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.
School Spirits Season 2 is here! Get the full episode schedule, plot twists, and where to watch this thrilling supernatural drama. Don't miss it! Learn more..!
The wait is over! School Spirits Season 2 is finally here. The show takes you back to its mysterious world. High school secrets and supernatural events make it more exciting. Peyton List returns as Maddie Nears.
She faces new challenges and deeper mysteries. This season blends teen drama with ghostly twists. Want to know more? Here’s everything about the release schedule, story details, and where to watch!
| Episode Number | Title | Release Date |
| Episode 1 | Whatever Happened to Maddie Nears? | Thursday, January 30, 2025 |
| Episode 2 | Field of Screams | Thursday, January 30, 2025 |
| Episode 3 | Can’t Hauntly Wait | Thursday, January 30, 2025 |
| Episode 4 | A Walk-in to Remember | Thursday, February 6, 2025 |
| Episode 5 | Ghost Who’s Coming to Dinner | Thursday, February 13, 2025 |
| Episode 6 | Ghost Pointe Blank | Thursday, February 20, 2025 |
| Episode 7 | Title TBA | Thursday, February 27, 2025 |
| Episode 8 | Title TBA | Thursday, March 6, 2025 |
| Episode 9 | Title TBA | Thursday, March 13, 2025 |
| Episode 10 | Title TBA | Thursday, March 20, 2025 |
Season 2 picks up right where Season 1 left off. Maddie’s journey in the afterlife continues with more twists. She learns shocking truths about her fate. With new clues, she searches for answers.
Her high school hides deep secrets. This season explores identity, unfinished business, and strong bonds. Love and friendship go beyond life and death.
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New episodes of School Spirits stream only on Paramount+. In the U.S., episodes release every Thursday at 3 a.m. ET / 12 a.m. PT. UK viewers can watch on Paramount+ UK every Friday.
Subscribers can stream through the Paramount+ app or website. The show’s thrilling story keeps fans hooked. Don’t miss the latest supernatural twists each week!
School Spirits Season 2 has released six episodes since January 30, 2025. The story follows Maddie Nears, a ghost trapped in her high school. She recently discovered she never actually died. Another spirit, Janet, took over her body. In the latest episode, Maddie’s friends kidnapped Janet.
They wanted her to leave Maddie’s body. The next episode airs on February 27, 2025. Janet might react violently. She could also reveal secrets about her past. Fans are eager to see what happens next. Don’t miss the upcoming twists in this thrilling supernatural drama!
School Spirits Season 2 Episode 7 premieres on Paramount+ on Thursday, February 27, 2025. The episode will release at 12 a.m. PT and 3 a.m. ET. The series is available only on Paramount+.
A subscription is required to watch. Paramount+ offers two plans. The ad-supported Essential plan costs $7.99 per month. The ad-free Showtime plan costs $12.99 per month.
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The upcoming episode is titled Anatomy of a Fallout Shelter. It continues from the last episode. Mr. Martin finds Janet at the cabin where she was held. He might try to convince her to keep Maddie’s body.
The episode’s synopsis suggests Janet will not listen to him. She is expected to react violently. She may also reveal secrets about her past. The other spirits will learn about her connection to Mr. Martin.
The previous episode was titled Ghost Pointe Blank. Simon and the others kidnapped Janet. She still refused to leave Maddie’s body. They tied her to a chair. They tried to convince her to return to Split River High. They wanted Maddie to regain her body. The group told Janet that Dawn had crossed over.
Janet refused to believe it. She demanded proof. Simon rushed back to the school to talk to Maddie. Meanwhile, Maddie made an important discovery. She realized the spirits’ scars were all connected. She also found out Dawn’s scar might be a portal to the afterlife. Simon returned and told Janet everything.
She still refused to leave Maddie’s body. Meanwhile, Wally attended his high school reunion. The event revealed his past as a bully. Charley was upset because he had been bullied before. Charley found comfort in Yuri. They shared a moment and kissed.
Back at the cabin, the kids kept persuading Janet. In the end, she asked for time alone before returning to school. Simon agreed and left. Just then, Mr. Martin approached Janet. His arrival hinted that her decision might change again. Fans are eager to see what happens next!
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You can watch it exclusively on Paramount+ with a subscription to either the Essential ($7.99/month) or Showtime ($12.99/month) plan.
The season follows Maddie Nears, a ghost trapped in high school, uncovering shocking secrets about her past and the afterlife.
Season 2 has 10 episodes, with the first three released on January 30, 2025, and new episodes airing every Thursday.
