Death by Lightning premiered on Netflix on November 6, 2025, as a four-episode limited series about President James A. Garfield and the man who killed him, Charles J. Guiteau. All four episodes are now streaming on Netflix.
What “Death by Lightning” Dramatizes
The series follows James A. Garfield’s rise to the presidency and the delusional office seeker who ultimately assassinated him in 1881. Creator Mike Makowsky and director Matt Ross ground the drama in Candice Millard’s 2011 nonfiction book Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President. Asked about preparation, Matthew Macfadyen (who plays Charles J. Guiteau) says, “I knew nothing about it,” explaining that he read Millard’s book and “jumped in from there.” Michael Shannon (who plays James A. Garfield) calls Millard’s work “our textbook,” adding, “It was his bible for the thing,” and credits research that included a “big, fat biography of Garfield by a fellow named C.W. Goodyear,” plus the couple’s letters that co-star Betty Gilpin shared.
Shannon sought to capture Garfield’s governing spirit — “his compassion and his curiosity about other people, and his genuine interest in improving the health of our country” — and frames the office as service: Garfield “understood that being a president is an act of servitude.” Macfadyen describes Guiteau as having “no fixed abode,” “no money,” and being “not really good at anything,” with the performance’s tone “dialed up and down” in collaboration with Ross. (Netflix Tudum interview)
Cast & Characters: Who Plays Whom
- Michael Shannon as James A. Garfield, the reform-minded 20th president.
- Matthew Macfadyen as Charles J. Guiteau, the assassin.
- Betty Gilpin as Lucretia Garfield, the First Lady.
- Laura Marcus as Mollie Garfield, James and Lucretia’s daughter.
- Nick Offerman as Chester A. Arthur, vice president turned 21st POTUS.
- Shea Whigham as Roscoe Conkling, Stalwart power broker.
- Bradley Whitford as James Blaine, Secretary of State and Half‑Breed leader.
- Vondie Curtis‑Hall as Frederick Douglass.
- Željko Ivanek as Dr. Willard Bliss.
- Shaun Parkes as Dr. Charles Purvis.
Dates That Matter: July 2 and September 19, 1881
July 2, 1881: Garfield was shot at the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station four months into his term. September 19, 1881: he died of infection after a long struggle — a span of roughly 200 days in office. The show underscores the preventable nature of the death, echoing historians who argue that unsanitary treatment, not the bullet alone, proved fatal.
How Critics Are Reading It
Jack Seale calls the four‑part miniseries “punchy” and says “absolutely nobody plays losers like Matthew Macfadyen,” praising the way Macfadyen captures a “pitiable crank.”
In a separate Guardian feature on November 10, 2025, Garfield descendant James Garfield III reflects, “We knew what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” while author Candice Millard argues Garfield “would have been one of our great presidents had he lived.” That report also recounts Guiteau’s words after the attack — “I did it … I am a Stalwart and Arthur will be president.” Guardian feature.
Inside the Performances
Shannon’s notes on Garfield emphasize intention over naked ambition — “it’s healthy to have some amount of ambition,” he says, but the point is service. He also credits co‑star Betty Gilpin for mining the Garfields’ letters and ensuring Lucretia Garfield is no mere appendage: “they were very much working in tandem… James would never do anything without running it past her first.” Macfadyen emphasizes trust in Matt Ross on calibrating Guiteau: “Often, [Guiteau is] very sweet and very sympathetic and quite childlike, and we’d play with that.”
Power, Spoils & Consequences
The season’s political spine runs through reform battles with Roscoe Conkling and James Blaine, and the succession of Chester A. Arthur. The drama tracks a patronage system that nurtured Guiteau’s delusions of a promised post and, after the murder, the path toward civil service reform under Arthur. The arc also gives Nick Offerman room to chart a transformation many viewers might not expect from a “Stalwart” vice president.
Fact‑Check & Gaps
- Source material: Built on Candice Millard’s 2011 Destiny of the Republic (confirmed in cast/creator interview).
- Format: Four episodes (Netflix limited series).
- Timeline anchors: July 2, 1881 (shooting) and September 19, 1881 (death); Garfield served about 200 days.
- Not confirmed in these sources: An official episode‑title list.
Why “Death by Lightning” Matters Now
Death by Lightning is not simply a period reenactment. It reframes President Garfield as a reformer whose agenda — civil rights, clean government — still reads as urgent. The show’s title evokes a mordant political quip from the era, but the real jolt is how quickly a presidency can be derailed by grievance, spectacle, and bad medicine.
Conclusion: “Death by Lightning” on Netflix Is Required Viewing
Death by Lightning is a gripping retelling of the 1881 assassination that changed the presidency. Anchored by Michael Shannon and Matthew Macfadyen, and supported by Betty Gilpin, Nick Offerman, Shea Whigham, Bradley Whitford, Vondie Curtis‑Hall, Željko Ivanek, Shaun Parkes, Laura Marcus, James Blaine, Roscoe Conkling, and Frederick Douglass as depicted in the series, it makes a strong case for why James Garfield should no longer be a forgotten name. If you’re searching for historical drama with present‑tense bite, this is it.
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