US EditionThe Real Story Behind Netflix's 'Death by Lightning' and the Shocking Assassination of President James A. Garfield
The Netflix docudrama explores Garfield’s potential as a progressive leader and the political corruption and violence surrounding his 200-day presidency, based on Candice Millard’s book.
- On November 6, 2025, Netflix released the four-part series Death by Lightning, now streaming, adapting Candice Millard's Destiny Of The Republic and dramatizing President James A. Garfield's assassination by Charles Guiteau.
- Charles Guiteau believed he was owed the Paris consulship after helping elect President James A. Garfield and turned bitter and delusional when denied, with childhood traumas and Oneida Community ties shaping his divine mission belief.
- Garfield did not die immediately, instead lingering for 79 days before succumbing amid unsanitary probing and Willard Bliss' rejection of antisepsis, while Alexander Graham Bell attempted to locate the bullet.
- Michael Shannon and Matthew Macfadyen deliver performances that critics singled out, with reviewers praising the ensemble and urging Emmy consideration next summer despite Netflix's corporate discomfort.
- Garfield's place in history is notable: he is one of only four assassinated American presidents, and the series links his civil service reform efforts to the collapse of Reconstruction, Mike Makowsky created.
28 Articles
28 Articles
'Death By Lightning' On Netflix's True Story, Explained And Garfield's Short Stint As President
Netflix’s Death by Lightning , which premiered Thursday, revisits the “epic and stranger-than-fiction true story” of President James A. Garfield, who served only four months in office before being assassinated by a supporter seeking to advance his own political career. The four-part series is based on Candice Millard’s 2011 novel Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President . Creator Mike Makowsky takes view…
Netflix’s ‘Death by Lightning’ Reviews Are In – Find Out What Critics Are Saying | Just Jared: Celebrity News and Gossip
Death By Lightning is one of the big new shows debuting on Netflix! The series made its debut Thursday (November 6), and is a drama series that brings to life the epic and stranger-than-fiction true story of James Garfield, reluctant 20th president of the United States, and his greatest admirer Charles Guiteau — the man who would come to kill him. The limited series consists of four episodes, created and written by Mike Makowsky. Keep reading to…
Death by Lightning ending explained: Netflix's chilling take on President Garfield's assassination
Netflix is back with a banging series. Its new release, Death by Lightning, is a historical drama that revisits one of America’s most overlooked political tragedies, the assassination of President James Garfield. Starring Michael Shannon as Garfield and Matthew Macfadyen as his assassin, Charles Guiteau, the limited series dives deep into the intersection of power, ambition, and delusion that defined this shocking true story. The 4-episode seri…
The Tragic True Story Behind 'Death by Lightning'
Death by Lightning, out on Netflix Nov. 6, traces the assassination of President James Garfield, who was shot on July 2, 1881—four months into his term—and died from his injuries a few months later at the age of 49. The four-episode series starts at the contentious 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago, where U.S. Senator John Sherman (Alistair Petrie) tapped the Ohio congressman and farmer James Garfield (Michael Shannon) to speak on b…
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