Death by Lightning review: The Netflix drama offers entertaining performances from Michael Shannon and Matthew Macfadyen, but suffers from rushed storytelling.
In Netflix’s latest dive into historical catastrophe masquerading as tragic comedy, the miniseries Death by Lightning, will focus on how President James A. Garfield’s short but significant term was cut short by the deranged Charles Guiteau. Adapted from Candice Millard’s acclaimed non-fiction book, the series has all the prestige hallmarks – a stellar cast (Michael Shannon, Matthew Macfadyen) and backing from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
Yet despite all its technical sheen and mesmerizing performances, the four-episode political drama cuts off oddly, a dazzling flash of promise that dissipates too quickly, leaving the audience with the feeling that the substance is severely undercooked in the narrative execution.
According to Collider, The series would not be what it is without its central performances. Michael Shannon brings a surprising depth of compassion and complexity to James A. Garfield. He is the unwilling, good man thrust into the nation’s highest office with a sincere dedication to civil service reform and battling the period’s widespread corruption. His political battle against the spoils system and his dream for a greater America provide the spine of the tale.
Likewise, Macfadyen as the mentally deranged assassin Charles Guiteau is an exercise in rattling restraint. Rather than barking like a lunatic, he gives us a chillingly believable narcissist whose grandiose delusions become deadly after he believes he’s been slighted by the government. Both Times Square and Ballet Mécanique are definitive performances by artists of the highest caliber and when these two extraordinary actors share even a few brief scenes, it electrifies the room.
Yet the very brevity that allows the series to have a tight focus ultimately becomes its undoing. With only four episodes, the drama speeds through Garfield’s volatile ascent; the political fights, the assassination, and the tragic fallout. The intricate, sleazy post–Civil War American political landscape which Garfield was frantically trying to clean up, seems drawn in rather than drawn out.
Crucial political and personal story lines are hurried, not allowing viewers to fully process the scope of Garfield’s vision and the pervasive institutional problems he confronted. Although the plot conforms to historical facts, it seems to be moving along a highlight reel, thus depriving the momentous events of their authentic emotional and intellectual weight.
The tragic thing about the Garfield story is not just the bullet but the subsequent, excruciating medical malpractice that resulted in his death months later—a detail beautifully and painfully unpacked in the source material.
The series nods to this, but its truncated format means the horror and absurdity of the medical ignorance doesn’t fully register. It’s in these pivotal, enduring moments that a genuine political drama finds its voice – revealing the systemic failures that magnified a personal tragedy.
Death By Lightning is a casualty of its brevity. It’s an effective (albeit superficial) flashback to a chapter in American history largely forgotten, and the work of its two stars makes it unforgettable.
But a story of this scope involving a president’s assassination, political corruption and the tragic crossroads of American determination requires more than a boiled-down treatment.
As report says, Beautifully shot and superbly acted, it’s less like a finished, fully resonant drama and more like a powerful, introductory prologue, a brilliant flash in the dark that leaves you wanting the narrative equivalent of a full tempest.
Death by Lightning is a show that glistens with stellar acting and pristine production values but doesn’t quite grant its narrative the depth it merits. But Michael Shannon and Matthew Macfadyen give strong performances that humanize and energize the limited four-episode format that does not allow the political and emotional strands to fully unravel.
What might have been a deep dive into ambition, tragedy, and systemic collapse, instead comes across as a beautifully staged synopsis of a much bigger narrative. Ultimately Death by Lightning isn’t just gorgeous and intermittently stirring but cuts too suddenly, leaving its viewers haunted, not by what has been seen, but by what’s been left unsaid.
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Today we break down on How Death by Lightning turns out both beautiful and at times touching but it runs out too soon. It is thus that his viewers are unsettled, not for what they see, but what goes unsaid.
Watch now Monarch Legacy of Monsters Season 2 trailer. Apple TV+ airs a glimpse of Skull Island, a new Alpha Titan, timelines shift, and MonsterVerse ties.
AppleTV+ has at last released the official trailer for Monarch Legacy of Monsters Season 2 at their Press Day event, and to say the MonsterVerse fanbase is going haywire would be an understatement.
The series has returned after a breakout first season that demonstrated you can blend high-prestige human drama with city-stomping kaiju. But this time, they’re not just holed up in bunkers, they’re going to the most dangerous place on Earth. With a new “Alpha” threat on the horizon and the timelines in flux, Season 2 looks to start to connect the dots between the small screen and the huge cinematic battles we know are coming in 2027.
