. Each episode follows a different collection of law enforcement officers and terrorism specialists as they discuss some of the most jaw-dropping near catastrophes they’ve managed to stop.

TERRORISM CLOSE CALLS: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: High-energy synth music plays between interviews from legal experts and law officers. Through a series of clips and a voiceover, Terrorism Close Calls explains the plot of its first episode. In September 2009 three naturalized U.S. citizens attempted to launch a terrorist attack on the New York subway system. As the opening scene explains, this attack involved multiple suicide bombers and was supposed to take place on the eighth anniversary of 9/11.

“This is like a real-life episode of 24, except you’re starring in it,” Don Borelli, the Assistant Special Agent in Charge JTTF, says.

Thankfully this plot was stopped by the FBI joint terrorism task force. And Terrorism Close Calls is here to tell us exactly how they did it. The series then cuts to its opening credits. Think your typical police-focused docu-series on A&E, and you have a good idea of what those credits look like.

The Gist: For all of the horrible terrorist attacks that have destroyed national security and innocent families, there are hundreds more foiled terrorism plots. This Netflix docu-series promises to take a close look into these near disasters and explain exactly how they were stopped by the law officers who stopped them.

Our Take: It’s hard to think of a more engaging premise than Terrorism Close Calls. To paraphrase Assistant Special Agent Borelli, it really is like watching a real-life version of 24. But the thing that has always separated television from real life is pacing, and that’s where Terrorism Close Calls suffers. A lot of the police work that keeps us safe on a daily basis is sadly boring to see or hear about, and this series reflects that.

That fault wouldn’t be nearly as obvious if it wasn’t for Terrorism Close Call’s long runtime. Each episode lasts for roughly 45 minutes, which feels at least 10 minutes too long. There are just a few too many minutes featuring law enforcement professionals emotionlessly explaining exactly what happened. The blandness of these explanations can’t even be saved by interesting graphics.

But that being said, you’d be hard-pressed to find any other docu-series that covers this subgenre of terrorism more thoroughly than Terrorism Close Calls. The first episode focuses on a secret nightmare lurking in the back of every New Yorker’s mind — an orchestrated mass bombing that almost happened on the New York subway system. The episode explains exactly how the FBI and later the NYPD were able to track every move these aspiring suicide bombers made, from their first coded email to an Al Qaeda courier about a bomb “recipe” to one suspect’s last ditch car accident plan.

The series also breaks down just how many government agencies it took to stop this one attack in a matter of days. The episode starts by focusing on the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force before explaining how the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency helped stop the attack. Even the NYPD plays a role in the arrests, actually standing as the governing body that stops one of the suspects.

Again, it’s fascinating in principle. It just a bit tiring to watch these explanations for almost an hour straight.

Parting Shot: Borelli speaks to the interviewer as footage of people doing everyday things — taking a walk in New York, playing basketball — plays over his voice. Regardless of how much technology there is, he explains, it’s impossible to completely eradicate terrorism because we can’t predict or control people.

But he does have a solution to curb these attacks. By targeting younger people on the verge of radicalization and giving them an alternate message, he hope to lessen terrorism. Once again, it’s an informative but dry message.

Sleeper Star: This one is going to David Bitkower, the former federal prosecutor on this case. Not only does Bitkower make for an interesting and well-informed interview subject but he’s also one of the very few subjects that injects emotion into his testimony.

Most Pilot-y Line: There’s not an especially cringe-worthy line, but there are a couple of very bad graphics. When discussing the original email that tipped authorities to the terrorism plan, a re-enactment shows an actor typing “I need the recipe” in the slowest way possible. There’s also at least one map of New York City in the last third of the episode that conveys no additional information. If you’re going to show me something either give me information or set a mood.

Our Call: This docu-series would be so much better if there was some sort of heart involved in any of these almost hourlong interviews. But perhaps that’s too much to ask for a terrorism docu-series. For now skip it. Terrorism Close Calls has an interesting premise and an exhausting execution.

Watch Terrorism Close Calls on Netflix