There’s nothing dry about Death By Lightning . The title alone suggests a period piece that packs a punch. The show’s creator, Mike Makowsky ( Bad Influence ), not only delivers those punches but also a ton of laughs and oddities.

Case in point: Charles Guiteau’s ( Matthew Macfayden ) brain.

James Garfield’s ( Michael Shannon ) assassin’s brain serves as the framing device for the Netflix limited series. The discovery of the brain — in-a-jar, mind you, takes viewers from the 1960s back to the 1800s, when Garfield becomes president against his own desires. The candidate attracts the unwanted attention of Guiteau, an unwell man who takes the president’s life.

The show’s warm reception, as well as the debates it has sparked, is more than rewarding for its creator, who wrote every e

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