The Monarch Legacy season itself starts with a world premiere on Friday, February 27, 2026, leading into what seems like a regular weekly obsession.
Over the course of 10 episodes, the story will be revealed one chapter at a time, with new episodes released every Friday. The journey ends on May 1, 2026; just enough time for fans to fan theories, argue online, and countdown between every reveal.
Genre: Fiction → science fiction, action-adventure, monster drama.
Theme: The main theme this season appears to go from “discovery” to “consequence.” The trailer shows a series of ripple effects of the past hitting the present. It’s about the trauma passed between generations of living in a world where “Gods” exist, and the corporate greed (hello, Apex Cybernetics) vying to control them.
Setting: The story scope has gone through the roof. We are presented with a split timeline:
The original Monarch Legacy Season 1 hitmakers are back to captain the ship:
Showrunners: Chris Black (Severance) and comic book legend Matt Fraction. Their Presence assures we have that blend of bureaucratic realism and off-the-walls, comic-book heart.
Executive Producers: Joby Harold, Tory Tunnell, and Matt Shakman (director of WandaVision).
Studio Oversight: Toho Co., Ltd. continues to keep a close eye which is key. They are the keepers of the Godzilla legacy — making sure the Titans look and move exactly as they should.
Season 1 concluded with a massive cliffhanger, leaving our heroes stranded in the time-bending dimension of Axis Mundi. Season 2 is going to be piecing things back together. The timeline has jumped to 2017 and the Randa siblings (Cate and Kentaro) aren’t just searching for their father now – they are fighting to stay alive.
The trailer shows a “Titan Event” coming. Monarch is scrambling, but a rival group, Apex Cybernetics, is making a name for itself on Skull Island. The narrative will probably follow the race to discover “buried secrets” beneath the island that ties into the 1950s timeline, and a new, ancient danger emerges from the deep.
The casting for this show is still one of its best selling points, especially when it comes to the “Legacy” gimmick of the Russell father-son duo.
Kurt Russell as the elder Lee Shaw (the man who knows too much).
Wyatt Russell as the young Lee Shaw (1950s timeline).
Takehiro Hira as Hiroshi Randa.
Amber Midthunder (Prey): She adds to the cast as a character named “Isabel,” presumably an action-heavy part based on her past work.
Cliff Curtis: Role TBC, but reports say a senior villain or military leader.
Dominique Tipper reprises her role as Brenda Holland, the public face of Apex Cybernetics’ corporate dreams.
The most talked about thing out of the trailer was the announcement of a new Alpha: Titan X.
The New Monster: Titan X – Billed as a ”living cataclysm”, Titan X is an aquatic, tentacled drake with bioluminescent blue/red scales and “sideways 8” pupils. It can create huge storms.
The Rivalry: The trailer implies that the solution to stopping this thing is to throw Godzilla and Kong at it.
Crossovers: We’re really part of a slow burn this season and laying the groundwork for the international geopolitical muscle flexing that will really heat up in Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, and again we’re talking 2027.
Apple isn’t holding back the purse strings. The VFX for Titan X and the Skull Island sequences are feature-film quality.
Production: Location shooting for a tough approximation of Skull Island was extensive.
Sound Design: The trailer featured a particular acoustic weapon/sound emanating from Titan X that causes fear. The sound designers are weaponizing the audio in the narrative.
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The rating is expected to be TV-14, but it’s intense. With the Titan attacks, heavy psychological horror aspects, it’s really pushing the boundaries of the rating. Parents should be aware that while it’s not R-rated, danger seems very real.
Platform: Exclusively on Apple TV+.
Global Reach: The series will air simultaneously in over 100 countries worldwide, allowing the huge international fanbase — particularly in Japan and the US to watch together.
The bar is set very high this time. It’s not monster-sized battles fans want anymore—they want answers. The story is now scheduled to reveal the lore: how Apex Cybernetics went underground to become the creators of Mechagodzilla.
Questions about the time skip also hang heavily—what is Axis Mundi, really, and how long has Lee Shaw been gone?
Let’s not forget Skull Island, which also teases larger mysteries. Are we going to see a younger Kong learning his way, or is the titular “King” already grown up in 2017?
It’s all got that Lost-meets-Godzilla vibe, cloaked in secrecies, timelines and slow-burn revelations. Should the writers really nail the mystery side of things, they could easily be in the running for best sci-fi series of 2026. You can find these answers by watching the full series on Apple TV+ after its release.
