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Netflix’s ‘Death by Lightning’ Earns Praise as Fact-Checks Back Its Period Details

Reviews emphasize meticulous period detail with pointed echoes of modern politics.

Overview

  • The four-episode limited series is now streaming on Netflix.
  • Michael Shannon and Matthew Macfadyen lead a dramatization of the 1881 shooting of President James A. Garfield.
  • Critics highlight Macfadyen’s darkly comic performance and the show’s sly tone, with noted support from Nick Offerman, Bradley Whitford, and Shea Whigham.
  • Fact-checks corroborate portrayed details including preservation of Charles Guiteau’s brain, the era’s lack of formal presidential protection, and infection from post-operative care as a likely decisive medical factor.
  • Industry reporting says Netflix billed the project as a miniseries, making a conventional second season unlikely, with any anthology-style continuation described as speculative.