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Limited Series – Death by Lightning

Play trailer 2:11 Poster for Limited Series – Death by Lightning Nov 2025 History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
90% Tomatometer 70 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Presenting the story of James Garfield, who rose from obscurity to become America's 20th President and Charles Guiteau, the man who assassinated him.
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Death by Lightning — Limited Series

Death by Lightning — Limited Series

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Critics Consensus

Handsomely mounted and electrified by Matthew Macfadyen's masterclass in slimy desperation, Death by Lightning concisely dramatizes a fork in history while wistfully hinting at what could've been.

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Critics Reviews

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Judy Berman TIME Magazine Dec 3
Creator Mike Makowsky shapes the source material, Candice Millard’s nonfiction book Destiny of the Republic, into a collection of quintessentially American archetypes. Go to Full Review
Peter Travers The Travers Take Nov 21
3.5/4
The artful acting mischief of Michael Shannon and Matthew Macfadyen makes the Presidential assassination that America forgot into one of the most memorable shows of the TV season Go to Full Review
Deborah Ross The Spectator Nov 20
Heaven knows what liberties the series has taken with the historical facts but it’s hugely entertaining. Go to Full Review
Alex Bear Geek Girl Riot / RIOTUS 3d
B+
Four episodes were all Death by Lightning needed to tell a succinct, striking story that will leave you thinking about it for days after. Go to Full Review
Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies Jul 13
4/5
Death by Lightning succeeds as gripping historical drama thanks to its stellar ensemble, strong writing, and compelling look at one of the most consequential assassinations in American history. Go to Full Review
Catherine Springer CathsFilmForum.com Feb 21
There are moments of true absurdity—feel free to laugh out loud—and there are moments that will make your stomach truly hurt. But, in its totality, these four episodes are a glimpse of this nation’s past that epitomize who we are, in every way. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Mara S @RT789901289432 Aug 16 Brilliantly played by all the main leads, particularly Nick Offerman, this is visually sumptuous with a great recreation of time & place and gets its story told in 4 episodes. The final part is dragged out somewhat but overall it's very enjoyable and tells a remarkable story that would otherwise be lost to history. See more Rosa C @RT5678904221241 Aug 13 Lots of good subtle humor too, despite the topic. See more Daniel O @Olshansk Aug 9 A short miniseries capturing the story of a short presidency. It's fascinating to see the different forms and shapes a presidency can take. It's a clear reminder that there is no straight path to entrepreneurship. Everyone does it in their own way. James Garfield was the epitome of a classic leader: an eloquent speaker who invigorated crowds. But he didn't want it. Chester Arthur was a completely different type of leader who found himself in a place he never expected and adapted along the way. He also didn't want it. Whether you want it, seek it, achieve it, get it, or try to reject it, true leadership isn't a skill. It's individuality. I'm glad Netflix makes stories like this known. See more Stephen D @RT37880768 Aug 9 "Ooh, I love it when an old man is petty." That one quote kind of sums up the considerable appeal of this one: a lot of backstabbing,backroom deals and political machinations executed by men with some of the most fabulous beards you've ever seen. A fascinating true story well told and immaculately performed. I generally found the stuff around the rise and fall of James Garfield to be more interesting than the Guiteau stuff, but it moves quickly enough that we're never left to linger on a bad subplot very long. Ingenious use of Nick Offerman too. Performances ranked by facial hair: 1) Nick Offerman, now and always the master 2) Bradley Whitford, very distinguished 3) Shea Whigham, how about that little curly-cue thing on top? It killed me 4) Michael Shannon, very classy 5) Matthew MacFadyen,a little patchy, but that seems very in character for this guy. See more Mark W @RT34561273 Aug 9 Love it overall, but Maythew Macfadyen is a massive overactor. It reminds me of Paul Groves playing Candide, mannerisms and facial and vocal expressions meant to carry a goofy levity to the back of a 3,000 seat theater. Just way too loud. He can be standing still and it feels like a Muppet just showed up. He's doing a disservice to the rest of this excellent cast that understand they're acting to a camera 10' in front of them. See more Lidia K @Lidia251 Jul 29 Absolutely killer cast. It even has the guy that played Eugene in Wristcutters: A Love Story. The tone is somewhere between HBO's John Adams and HBO's Deadwood. Great miniseries. See more Read all reviews
Death by Lightning — Limited Series

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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Nov 6, 2025 The Man From Ohio At the 1880 Republican National Convention, the lives of Ohio Congressman James Garfield and newly released convict Charles Guiteau are forever altered. Details Episode 2 Aired Nov 6, 2025 Party Faithful In the runup to Election Day, Garfield welcomes the nation to his front porch; Guiteau struggles to ingratiate himself with Party leadership. Details Episode 3 Aired Nov 6, 2025 Casus Belli Treachery from within the White House complicates Garfield's attempts to appoint a Cabinet; Guiteau tries everything to secure a Presidential audience. Details Episode 4 Aired Nov 6, 2025 Destiny of the Republic Conkling goes on the offensive as Garfield challenges the New York political machine; isolated and desperate, Guiteau weighs a history-making decision. Details
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Season Info

Director
Matt Ross, Matt Ross
Creator
Mike Makowsky
Executive Producer
David Benioff, Bernadette Caulfield, D.B. Weiss, Matt Ross
Network
Netflix
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
History, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date
Nov 6, 2025
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