Death by Lightning (2025)

Biography · Drama · History

The story of James Garfield, who rose from obscurity to become America's 20th President — and Charles Guiteau, the man who assassinated him.

IMDb rating: 7.6 (20,277 votes)
Episode average: 7.9 ↑ +0.3 vs IMDb
Seasons: 1
Streaming (US): Netflix
Language: EN
Type: Mini-series

Rating trend: this show's seasons do not settle into one shape. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well.

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Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 1 season indexed

Cast

Michael Shannon James Garfield
Matthew Macfadyen Charles Guiteau
Nick Offerman Chester A. Arthur
Shea Whigham Roscoe Conkling
Bradley Whitford James Blaine
Betty Gilpin Crete Garfield

Seasons

Season 1 (2025)

7.88 avg 4 episodes 7.9 → 8.2 53 min avg

Big finale
U-shaped

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Man from Ohio	7.9	1,147
2	Party Faithful	7.6	971
3	Casus Belli	7.8	894
4	Destiny of the Republic	8.2	910