History is stranger than fiction, and “Death By Lightning” is here to prove it. The Netflix limited series dramatizes the improbable rise and brutal fall of James Garfield, America’s reluctant 20th president, and the obsessed admirer who killed him, Charles Guiteau. The four-episode drama arrives November 6, 2025, with a creative team that suggests prestige television with teeth: creator, writer, and executive producer Mike Makowsky (“Bad Education”) works alongside director and executive producer Matt Ross (“Captain Fantastic”) and the powerhouse duo of David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (“Game Of Thrones”).
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The cast is stacked with performers capable of cutting through period drama with ferocity. Michael Shannon leads as President Garfield, bringing his trademark volatility to a man caught between duty and destiny. Matthew Macfadyen plays Guiteau, the fan turned assassin, a role that lets him pivot from charisma to mania. Nick Offerman, Bradley Whitford, Shea Whigham, and Betty Gilpin co-star, with guest turns from names like Vondie Curtis Hall as Frederick Douglass and Željko Ivanek as the ominously named Dr. Doctor Bliss.
Makowsky’s previous work has shown a sharp eye for corruption and ambition, and paired with Ross’s talent for character-driven filmmaking, “Death By Lightning” positions itself as both a political tragedy and a psychological thriller. The title alone recalls the bizarre historical irony of Garfield’s death, a moment in American history that reads like satire but plays out with devastating weight.
Netflix has positioned the series as a November tentpole, promising prestige drama and awards-season timing. With Benioff and Weiss in the mix, expectations will be high, but the casting of Shannon and Macfadyen suggests a series that thrives on performance, tension, and the unsettling echoes between then and now.
“Death By “ightning” premiere” on Netflix on November 6, 2025. Check out the first look images and poster below.