Simon and friends kidnapped Janet to force her out of Maddie’s body, but she refused, and Mr. Martin’s arrival hinted at another twist.
HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms redefines the Targaryens story without dragons and shift towards high-political viewpoint
The delivery of the A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (AKOTSK) confirms HBO’s prioritisation of a long-term expansion within the world of Game of Thrones. Adapted from George R. R. Martin’s The Tales of Dunk and Egg, the series marks a tonal and scale shift strategy-wise from its fellow travellers.
HBO has officially unveiled the very first teaser poster for the prequel series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The related tagline, “A tall tale that became legend,” nicely hammers home the thematic core of the series. This decision indicates a story focused on the rise of a legendary figure, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his secret companion, as opposed to immediately going to the large dynastic struggles.This, again, is the switches the darkly political and dense promotional materials surrounding Game of Thrones and House of for a mythological framing. The premiere is confirmed for early January 2026.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is an origin story set in the world of Game of Thrones, based on George R.R. Martin’s novellas, collectively known as the Dunk and Egg stories. It brings them into the first novella, The Hedge Knight.
The basic premise follows the pair’s exploits: Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk) is an amateur knight who has no idea how to act like one and his squire, Aegon V Targaryen (Egg), is a sweet and neurotic miniature dragon waiting to take the throne. Egg, the younger brother of two princes in secret, wanders under the disguise as a vagabond under Dunk’s wing is a unique relationship axis that propels the narrative and anchors the tale in personal relationships as opposed to Targaryen-led continental warfare.
The late timing of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms — after the highly anticipated second season of House of the Dragon (HOTD) — is a strategic business move on HBO’s part. The network intends to — while introducing more varied narratives — keep to Westeros for its ongoing cultural relevancy. By putting in a story that’s conceptually “smaller and more humorous”, HBO also counteracts the cumulative effects of visual and political fatigue that could come from regularly increasing the scope and grandeur of the hermetic epic scale that HOTD establishes. The show is written to allow for sustained fan engagement through a separate, character-focused subgenre and hold onto the dramatic potential of Targaryen civil war for a future season by recapturing the substantial creative and budgetary resources required to portray those later, high-drama conflicts.
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The political climate is significantly influenced by the fact that the series is set approximately half a century after the last dragon died. Showrunner Ira Parker stressed that this placement in history was crucial, calling it a time when the Targaryens are “finally without the thing that put them in power”. The realm is regarded more as a “magic isn’t on anyone’s mind” era, resulting in the feeling of an older, grittier Middle Ages. The Targaryens remain on the Iron Throne (for now), with King Aerys I Targaryen reigning as the 13th monarch in the line.
EW got an exclusive sit-down with showrunner Ira Parker about the fundamental creative philosophy of the series. The outlet was key in verifying the reason for the aesthetic departures, mainly the dropping of the iconic opening titles as a way of mirroring Dunk’s “plain” and “simple” look. EW also covered the shift to common people (armorers, barmaids) rather than kings and queens, gave us the first official look at Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan and confirmed the casting of the critical Targaryen princes (Baelor, Maekar, Aerion).
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Parker described the show’s purpose as intentionally small-scale and grounded. The story deliberately eschews the standard high-political viewpoint, turning away from “the lords and ladies, the kings and queens”. It’s not like he’s off in space or anything, the story is very “rooted in the lower class of Westeros,” and is focused on characters Ser Duncan meets along the way: “the armorers, the performers, the barmaids, the whores, and the like”.
IGN noted Parker’s dedication to the simplistic title card as opposed to the orchestral animated map showing the production’s dedication to artistic economy and character centric storytelling.
The combined output of these reports largely comes down to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms not feeling like filler, but rather a meticulously crafted creative act. It serves as a grounded counterpoint to the grand scale of House of the Dragon, using a more intimate, character-driven narrative to examine the human experience and the concept of honor in the medieval fantasy world of Westeros.
The analysis confirms The user’s question about the first poster is correct early January 2026 and the platform is indeed Max. The appointed information communicates a show that is firmly situated in the Game of Thrones world, as a conscious creative riposte to the high-stakes political turmoil currently consuming the franchise.
Show’s core identity is based on its “protagonist’s perspective,” the limited perspective of its main character (which explains why it’s grounded in the lower levels of society, is “more humorous,” and why it avoids the franchise’s signature animated title sequence). The logistics of production, all the way down to the use of Titanic Studios, and the beginning, literally immediate pre-production of Season 2, speak to a tight, unified, three-season vision to adapt the whole existing source material and to spinoff the long game viability of the Westeros IP.
