TV Series Review

‘Death by Lightning’: A US President the World Forgot

The story of James Garfield and his assassin reveal what we need to know about our complicated past in this TV mini-series.
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‘Death by Lightning’: A US President the World Forgot
James Garfield (Michael Shannon), in "Death by Lightning." Larry Horricks/Netflix
Michael Clark
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TV-MA | 4 episodes | Drama, Biography, History | 2025

The title card at the start of “Death by Lightning” (“Lightning”) reads: “This is a true story about two men the world forgot. One was the 20th president of the United States. The other shot him.”

Michael Clark
Michael Clark
Author
Originally from the nation's capital, Michael Clark has provided film content to over 30 print and online media outlets. He co-founded the Atlanta Film Critics Circle in 2017 and is a weekly contributor to the Shannon Burke Show on FloridaManRadio.com. Since 1995, Clark has written over 5,000 movie reviews and film-related articles. He favors dark comedy, thrillers, and documentaries.