The Prestige TV Podcast: ‘Death by Lightning’—Netflix’s Garfield Assassination Show

Guest: Mike Makowsky (Showrunner/Creator)
Host: Joanna Robinson
Published: November 18, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode is a deep-dive interview with Mike Makowsky, the creator and showrunner of Netflix’s hit mini-series Death by Lightning, which dramatizes the assassination of President James Garfield. Joanna Robinson and Makowsky explore the show's inspirations, adaptation challenges, historical accuracy, and vibrant character portrayals, with standout moments discussing the show’s unique tone, creative choices, and lasting themes on memory and legacy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Genesis and Structure of the Series

• Format Choices:
  • Death by Lightning emerged as a four-episode mini-series, though Makowsky originally envisioned six episodes. Both creative reasons and Netflix’s approval process led to the condensed format.
    • Makowsky: “I did initially write it as a six episode limited series… to get the show across the finish line at all, to get greenlit, it just needed to be… condensed to its current form, which was four episodes.” (02:39)
• Feature Film vs. Mini-Series:
  • Makowsky felt the story was too expansive for a film, given its rich historical and character-driven content.

2. Guiteau’s Trial and Omissions

• Considering the Trial:
  • Makowsky wrote an entire episode for Guiteau’s infamous insanity defense trial, notable in American legal history.
    • “I wrote a whole trial episode. And ultimately what I realized… doing a weird Charles Guiteau power hour after losing Garfield as this counterweight, it felt imbalanced.” (03:41)
  • Encourages viewers to dive into further reading, notably Candice Millard’s Destiny of the Republic, the show’s primary source.

3. Personal Discovery and Historical Interest

• Makowsky’s Entry Point:
  • He discovered Garfield’s assassination by chance, seeking a third book in a buy-two-get-one sale.
    • “I knew nothing about James Garfield, aside from… I think I was mildly aware of the fact that he’d been assassinated vis a vis Stephen Sondheim, let’s say.” (05:29)
  • The research experience was defined by disbelief and curiosity, constantly cross-referencing Wikipedia to verify the wild events.

4. Adapting History for Television

• Cinematic Moments and Challenges:

  • The 1880 Republican National Convention was flagged as inherently cinematic—a set-piece full of drama, chaos, and absurdity.
    • “The situational absurdity of that massive set piece was just incredibly exciting to me.” (08:08)
  • Garfield’s improbable nomination—his rise analogous to a reluctant “Jon Snow” archetype, masking real ambition.

• Portraying Political Complexity:

  • Makowsky discusses the challenge of making 19th-century political machinations fresh and compelling to modern audiences.
    • “Part of the adaptation process is… giving it a little bit more of a contemporary engine… and that filters into the conversation about anachronistic language.” (15:56)
  • Contemporary language and black comedy elements were intentional to “grab people by the lapels” and break the stuffy period drama mold.

5. Character Studies: Ambition, Ego, Legacy

• Garfield and Guiteau’s Shared Qualities:
  • Despite surface differences, the series juxtaposes the ambition of Garfield and Guiteau.
    • “What was incredibly fascinating to me was… the middle of that Venn diagram, like, what do these two guys actually have in common?… ambition, the desire to matter.” (12:20)
• Portraying Garfield's Complexity:
  • Michael Shannon's nuanced performance is highlighted for bringing out the simmering ambition beneath Garfield’s noble surface.

6. Casting and Performance Revelations

• All-Star Casts and Standouts:
  • The cast includes Michael Shannon (Garfield), Matthew Macfadyen (Guiteau), Betty Gilpin (Lucretia Garfield), Nick Offerman, Bradley Whitford, and more.
• Betty Gilpin’s Impact:
  • Gilpin’s deep research into Lucretia Garfield helped bring a new dimension to the character, emphasizing the emotional intelligence and constrained agency of women in that era.
    • “Lucretia really came to life in a way that I didn’t necessarily expect… she’s sort of disappointed by her husband’s question.” (21:59)
• Notable Acting Choices:
  • Macfadyen’s portrayal of Guiteau is singled out, especially in scenes where other characters recognize his instability. His emotional encounter with Garfield was surprising in its intensity.
    • “Matthew just burst into tears as soon as he saw Garfield… I think that’s sort of like a cute, visceral [moment]. That was all Matthew.” (26:01)

7. Creative License and Fact vs. Fiction

• Historical Accuracy:
  • The show is praised for fidelity to real events, with some rhetorical modernization.
    • “I would say probably 70, 30 to the actual language… Garfield was an incredible speechwriter and orator, and I tried to compromise as little as possible on his language.” (18:31)
• Behind Closed Doors:
  • Office scenes between Garfield and Guiteau are based on scant records but dramatized into emotional high points.

