When history and art collide, the result is often a mirror held up to society reflecting not only where we’ve come from, but also where we stand today. That’s exactly what actor Michael Shannon believes his new series Death by Lightning achieves. The upcoming historical drama, which also stars Matthew Macfadyen, dives deep into a turbulent period in American history one defined by corruption, alienation, and the uneasy birth of modern democracy.
For Shannon, the show isn’t merely about political intrigue or a presidential assassination. It’s about people those who felt disconnected, unseen, and powerless in a nation struggling to find its moral compass. In a recent interview, Shannon stated, “A lot of disenfranchised people felt adrift.” “This is the reason this story is still so relevant today.”
A Glimpse Into America’s Gilded Age and Its Shadows
Death by Lightning, created by Mike Makowsky (Bad Education) and produced by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss of Game of Thrones fame, explores the shocking assassination of U.S. President James A. Garfield in 1881. The story is inspired by true events a time when America was basking in the glow of the Gilded Age, yet behind the glitter lay widespread inequality, corruption, and social unrest.
Shannon plays the eccentric and unstable Charles J. Guiteau, who killed President Garfield. Opposite him, Matthew Macfadyen plays President Garfield, a leader whose brief term in office was marked by optimism and reform before it was cut short by tragedy.
While the story is rooted in the 19th century, the themes feel strikingly modern. Class divide, political disillusionment, and the alienation of ordinary citizens from power these are not just relics of the past. Shannon and Macfadyen’s performances highlight how history repeats itself, often in unsettling ways.
Michael Shannon: “It’s About People Who Felt Left Behind”
In discussing the series, Shannon emphasized the humanity behind the history. He remarked, “We tend to romanticize the past.” “But when you peel back the layers, you realize that people back then were dealing with the same fears we have today: the fear of being unimportant, irrelevant, and unheard.”
His portrayal of Guiteau is not meant to justify the assassin’s actions, but to examine the psychological and societal pressures that drove him. “Guiteau wasn’t just a madman,” Shannon explained. He was a man who yearned to matter and to fit in. He lived in a culture that had no idea how to deal with individuals like him.
That sense of disconnection, Shannon suggests, is at the heart of Death by Lightning. It’s not just about one man’s descent into madness, but about a country where many felt lost in the tide of industrial progress and political ambition.
Matthew Macfadyen as Garfield: A Leader in a Fractured Nation
Macfadyen, fresh from his Emmy-winning performance in Succession, brings a quiet gravitas to President Garfield. Known for his moral integrity and progressive ideals, Garfield sought to reform a corrupt political system dominated by patronage and greed.
“Garfield was a man of principles in a time when principles were rare,” Macfadyen said in a promotional interview. “He sincerely desired to establish a more equitable administration. However, this made him a target for the disillusioned as well as his adversaries.
The contrast between Garfield and Guiteau one driven by vision, the other by delusion forms the emotional core of the series. Shannon and Macfadyen’s on-screen dynamic has already drawn early praise from critics who previewed the first episodes. Their performances, both intense and deeply human, anchor a story that might otherwise feel like distant history.
A Portrait of a Nation in Transition
The title Death by Lightning comes from a 19th-century phrase used to describe death by electrocution, a grim symbol of both progress and punishment. The series uses this metaphor to explore America’s transition into modernity a time when innovation was reshaping everything from technology to morality.
“America was reinventing itself,” said creator Mike Makowsky. “But that reinvention came with casualties. There were people who didn’t fit into the new order, who were forgotten or ignored. That’s the lightning both illuminating and destructive.”
The show’s production design meticulously recreates the grit and grandeur of the era gas-lit streets, political rallies, crowded train stations, and opulent ballrooms that contrast sharply with the poverty lurking outside. But beneath the lavish costumes and historical details lies a story about alienation, ambition, and the dangerous pursuit of recognition.
Political Corruption and the Seeds of Modern America
One of the show’s most powerful threads is its exploration of the spoils system a corrupt network in which political appointments were handed out as favors. Garfield’s push to dismantle this system made him a symbol of reform, but it also made him vulnerable.
Guiteau, who believed he was owed a political job for supporting Garfield’s campaign, felt betrayed when he was ignored. His growing resentment spiraled into obsession, culminating in one of the most shocking acts in American political history the assassination of the president at a Washington, D.C. train station.
“Guiteau’s crime wasn’t born out of ideology,” Shannon noted. “It came from entitlement and rejection. That’s what’s so haunting about it. He represents the dark side of ambition when the desire to be seen turns into rage.”
The show doesn’t shy away from drawing parallels to the present day. Disenchantment with politics, the hunger for recognition, and the blurring line between fame and infamy all resonate deeply in today’s world of social media and polarization.