Monarch Legacy of Monsters Season 2 appears to be leveling up from “spinoff” to “must-watch” pillar of the MonsterVerse. By relocating the action to Skull Island and bringing in a frightening new antagonist, Apple TV+ is upping the ante. The February 27 countdown is on.
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Discover where to watch Dancing With the Stars 2025 live, check DWTS cast, premiere times, voting info, and streaming options. Don’t miss any dance action!
Catch Dancing With the Stars season 34 live, this new season created a buzz among the dance lovers with its premiere on September 16, 2025. This 20th-anniversary season will air at 8 pm on ABC and later available on Disney+ and new episodes drop every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. Pacific viewers can watch at 8 pm and Central viewers catch it at 7 pm local time. Its premier performances are featuring classic dances including tango, salsa and cha-cha while all the 28 contestants compete for the Mirrorball Trophy.
There are several platforms to catch Dancing With the Stars 2025. You can watch it on official channel ABC at 8 pm and 7 pm Central. You can stream this show on Disney+ as it airs concurrently on it. For a live streaming, use ABC app, Hulu Live TV, Fubo TV to watch your favorite dance show.
All the episodes are available of the entire season on Disney+ and Hulu to catch it later. But if you are interested in a live show then watch it right away on Disney+ and catch the premiere of 16th September on Hulu to watch your favorite celebrities in their dance forms. It means the premiere is available on 17th September on Hulu.
Dancing With The Stars season 34 cast announced on Good Morning America September 3, 2025. There are 14 couples – celebrities with professional partners including Hilaria Baldwin author and business owner, teamed up with Gleb Savchenko & actor and musician Corey Feldman dances with Jenna Johnson. There are more celebrity-dancer pairs listed below noted by the ABC.
The DWTS season 34 is back with the familiar faces including Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough will judge again. Performances are scored by these judges every week and the show co-host by Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro again. The competition will also get tricky because viewers can vote for their favorite couple.
| Celebrity | Professional Partner | Celebrity background |
| Jen Affleck | Jan Ravnik | Influencer and reality star (star of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives) |
| Hilaria Baldwin | Gleb Savchenko | Wellness entrepreneur and author (host of TLC’s The Baldwins and lifestyle author) |
| Jordan Chiles | Ezra Sosa | Olympic gymnast (silver & gold medalist) |
| Baron Davis | Britt Stewart | NBA All-Star and entrepreneur. |
| Alix Earle | Val Chmerkovskiy | Leading social media personality (lifestyle/fashion content) |
| Dylan Efron | Daniella Karagach | Producer and content creator (co-star/producer of Netflix’s Down to Earth with Zac Efron) |
| Corey Feldman | Jenna Johnson | Child-actor turned musician (star of The Goonies, Gremlins; celebrating 50-year career) |
| Danielle Fishel | Pasha Pashkov | Actress (best known as Topanga on Boy Meets World) and TV director |
| Elaine Hendrix | Alan Bersten | Actress (The Parent Trap, Dynasty), model, and singer |
| Scott Hoying | Rylee Arnold | Grammy-winning singer (member of Pentatonix, win more than one Grammy Awards) |
| Robert Irwin | Witney Carson | Wildlife conservationist and TV presenter (son of Steve Irwin) |
| Lauren Jauregui | Brandon Armstrong | Singer-songwriter |
| Whitney Leavitt | Mark Ballas | Reality star (Secret Lives of Mormon Wives) and social media personality |
| Andy Richter | Emma Slater | Comedian/actor (longtime sidekick on Conan) |
The new addition to this season is Jan Ravnik who danced with Taylor Swift in her tour era. This season’s backup dancers are Carter Williams, Onye Stevenson, Jaxon Willard, Hailey Bills.
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It’s the 20th anniversary of Dancing With The Stars but there is nothing new or surprising. It returns as in its usual format, judges will score weekly on the dancer’s performance and elimination by audience vote. So, it’ll be the DWTS you know and love.
The Dancing With The Stars dancing show is returning with new faces and talent, fans will be excited to see their favorite stars on a live show. This dance show will air on ABC and Disney+ and you can also catch it later on the ABC, Disney+, Hulu app. Viewers can vote during the live broadcast via online on the ABC site or SMS with the celebrity’s first name to 21523 ( U.S., U.S. territories, or Canada).
