Dramatizes the stranger-than-fiction true story of 20th U.S. President James Garfield, and admirer Charles Guiteau, who assassinated him.
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Death by Lightning Ratings & Reviews
- Junior ReyesMarch 1, 2026I just finished watching. A great history lesson with some of today's best actors. Michael Shannon, as always, is putting on a real show. The guy perfectly captured that panicked "Wait, what the hell?" look during the Republican convention scenes. Matthew Macfadyen shines in every moment of this gripping historical miniseries. His portrayal of the eccentric who assassinated the US president in 1881 takes his acting to the next level. One of my all-time favorite performances. Oh my God, he's phenomenal! Great cast. I want to give a shout-out to Shea Whigham, who doesn't always get the love and recognition she deserves, but she always excels in everything she does. I was moved by the scenes of Garfield's suffering during the two and a half months he fought for his life. I was brought to tears by the scenes of his transfer from the White House to the Jersey Shore so he could die in peace and comfort. In short, Death by Lightning, a smart and well-paced political storm, uses its talented cast to build a thrilling story from an often-forgotten moment in history.
- thomasrogers753November 25, 2025I still believe that to this day Garfield could’ve been one of the greatest presidents of his time. I mean, there’s so much this man could’ve done and it is sad that he’ll forever be a what if an American history.
- hollistercrowleyNovember 19, 2025Excellent all around, the casting, direction, writing, costumes, sets are all brilliant. Golden Globes all around, especially Michael Shannon and Matthew MacFayden. The only bummer is that is was too short, but that’s only because it was such a pleasure to watch. The story was concise and fit perfectly into the four episodes. A moment in history that is not well known enough.
- Michael SurberNovember 14, 2025I'm already a big fan of period dramas like this one, especially based on real life events. Michael Shannon was incredible but MacFadyen was amazing. All the cast were spectacular, no one coasted thru this. The story itself was shockingly timely. Evidently, there are corrupt people in Washington DC! James Garfield was elected to clean the corruption up and was killed just three months into office. His VP was a drunk and tried to quit office but Garfield would not let him. Nick Offerman was brilliant in the role. The whole series is just four episodes so there's zero filler. Recommended.
- ahwooNovember 13, 2025Well done miniseries about a little-known period of American history. All the actors were fantastic.
- russrev1ewsJanuary 18, 2026This could’ve been a great show, but it falls prey to the “Netflix syndrome.” What’s that? It’s when producers prioritize people “listening” to TV instead of watching it, so every thing gets over-explained, winked about, and overly stated. It’s sucks the energy and life out of visual story telling and really ruined this show. That said, Macfadyen was absolutist haunting and elevates his ability to portray a sociopath to the next beyond Wambsgans. Offerman as well does a splendid job with a bad script. Glad I watched, but dreading the fact that Netflix may one day own Warner Bros.
- Stephen SchlaackJanuary 7, 2026Michael Shannon continues to have even more range, damnit! And everyone else is incredible too! And the writing is great! I'll probably just have to keep watching more.
- NewFilmsAnonymousNovember 17, 2025"James Garfield only died because his doctor was a bigot and Chester Arthur only reformed because a woman slapped some sense into him." -Netflix
Death by Lightning Trivia
Death by Lightning has 1 season.
Death by Lightning has 4 episodes.
The key characters in Death by Lightning are James Garfield (Michael Shannon), Charles Guiteau (Matthew Macfadyen), Chester A. Arthur (Nick Offerman).
Death by Lightning was directed by Matt Ross.
Death by Lightning was produced by Hameed Shaukat, Olly Robinson.
Dramatizes the stranger-than-fiction true story of 20th U.S. President James Garfield, and admirer Charles Guiteau, who assassinated him.
Death by Lightning is rated TV-MA.
Death by Lightning is a Biography, Drama, History show.
Death by Lightning has an audience rating of 8.7 out of 10.
Death by Lightning episodes are 53m long.
There is no information yet from the studio on if there will be another season.