‘The Hot Zone’: A Deadly Disease Is on the Verge of Spreading to Humans in NatGeo Series — Watch

It’s been 30 years since Ebola was first discovered on American soil, and a new NatGeo series is looking to capture the danger and resilience of those who made sure the world avoided catastrophic consequences.

“The Hot Zone” has assembled quite the on-screen group to help bring this sequence of events to the screen. Julianna Margulies stars as Dr. Nancy Jaax, who led the effort to contain the spread of Ebola in the United States after the initial African outbreak. Fresh off the series finale of “Game of Thrones,” Liam Cunningham co-stars as Wade Carter, Jaax’s mentor and another doctor working to counteract the potential biological crisis. As Peter Jahrling, Topher Grace plays the military research specialist who helped to discover the mutated viral threat upon its arrival stateside.

The clip below features all three characters caught in a key moment as these medical professionals begin to sense that the accidental virus may have progressed from a lab discovery to a problem that could affect humans. Though not featured in this excerpt, the ensemble for the series also includes Noah Emmerich, Paul James, and Robert Sean Leonard.

For those looking for an early companion to the series, the podcast “American Epidemics” released its third and final episode on Friday. In anticipation of the series premiere next week, host Lindsay Graham speaks with Jaax herself about the events dramatized in the series. Last week’s episode went behind the scenes of production on “The Hot Zone,” including a conversation with Margulies and showrunners Kelly Sounders and Brian Peterson.

“The Hot Zone” is the latest original scripted series for the network, which also includes the Iraq War drama “The Long Road Home” and the genre hybrid series “Mars.” Nat Geo’s upcoming plans will also see the latest installment in its “Genius” series focus on the life and career of Aretha Franklin.

Watch the full clip below:

“The Hot Zone” premieres Monday, May 27 at 9 p.m. on Nat Geo.