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Matthew Macfayden stars in a new four-part Netflix historical drama (Picture: Netflix) A Netflix miniseries that has been described as a ‘gripping’ must-watch is now available to stream. Starring Succession’s Matthew Macfadyen and Michael Shannon, Death by Lightning dramatises the true story of the assassination of former US president James Garfield. Told through dual narratives, we see Garfield’s (Shannon) rise from relative obscurity to presidency and how his assassin, Charles Giteau (Macfayden), turns down an obsessive, murderous path. Taking to social media following its release, viewers have described the four-part drama – which is produced by the creators of Game of Thrones – as ‘fantastic’. Writing on X, @KMBAussie said: ‘I binge watched “Death By Lightning,” which chronicled one of the most significant events in American history that’s rarely discussed, the assassination of James Garfield. ‘An excellent series. I’ve yet to see a series with Michael Shannon and/or Shea Wigham that wasn’t good.’ The series follows Michael Shannon’s rise to presidency as James Garfield (Picture: Netflix) Told through dual narratives, Charles Giteau (Macfayden) assassinates Garfield (Picture: Netflix) @Maxfretless also said: ‘One episode in & I already love “Death by Lightning” on Netflix. The gilded age is such a rich area to be explored & the politics of the era are pure bare knuckle drama. ‘Shannon’s big screen menace becomes warmly paternal on the small screen. #deathbylightning’ @NoblePhares added: ‘Has anyone else watched “Death by Lightning”? Fantastic miniseries on the Gilded Age. Garfield and Arthur are characters far better than any comic book series.’ An official synopsis for the series reads: ‘Brings to life the epic and stranger-than-fiction true story of James Garfield, reluctant 20th president of the United States, and his greatest admirer Charles Guiteau — the man who would come to kill him.’ This comes after Netflix viewers were left ‘in tears’ watching a new drama series about a ferry disaster that left 56 people dead. The series has been praised by viewers online (Picture: Netflix) The series is produced by the creators of Game of Thrones (Picture: Netflix) The passenger ship MS Jan Heweliusz carried 36 passengers, 29 crew members, 28 trucks, and 10 rail cars when hurricane-force winds struck the ship in the middle of the night in 1993. Survivors later said that the ship had capsized so quickly that there wasn’t enough time to launch the many of the lifeboats. And with the water temperature being just 2 degrees, those few who managed to make it onto the lifeboats battled hypothermia. In total, only nine people survived out of the 65 people on board, making it the largest peacetime maritime disaster in Polish history. Death By Lightning is available to watch on Netflix. Got a story? If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
