| Death by Lightning | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Created by | Mike Makowsky |
| Based on | Destiny of the Republic byCandice Millard |
| Directed by | Matt Ross |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Ramin Djawadi |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Running time | 47–66 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | November 6, 2025 (2025-11-06) |
Death By Lightning is an Americanhistorical drama miniseries created byMike Makowsky and based on the 2011 bookDestiny of the Republic byCandice Millard. It starsMichael Shannon asUnited States PresidentJames A. Garfield andMatthew Macfadyen as his assassinCharles J. Guiteau. The four-episode series premiered on November 6, 2025, onNetflix. It received widespread acclaim from critics, with particular praise for the performances, and was named one of thebest television programs of the year by theAmerican Film Institute.
The series depicts the election and presidency ofJames A. Garfield, the 20thUnited States President, including his anti-corruption and pro-civil rights stances, as well as how his path crossed withCharles J. Guiteau, a deluded admirer, who ended upshooting him, leading to Garfield's death.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Man from Ohio" | Matt Ross | Mike Makowsky | November 6, 2025 (2025-11-06) |
| 2 | "Party Faithful" | Matt Ross | Mike Makowsky | November 6, 2025 (2025-11-06) |
| 3 | "Casus Belli" | Matt Ross | Mike Makowsky | November 6, 2025 (2025-11-06) |
| 4 | "Destiny of the Republic" | Matt Ross | Mike Makowsky | November 6, 2025 (2025-11-06) |
The series was announced in February 2024, withMichael Shannon cast to play Garfield, andMatthew Macfadyen to play Guiteau.[1][2] Shannon was keen to play Garfield as he himself did not know anything about the man.[3] Macfadyen compared his interpretation of Guiteau to the Pixar villainSyndrome.[4]Matt Ross was set to direct all episodes of the series.[1] Later that month,Nick Offerman andBetty Gilpin joined the cast, asChester A. Arthur andLucretia Garfield, respectively.[5][6] In May,Bradley Whitford andShea Whigham were added, withStephen McKinley Henderson,Paula Malcolmson andTuppence Middleton joining in recurring roles.[7]Laura Marcus was added in July.[8] In October, additional castings were announced, includingBarry Shabaka Henley (replacing McKinley Henderson in his role),Vondie Curtis-Hall andŽeljko Ivanek.[9]
Filming began inBudapest on July 1, 2024,[10][11] and wrapped in October of the same year.[9]
It was announced in October 2025 that composerRamin Djawadi would be scoring the series.[12][13]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Prove My Worth" | 1:05 |
| 2. | "The Man from Ohio" | 2:35 |
| 3. | "Daily Theocrat" | 1:05 |
| 4. | "Meeting the President" | 0:52 |
| 5. | "The Story of a Hero" | 2:40 |
| 6. | "It’s a Deadlock" | 1:26 |
| 7. | "A Big Game" | 1:50 |
| 8. | "The Nominee" | 3:48 |
| 9. | "Show Me a Better Man" | 1:17 |
| 10. | "A Sound Investment" | 0:58 |
| 11. | "You Will Have No Voice" | 1:35 |
| 12. | "A Flair of Hope" | 2:00 |
| 13. | "Broken Promises" | 0:49 |
| 14. | "Torpedo and the Whale" | 1:32 |
| 15. | "History Will Remember Us" | 2:25 |
| 16. | "A Question of Order" | 0:35 |
| 17. | "Friends in Politics" | 1:08 |
| 18. | "A President for the People" | 3:13 |
| 19. | "The Letter" | 1:35 |
| 20. | "Give Voice to the Common Man" | 1:10 |
| 21. | "A Special Purpose" | 3:50 |
| 22. | "Democracy Calls" | 1:41 |
| 23. | "Stop the Vote" | 1:40 |
| 24. | "I Believe in Change" | 1:13 |
| 25. | "A Place in History" | 2:26 |
| 26. | "A True American Hero" | 1:26 |
| 27. | "Death by Lightning" | 2:55 |
| Total length: | 48:44 | |
Death by Lightning premiered on November 6, 2025, onNetflix.[14]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 91% of 67 critics' reviews are positive. The website's critics consensus reads, "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."[15] OnMetacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 81 out of 100 based on 29 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[16]
Shannon and Macfadyen's portrayals of Garfield and Guiteau were singled out for praise.[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]Richard Roeper's review atRogerEbert.com gave the series 3.5 stars out of 4, praising its boldness: "remembers Garfield as a decent man...Guiteau as one in a long line of broken and twisted souls."[25]
TheAmerican Film Institute named itone of the ten best television programs of the year.[26]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | American Cinema Editors Awards | Best Edited Limited Series | Joseph Krings, Anna Hauger, Michael Ruscio & Joe Leonard(for "The Man from Ohio") | Pending | [27] |
| Critics' Choice Awards | Best Limited Series | Death by Lightning | Nominated | [28] | |
| Best Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie Made for Television | Michael Shannon | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie Made for Television | Nick Offerman | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie Made for Television | Betty Gilpin | Nominated | |||
| USC Scripter Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay – Television | Mike Makowsky(for "Destiny of the Republic") | Won | [29] | |
| Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode | Rainer Gombos, Steve Kullback, Marko Ljubez, David Ramos (for "The Man from Ohio") | Pending | [30] | |
| Writers Guild of America Awards | Best Limited Series | Mike Makowsky | Pending | [31] |
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