Netflix just dropped a four-part limited series called 'Death by Lightning,' and it digs into one of the messiest, most tragic chapters in American politics: the very short presidency of James A. Garfield. It hit Netflix on November 6, 2025, and yes, this is the one backed by 'Game of Thrones' duo David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, with Mike Makowsky creating and Matt Ross directing. The cast is stacked, the story is wild, and the fallout changed the country.
What the show is actually about
Garfield was elected in 1880 with a reformer streak. His big mission: clean up Washington’s corrupt patronage machine, where government jobs were handed out as political favors. Four months into office, that crusade ran headfirst into reality.
On July 2, 1881, Garfield was shot at a Washington, D.C. train station by Charles J. Guiteau, a delusional hanger-on who convinced himself he deserved a government appointment for supporting Garfield. When the job didn’t materialize, he decided to make himself part of history in the worst way.
Here’s the part the series leans into: the bullet didn’t kill Garfield. The medicine did. He survived the attack and lived for more than two months while doctors repeatedly prodded the wound with unsterilized fingers and instruments trying to fish out the bullet. That led to massive infections and a slow-motion medical disaster. Alexander Graham Bell — yes, the telephone guy — even tried to locate the bullet with a primitive metal detector. It didn’t help.
Garfield died on September 19, 1881. Cause of death: infection and medical malpractice, not the gunshot itself. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for 19th-century healthcare.
Why it mattered
Garfield’s death exposed how outdated American medical practices really were, and it lit a fire under civil service reform. The country finally started dismantling the old spoils system — the very swampy status quo Garfield had wanted to clean up in the first place. Grim irony, meaningful impact.
Who is playing who
- Michael Shannon as President James A. Garfield
- Matthew Macfadyen as Charles J. Guiteau, Garfield’s assassin
- Betty Gilpin as Lucretia 'Crete' Garfield, the First Lady
- Nick Offerman as Vice President Chester A. Arthur, suddenly tasked with leading a grieving nation
- Bradley Whitford as James G. Blaine, one of Garfield’s closest allies
- Shea Whigham also appears in the ensemble
The talent behind it
The series was created by Mike Makowsky and directed by Matt Ross, with the project coming from 'Game of Thrones' creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. It’s a prestige-friendly setup for a story that’s equal parts political tragedy and medical horror show.
'Death by Lightning' is streaming now on Netflix.