Death by Lightning, a four-part Netflix miniseries, plays like a 19th-century West Wing: a period political drama full of intrigue, betrayals and idealism centered on an elected representative determined to do right despite obstacles. Michael Shannon brings intensity to James Garfield’s public speeches while depicting him at home as a gentle husband, father and farmer—an unlikely figure to navigate the 1880s national political snake pit.
Matthew Macfadyen portrays Charles Guiteau, a man of humble origins but inflated self-regard. Less noble than Garfield, Guiteau is willing to steal, lie, forge and commit other crimes to advance himself. Macfadyen gives him a childlike, ardent optimism—an empathic, fully committed performance that lets you feel Guiteau’s emotional highs and lows instantly. When we first meet him, he’s defending his actions in 1880 at The Tombs in New York. Garfield, meanwhile, is an Ohio congressman who spends much of his time at home until he’s asked to nominate a fellow Ohio politician at the Republican National Convention in Chicago. His nominating speech is so stirring that the deadlocked convention puts his name forward; on the 36th ballot, Garfield emerges as the Republican front-runner, much to the amusement of Senator James Blaine, played by Bradley Whitford.
Among the standout supporting players are Nick Offerman as Chester Alan Arthur—at once cartoonishly bullying and unexpectedly sensitive—and Betty Gilpin as Garfield’s wife, Lucretia (Crete). Gilpin’s scenes with Shannon are tender, but her character later erupts into a decisive, history-altering moment that clarifies why the role, though seemingly small, is so consequential.
Created by Mike Makowsky and based on Candice Millard’s Destiny of the Republic, the series counts David Benioff and D.B. Weiss among its executive producers. Their production turns a historical narrative into timely television, exposing familiar forms of arrogance—political, social and medical—alongside strains of optimism and despair. Those themes echo Stephen Sondheim’s musical Assassins, which also depicted Guiteau with childlike fervor and included his gallows song.
Death by Lightning succeeds as both a dated history lesson and resonant drama: outstanding television that combines strong performances, moral complexity and the intimate human moments that make political stories feel immediate.
