James A. Garfield is the U.S. president few Americans remember, and that’s exactly why Netflix wants you to. With Death By Lightning, a gripping four-part historical drama now available on Netflix, the streamer turns a brief, tragic presidency into one of 2025’s most talked-about prestige series.
Created by Mike Makowsky (Bad Education) and based on Candice Millard’s 2011 nonfiction bestseller Destiny of the Republic, the show dramatizes the rise and fall of America’s 20th president, his fateful encounter with an obsessed admirer, and the cascade of bad luck, bad medicine, and bad politics that followed.
From the Battlefield to the White House
Before James Garfield (played by Michael Shannon) took office, he was a Civil War general who rose from extreme poverty to command the 42nd Ohio Infantry and earn a reputation for bravery and intellect.
In Death by Lightning, Shannon plays Garfield as a reluctant leader — moral, pragmatic, and deeply human. His presidency lasts just 199 days, cut short when Charles Guiteau, a delusional office-seeker, shoots him in a Washington D.C. train station.
Guiteau is portrayed by Matthew Macfadyen (Succession) in a chilling performance that manages to be both absurd and heartbreaking. The assassin sees himself not as a murderer but as a divinely chosen messenger — a dangerous combination of ego and insanity that gives the series much of its unsettling tension.
A Murder by Medicine
While the bullet itself didn’t immediately kill Garfield, the series — much like the real story — shows how his doctor’s arrogance sealed his fate.
The president’s physician, Dr. D. Willard Bliss, dismissed the new concept of germ theory and repeatedly probed Garfield’s wound with unsterilized instruments, leading to fatal infection.
The resulting scenes are among the show’s most haunting: a slow, claustrophobic death that turns a national tragedy into a medical horror story.
A Cast Worthy of a Presidential Drama
Netflix has assembled a powerhouse ensemble that gives Death by Lightning the weight of a political epic and the bite of a dark comedy.
Actor | Role |
Michael Shannon | President James A. Garfield |
Matthew Macfadyen | Assassin Charles Guiteau |
Betty Gilpin | First Lady Crete Garfield |
Bradley Whitford | Senator James Blaine |
Nick Offerman | Vice President Chester A. Arthur |
Shea Whigham | Political rival Roscoe Conkling |
Vondie Curtis-Hall | Frederick Douglass |
Laura Marcus, Jack Alldridge, Anders Olof Grundberg, Alfie Tempest, Dylan Hughes | The Garfield children |
Tuppence Middleton | Journalist Kate Sprague |
David Nykl | Levi Morton |
Archie Fisher | Joe Brown |
Offerman steals every scene he is featured in as Chester A. Arthur, the hapless vice president who unexpectedly inherits the Oval Office. As Empire notes, his dry humor — and lines like “Drinking, fighting, sausages!” — cut through the tragedy without diminishing it.
A Forgotten President Reimagined
Visually, Death by Lightning leans into muted, painterly tones — part The Crown, part Chernobyl. The tone oscillates between tragic drama and satirical absurdity, reflecting the era’s contradictions: a modernizing nation still ruled by superstition, ego, and untested medicine.
Shannon’s stoic restraint contrasts sharply with Macfadyen’s manic energy, producing a duel of ideology as much as personality. The show’s greatest trick is that, even though we know how Garfield’s story ends, it keeps us riveted to how and why it happens.
Why Netflix Thinks It Matters Now
Garfield’s brief presidency might seem like an obscure subject for a major streamer, but the themes couldn’t be timelier.
Political extremism, misinformation, and the weaponization of faith are all part of Death by Lightning’s DNA. The show suggests that the line between belief and fanaticism — between public service and self-interest — has always been thin in American life.
For Military.com’s audience, Garfield’s military service also adds resonance: he was the last U.S. president who had fought in the Civil War, a scholar-soldier whose integrity and empathy were shaped by what he saw in uniform.
Death by Lightning | Official Trailer | Netflix
“Assassination can no more be guarded against than death by lightning; it is best not to worry about either.” - President James Garfield Death by Lightning, a four episode limited series starring Michael Shannon, Matthew Macfadyen, Nick Offerman, Betty Gilpin, Bradley Whitford and Shea Whigham premieres November 6th, only on Netflix.
A Story Worth Remembering
At just four episodes, Death by Lightning is concise, darkly funny, and surprisingly emotional. It turns a forgotten name from a history textbook into a fully realized man — one whose ideals, flaws, and final hours still echo today.
Where to Watch
- Streaming: Netflix
- Episodes: 4
- Premiere: November 2025
- Creators: Mike Makowsky, based on Candice Millard’s Destiny of the Republic
If You Liked Death by Lightning, Watch These Next
1. Manhunt (Apple TV+ / 2024)
Based on James Swanson’s bestseller, this seven-part thriller dramatizes the tense twelve-day chase for Abraham Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth. With meticulous Civil War-era detail and haunting performances, Manhunt shares the same mix of political intrigue and moral reckoning that defines Death by Lightning.
2. The Crown (Netflix / 2016 – 2023)
Across six lush seasons, The Crown redefined the historical-drama genre by fusing intimate character study with sweeping political stakes. Like Death by Lightning, it examines the personal cost of power and the weight of public duty — proof that leadership, whether royal or republican, rarely comes without sacrifice.
3. All the Light We Cannot See (Netflix / 2023)
A World War II miniseries that balances spectacle and emotion, this adaptation of Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel celebrates the resilience of ordinary people amid history’s darkness. Its cinematic scale and human core echo the same blend of empathy and tragedy that drives Death by Lightning.
Stream Death by Lightning on Netflix Now
Stream Death by Lightning on Netflix and rediscover the life, legacy, and assassination of America’s forgotten Civil War president, James A. Garfield. Then keep the story going by exploring the dramas above for more power, politics, and history brought vividly to life.