Behind the Scenes: A Vision Brought to Life
Directed by Matt Ross (Captain Fantastic), Death by Lightning combines historical drama with psychological depth. Ross’s approach to storytelling focuses less on spectacle and more on emotional realism. Every shot, from the candlelit corridors of power to the grim isolation of Guiteau’s mind, serves to immerse viewers in a nation on the edge.
The cinematography captures the duality of the era the gleaming progress of a new age shadowed by moral decay. The score, composed by Nicholas Britell (Succession, Moonlight), adds an elegiac tone, evoking both grandeur and melancholy.
Makowsky’s script balances factual accuracy with emotional truth. While historians will appreciate the attention to period detail, audiences will be drawn to the timeless themes of ambition, failure, and the yearning for significance.
Michael Shannon’s Method: Finding Empathy in the Unforgivable
Known for his intense and often unsettling performances, Michael Shannon approaches Guiteau with characteristic depth. Rather than portraying him as a caricature of insanity, Shannon digs into the vulnerability beneath the violence.
“I don’t think you can play a person like Guiteau as just ‘the villain,’” Shannon said. “He’s the product of his time a time when people believed in destiny, divine purpose, and self-made success. But when that dream collapsed for him, there was nowhere to fall but into madness.”
To prepare for the role, Shannon reportedly spent weeks reading Guiteau’s writings and studying historical records. What he found was both fascinating and tragic a man consumed by delusion, yet convinced of his righteousness.
Shannon remarked, “It’s heartbreaking.” Guiteau thought that the nation may be saved by assassinating the president. That’s how far gone he was. But behind that delusion is something painfully human the need to be recognized, to matter.”
A Mirror to the Modern World
While Death by Lightning unfolds in the 1880s, its emotional and political undercurrents feel eerily familiar. Shannon and Macfadyen’s portrayal of a divided nation one torn between progress and resentment mirrors many of the fractures we see today.
“History has this way of repeating itself,” Shannon reflected. “When people feel disconnected from their government or community, when they start believing that the system is rigged against them, that’s when danger grows. You see it now, just as you saw it then.”
The show invites viewers to question how far America has really come since the Gilded Age. Have we moved past the corruption and inequality of that time, or have we simply repackaged them in modern forms?
Critical Buzz and Early Reception
Even before its full release, Death by Lightning has generated significant buzz in both entertainment and political circles. Early festival screenings and critic previews have praised the show’s intelligent writing and powerhouse performances.
Variety described Shannon’s portrayal as “chillingly empathetic,” while The Hollywood Reporter called it “a masterclass in historical storytelling that feels uncomfortably contemporary.”
Streaming exclusively on Netflix (expected early 2026), the series marks another high-profile collaboration between Netflix and Benioff & Weiss following The Three-Body Problem. However, Death by Lightning trades science fiction for historical realism and the result is both haunting and thought-provoking.
Matthew Macfadyen on Power, Purpose, and Tragedy
For Macfadyen, stepping into the role of President Garfield was a chance to explore a different kind of leadership one rooted in empathy and reform rather than ambition and greed.
“Garfield was an unwilling hero,” he clarified. He never pursued power as a goal in and of itself. In his view, serving the public was a duty rather than a pleasure. This adds to the tragedy of his experience and makes it even more pertinent in the current environment.
Macfadyen’s quiet strength provides a poignant counterpoint to Shannon’s volatility. Together, they embody two sides of the American dream one driven by hope, the other by desperation.
Why ‘Death by Lightning’ Matters Now
Beyond its artistry, Death by Lightning carries a timely message about the fragility of democracy and the dangers of alienation. In an age when misinformation spreads faster than truth, and when anger often overshadows empathy, the series serves as a cautionary tale.
“This isn’t just a story about history,” Shannon said. “It’s a story about us about what happens when people stop believing they have a place in the world.”
As the series unfolds, viewers are likely to find themselves reflecting not only on America’s past but also on its present divisions. The show doesn’t offer easy answers, but it does pose essential questions: What happens when faith in the system dies? What fills the void left behind?
A Tragic Tale with Timeless Relevance
Death by Lightning is more than a period drama it’s a meditation on power, purpose, and the peril of being unseen. Through Michael Shannon’s haunting performance and Matthew Macfadyen’s quiet dignity, the series captures the contradictions of a nation struggling to define itself.
As history unfolds on screen, viewers are reminded that the distance between the 1880s and today may not be as vast as it seems. The same forces that drove men like Charles Guiteau loneliness, ambition, resentment still pulse beneath the surface of modern life. And in that sense, Death by Lightning is not just about one man’s crime or one president’s fall. It’s about all of us about the fragile thread that connects society, and what happens when it begins to fray.
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