8. Period Drama Trends and Greenlighting Challenges

• Convincing Networks:
  • Makowsky reflects on the lack of initial enthusiasm for a Garfield miniseries in a landscape obsessed with “sex, mud, and cursing” period pieces à la The Gilded Age or Peaky Blinders.
    • “When I first told my agent I wanted to adapt this… he looked at me like I had three heads.” (20:00)
• Mandate to Stand Out:
  • The tepid industry response strengthened Makowsky’s resolve to make a show that insisted on the audience’s attention.

9. Striking and Memorable Scenes

• Closed-Door Office Meeting:
  • The emotional confrontation between Garfield and Guiteau became a centerpiece, driven unexpectedly by Macfadyen’s spontaneous emotionality and Shannon’s genuine reactions.
    • “It’s all genuine. Michael’s like, oh, oh, no.” (26:01)
• Guiteau’s Fate and Final Performance:
  • The show dramatizes Guiteau’s final moments, including singing “I am Going to the Lordy”—a nod to both reality and Sondheim’s Assassins. Macfadyen’s performance is praised for its depth and dark comedy.
    • “That massive delta between his expectations and reality, that even in his final moments, he thinks if he puts on this, like, fun show that it will have some effect on his audience…” (31:45)
  • The realization that he is not received as he imagines is poignantly captured.
    • “You just see, like, in that final moment, Gatto realizes that it wasn't worth it.” (34:18)

10. Opening and Closing the Show—Brains in Jars and Legacies

• Opening in 1969:
  • The show’s modern opening (Sly and the Family Stone playing over a brain in a jar—Guiteau's actual preserved brain) was designed to instantly disrupt expectations of a musty costume drama.
    • “I loved the idea of starting with a 1960s song… the most unexpected way possible to start the show.” (34:43, 36:12)
  • Makowsky visited the real brain at a military facility, discovering that Guiteau’s remains sit alphabetically adjacent to Ham the space chimp, contrasting with Garfield’s dignified resting place.

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• On why the show is 4 episodes:
  “To get the show across the finish line at all, to get greenlit, it just needed to be… condensed to its current form, which was four episodes.”
  — Makowsky (02:39)

• On Guiteau’s defense:
  “His pitch was, I may have shot Garfield. That didn’t kill him. The doctors killed him. Which is correct.”
  — Makowsky (03:22)

• On approaching adaptation:
  “Wanted to do everything in my power to kind of grab people by the lapels in the same way and be like, no, no, this is really cool and fun and weird and fucked up. I don’t know if I’m allowed to curse. But you are.”
  — Makowsky (16:48–17:31)

• On Michael Shannon as Garfield:
  “There is nothing simple about Michael Shannon. I think that that was part of the draw of casting him, is you can always tell that there’s something simmering under the surface with this guy, even when he is projecting the most noble version of James Garfield.”
  — Makowsky (13:54)

• On Lucretia Garfield and women’s legacies:
  “The women in this era know better than to think that their names are going to be etched in the annals of American history… But what she can do, the power that she does have, is to deny that to Guiteau.”
  — Makowsky (24:55)

• On Guiteau’s delusions at the gallows:
  “Even in his final moments, he thinks if he puts on this, like, fun show that it will have some effect on his audience… you just see, like, in that final moment, Gatto realizes that it wasn’t worth it.”
  — Makowsky (31:45, 34:18)

• On opening with a brain in a jar:
  “I loved the idea of starting with a 1960s song… the most unexpected way possible to start the show.”
  — Makowsky (36:12)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:39] — Why the show is four episodes; adaptation process
• [03:22] — Guiteau’s trial and legal defense
• [05:29] — Makowsky’s discovery of the Garfield story
• [08:08] — Convention scene and Garfield’s nomination
• [12:20] — Parallels between Garfield and Guiteau
• [15:56] — Adapting period drama for modern sensibilities
• [18:31] — Balancing factual speeches with contemporary language
• [20:00] — TV industry skepticism and greenlighting challenges
• [21:59] — Acting revelations: Betty Gilpin as Lucretia
• [26:01] — The Garfield-Guiteau office meeting scene
• [29:35] — Presidential security, historical context
• [31:45] — Guiteau’s gallows moment & Sondheim’s Assassins
• [34:43, 36:12] — Brains in jars, opening sequence choice
• [37:31] — Strange resting places for Guiteau and Garfield

Closing Thoughts

Makowsky and Robinson’s conversation demystifies Death by Lightning’s blend of black comedy, modern language, and deep historical research. The episode highlights the show’s mission to revitalize obscure history for modern viewers and reflects with empathy on ambition, legacy, and the often-forgotten figures behind pivotal historical events. If you haven’t seen the series yet, this episode is certain to pique your curiosity—and if you have, it provides a rich behind-the-scenes perspective on its creation.